For me, Shylock had all the qualities, which make a villain. Shakespeare presented him as a very cruel and hardhearted individual. Perhaps the best example of this can be seen in the way in which he treated his daughter Jessica. Jessica was around twenty years of age but Shylock refused to let her leave the house in case she met any Christians; “Clamber not you up to the casements then, Nor thrust your head into the public street to gaze on Christian fools with varnished faces”. He believed that Christians were unpleasant people because of the way they treated him, and he did not want his daughter mixing with them. I realised that Jessica was forced to live a miserable and depressing life, which I could not put up with.
When she manages to escape and elope with a Christian he is furious “I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear. Would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin”. Of course, the real proof that he is a villain is when he tries to make Antonio suffer for not repaying his debts. Shylock’s evil nature came through when he said, “Ay, his breast, so says the bond, doth it not noble judge? Nearest his heart, those are the very words”. I realised that he really did not want his money but instead he was desperate to inflict as much pain as possible in Antonio. Seeing someone else in agony was more enjoyable for Shylock than being repaid “The pound of flesh which I demand is dearly bought, tis mine and I will have it”. At this point in the play I absolutely despised Shyloch for being such a villain.
However, even though he was a villain I felt that Shylock was also a bit of a victim. From the opening moment it was obvious that Antonio hated him simply because he was not a Christian like himself and lent out money to make a profit. His Jewish faith meant that Christians also insulted him “he hates our sacred nation.” Shyloch had also been humiliated in public by Antonio and other Christians “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine.”
Shylock was forced to become a moneylender because all of the other professions were banned to him due to his faith. I felt that earning interest on his money was not very different from Antonio trying to make a profit in the cargo his ships carried. I also felt that he did have his reasons for keeping a very close eye on his daughter. He did not want her to be hurt by the kind of abuse he was receiving from the Christians who were in the majority in Venice at the time. The Christians also tricked him when the court case took place, because they broke the rules when Portia impersonated a lawyer. The laws of Venice were broken but no one did any thing about it.
I admired Shylock and the way he cared for his family; he did what he thought was best for his daughter Jessica. He was trying to protect Jessica from the Christians because of the way they had treated him in the past “Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last.” Shylock also treated his daughter wrongly, Jessica even felt that he was no longer her father. “To ashamed to be my fathers child.” However he had her interest at heart.
In the play Shylock could be seen as heroic when he took Antonio to court. Shylock was a man of principles and he always followed the letter of the law. However, Shylock could also have been considered as being cunning and vengeful. A clear example of this is when Antonio offered Shylock double the amount due, but Shylock rejected it. Shylock insisted upon receiving his “pound of flesh”, and actually he wanted Antonio dead. In view of all of Shylock’ s characteristics, my overall opinion of Shylock is that he is a very complicated man. It was a very enjoyable play to read, and I am certain to remember Shylock in the years to come.