Shylock Character Study

Shylock Character Study #3

Many characters hold antisemitic views but in places Shakespeare lets
Shylock speaks from the heart and suddenly we see him as a human, not a
stereotype.

In A1S3 when Shylock offers to lend money without interest some argue
that he is being kind, do you agree? yes, Because it will be easy for Antonio

to pay back.

In A3S1 Shylock suffers great losses. Look for suggestions of his sorrow,
loneliness, and feelings for his dead wife. get married, talk to someone

In A4S1 when Shylock is sentenced, we again feel pity for him. Why is this

an achievement for Shakespeare (consider his audience). because at that

time of Shakespeare people were antisemitic. It is really hard to make

people feel pity for a Jew.

The Merchant of Venice is considered a comedy, however the character of

Shylock makes it feel more of a tragi-comedy. Do you feel he is portrayed

more as a villain or a victim? Write a paragraph explaining your thoughts

with supporting evidence from the play.

victim- Shylock was treated more like a victim. First, he was called a Jew(like

a swear) and then a dog. He was called by other abusive names. Then, his

daughter ran away with his money and jewels. And then, he had to give half

of his property to the government and rest to his daughter and her lover after

death. He also had to change his religion from Jew to Christian.

It has been argued that the play should be renamed ‘The Jew of Venice’.

Why do you think this is? Would it change your initial view of the play?

Would it be a more suitable name? Although the story was mostly about

Shylock, But that time the Jew was a big problem. It would not change our

initial view because we thought that Shylock was the Merchant Until the end

of the story.