There is more evidence to support that Shylock is a villain when we are introduced to Launcelot Gobbo (Act Two Scene Two). Gobbo is a servant of Shylock’s, but he doesn’t want to be anymore as he thinks about running away from Shylock and asking Bassanio for employment. He calls Shylock “the devil incarnation”, which means he thinks that Shylock is the devil in human form. He has good reasons to think this as Shylock doesn’t look after his employees at all, he doesn’t feed them well as Launcelot Gobbo says you can feel his ribs, “I am famished in his service; you may tell every finger I have with my ribs.”
Shylock has a daughter called Jessica. She is a Jew and lives with her father in their house. I think that Shylock only cares about himself and his money – he doesn’t care about his own daughter. Jessica is ashamed to be her father’s child, although she knows it’s a sin to think it, “Alack, what heinous sin is it in me to be asham’d to be my father’s child!” Jessica agrees with what everyone says about her father as she runs away from her father and her home. We see Shylock ordering Jessica around in their home and when Shylock is shouting her she only comes down to see him when Launcelot calls her name. I feel that Shylock is a villain when he’s getting ready to go to dinner with Antonio and Bassanio. Shylock doesn’t want to go; he’s only going so Antonio has to spend money on him (eating at Antonio’s expense). (QUOTE)
Because Launcelot has left Shylock, there is no one else to look after the house other than Jessica. Shylock is quite happy to leave his daughter on her own in the house; he’s worried about his money and possessions. Shylock gives instructions to Jessica about locking up the house and not to look out the windows at the masquers going to the party. Shylock doesn’t even ask his daughter if she’s happy to stay at home, he doesn’t think he needs to ask her if she will look after the house. He thinks she’s at his beck and call. Jessica feels nothing for her father and so decides to leave her father and go with her love, Lorenzo. (QUOTE)
Shakespeare has described Shylock finding out that Jessica has run away, from Solanio’s point of view. Solanio is a friend of Bassanio’s. We don’t feel sympathy for Shylock when he discovered that Jessica had run away with his ducats because, Solanio tells the story as if shylock’s grief over the loss of his daughter is no way near how angry he is about the loss of his ducats. However, Solanio could be making fun of Shylock. Shylock says, “My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!” Shylock’s grief over the loss of his daughter succumbs to his anger over the loss of his ducats; this shows that he cares more about money more than his daughter. That in my opinion makes him a villain. When we next see Shylock, his grief over the loss of his daughter has been replaced with bitterness and anger. Shylock doesn’t know why his daughter has run away and what he’s done to deserve this.
When Antonio cannot repay the money Shylock says, “The villainy you teach me I will execute.” So, he is thrilled when he hears that another of Antonio’s ships has become lost. This provides hope for Shylock, as he still thinks he can win now, “I thank God, I thank God. Is it true, is it true?” When Shylock realizes that Antonio cannot claim he is bankrupt, Shylock is thrilled because he’ll get his pound of flesh, “I am very glad of it; I’ll plague him; I’ll torture him: I am glad of it.”
Shylock tells Tubal to free him an officer, two weeks before Antonio’s debt is due to be repaid, “Go, Tubal, free me an officer; bespeak him a fortnight before.” This shows that Shylock is a villain because he’s not willing to give Antonio more time and he’s positive that Antonio won’t be able to pay up because he’s already hiring sheriffs to arrest Antonio.
When Antonio can’t pay Shylock what he owes, Shylock immediately looks towards the bond – Shylock wants his pound of flesh. Shylock starts to pester the duke, as he wants his pound of flesh, “He plies the duke at morning and at night, and doth impeach the freedom of the state.”
Shylock is very confident that he’ll win the trial, telling Antonio when he is in prison, “Thou calld’st me a dog…But since I am a dog, beware my fangs. Shylock knows that the Venetian justice system will not let Antonio go without Shylock having his pound of flesh. This shows that Shylock is a villain because he’s determined to have his pound of flesh because he knows that way Antonio will be dead he won’t have any competition when it comes to money lending. During the trial scene, Shylock resolutely refuses to listen to all the pleas of mercy, which shows he’s a villain. I think this is foolish of Shylock as he could have pardoned Antonio and then shown himself to be morally superior. Shylock loses the audience’s sympathy that he might have had during the play when he was continuously sharpening the knife on the sole of his shoe during the trial. He shows no mercy. Shylock is sticking to the bonds every word e.g. it didn’t say a doctor could be present and so a doctor wasn’t allowed. But, this would be a downfall to him, as , a young lawyer enters the trial room and discovers that there is nothing said about blood being taken and therefore Shylock can’t get his pound of flesh, “This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; the words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh’: take thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh; but, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed one drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate unto the state of Venice.” Shylock has been caught out at his own game. Shakespeare doesn’t give Shylock any lines to tell us how he feels, this creates an atmosphere and you can just imagine the look on his face. (QUOTE OF WHAT HE SAYS)
At the end of the trial, the Duke pardons Shylock’s life before he even asks for it, he’s showing Shylock the difference between the two of them, showing that he is better then Shylock, “That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.” Antonio doesn’t want Shylock’s money he wants it to go to Jessica and Lorenzo, here I think he’s also stating that he’s better than Shylock because he could have lots more money, but instead he’ll give it to somebody else – this would be probably be the opposite of what Shylock would do.
Therefore, I think that Shylock is a villain because he likes to see other people suffer; wanting Antonio’s pound of flesh. Shylock drove his own daughter away by his greed for money and his selfishness. Shylock has lost everything; his daughter, his wealth, his religious freedom and the engagement ring given to him by his wife all because of his greed for money and power.
