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Shylock: Villain or Victim?
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The Merchant of Venice
Shylock: Villain or Victim?
'The Merchant of Venice' is a play written by William Shakespeare. In this play I will be analysing whether the character of Shylock is classed as a villain or victim. His character is unclear, as he can be seen as an orthodox Jew, where he is vicious and cunning, or he can be seen as a nice and caring person. I will begin by explaining the ways in which he can be seen as a villain.
Shylock is seen as a villain because of the way he acts towards other people. Shylock is a very selfish man, and he will often only talk to people if he knows it will affect him in a financial way. Shylock resents Antonio because he lends out money without interest, this is the reason why Shylock does not like him because it is bad for Shylock's money lending business. This is showed when Shylock says, 'Gaoler...tell me not of mercy, This is the fool that lends out money gratis.'
In Act 1 Scene 3, Antonio and Bassanio go to Shylock and ask him for a loan. Shylock accepts because he sees
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