Shylock

Description:
Shylock is a Character in the Play, ''The Merchant of Venice ''by William Shakespeare. He is the considered antagonist of the play, however is one of the more interesting characters of the cast list. As a resident of Venice, his major characteristics are that he is Jewish and is a moneylender.

I n The Serpent of Venice
Shylock in The Serpent Of Venice is a Venetian Jewish moneylender. He is also plays the role of Jessica’s father. In the novel, Shylock is always picked on because he is stingy about money

. While Shylock still believes in the ways of the Old Testament, in the novel, he is a more sympathetic, ornery old man, rather than being the mean-spirited man he once was. Shylock is still mad at Antonio because he has not received his three thousand ductus or a pound of Antonio’s flesh. In the beginning of the novel, Jessica and Pocket arrive at Shylock’s house. Jessica tries to convince her father that Pocket would be their slave. Shylock insists that Jews do not own slaves because “The law only says that we may not buy or sell slaves; we are not buying him” (Moore 73). Rather than calling Pocket a slave, he suggests that he would be “delivering himself to him”. So Shylock takes Pocket to visit Antonio to do his business. Antonio’s plan is to seal Shylock’s bond of a pound of flesh, however, pay Shylock back a month before the bond of his flesh is due, then laugh at him. All the characters that Shylock encounters laugh at him because of his religion. Later in the novel, Antonio sends Gratiano and Salarino to spy on Shylock for a couple of days and to ask him for an extension on the bond. If Shylock refuses, then they are supposed to kill him. Shylock refuses to extend the bond, but finds himself still alive due to the fact that the serpent kills Gratiano and Salarnio. He later returns to his house and arrives to Jessica and Pocket. When pocket tells Shylock he has “returned” his daughter, Shylock claims he has no daughter and demands for his ductus. He is acting as the stereotypical Jew, always wanting money over everything else. At the end of the novel, Pocket and Jessica are sailing off to complete dread deeds. Shylock believes they are getting married and says his daughter cannot marry a Christian. Overall, Shylock posses similar characteristics in The Serpent Of Venice. Everything he discusses about has to deal with religion or money.

In Merchant Of Venice:
Shylock is of the greatest importance in his origin play. As the story’s antagonist, he has the significance of a main character, but the same time is the most interesting character in the play. Shylock is a Jew that has been subjected to racism in Venice by the Merchant, Antonio, as well as the moneylender that Antonio’s good friend Bassanio. Shylock uses this to his advantage and asks for a pound of Antonio’s flesh to act as repayment should Bassanio not pay him back. It’s only natural that trouble ensues. Ultimately, it comes down to the Shylock demanding that he be reimbursed at the power of the Duke, however, had a loophole in the contract exposed by Portia. His contract stated that he was entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh as compensation yet, Portia points out that he is not entitled to a single drop of blood. Having this loophole exploited, Shylock is defeated and banished from his temple.

Critical Response:
The common opinion of Shylock is what you’d expect, as an interesting character, many critics have taking an interest in him. In the esteemed essay by Maurice Hunt, Hunt says that “Shylock evokes the image of Venetian courtesy but troubling so,” referring to the sadistic tone he carries despites the severity of his words. As described by Hunt, Shylock’s character become the center of attention in the play with the way he balances opportunity and revenge all while keeping a seemingly calm persona. It is not a surprise that the villain exceeds the “hero”.

Citations:
Rogers, Jami. "Shylock and History." PBS. PBS. Web. 16 Mar. 2016

Hunt, Marurcie. "Shakespeare’s Venetian Paradigm: Stereotyping and Sadism in The Merchant of Venice and Othello." Rev. of The Merchant of Venice and Othello. Papers on Language & Literature: 162-81. Print.

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