I think that from Shylock’s very first scene of the play you can see clues to his scheming and conniving nature. In it we see Shylock trying to work out whether or not to give Antonio the money. You can see him trying to decide whether it is worth his while, trying to decide if there is anything in it for him. He also shows the nasty side to his personality when he makes certain comments about Antonio’s ships that would imply he would like harm to come to them. “ I mean, pirates; and then there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks.” I think this is why he eventually decides to loan Antonio the money he thinks that something might happen to his ships and then Antonio will not be able to pay him back. Another comment he makes in that scene is that he hates Antonio just because he’s Christian, which is an intolerant opinion and shows you exactly the kind of person Shylock is.
Shylock is a greedy, money-mad man who cares more about his money than his family. This is proven in Act 2 Scene 8 when he finds out that his daughter Jessica has run away from him with Lancelot-a Christian- and she has taken his money and some of his jewels with her. He is upset that she has left him and worried about her but he is also furious that she has taken his money with her. He goes out into the streets shouting and can’t seem to decide which he cares about more his daughter or the ducats. “My ducats and my daughter! And jewels! Two stones!” He should obviously care far more about his daughter but it is apparent that he doesn’t. Another example of his cold-hearted personality is his statement in Act 3 Scene 1 “I would have my daughter dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear.” This is a horrible thing for a father to say about his daughter and shows without a shadow of a doubt that he cares more about money than his only daughter.
Shylock’s unforgiving stubbornness is shown again in his court scenes with Antonio. He is determined that he will get his pound of flesh. He shows his arrogance when he enters the court with a pair of scales and a large knife obviously implying that in his eyes he has already won. It also shows that his mind is made up and that it is highly unlikely that he will listen to anything the court has to say. Shylock says the whole way through the trial that all he wants is the justice he deserves but this is not true. Shylock is made several offers of money during the trial, twice the amount of what Antonio owes him but he will not accept them. He also turns down a request that a surgeon be allowed to stand by, to help Antonio after he had taken his pound of flesh. Both of these actions show that it is not justice or even the money that Shylock cares about but Antonio’s death. Later in the scene he tortures Antonio by sharpening his knife on the sole of his shoe infront of him. Which angers Bassanio and leads him to shout to Shylock “Not on thy sole but on thy soul” which is a pun cleverly used by Shakespeare to highlight again the nastiness of Shylock’s personality.
As the climax and tension grows in the court Shylock is finally caught out as the lawyer says that yes he can have his pound of flesh but only if he takes exactly a pound, no more no less and he must not spill a single drop of blood. He immediately drops his case, as he knows this is not possible and so is charged with attempted murder. He has to give half of his money to the court, half to Antonio and become a Christian. Although this may seem like a very harsh punishment I think it is fitting to his crimes, as he would have been willing to kill Antonio if they had given him the chance.
In conclusion I would definitely say that Shylock was the villain of the play. His scheming and malicious nature overturn any chance of him been seen as a victim. He was a nasty, greedy, money grabbing character that hated Antonio because of his religion and because he supposedly stole business from Shylock-a moneylender-as he was willing to give out loans without interest. Using this character as an example I think that Shakespeare was trying to show that everyone who does wrong gets caught out in the end.