Shylock in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Essay

shylock in The merchandiser of Venice by William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice contains an array of kindle and complex characters. From the alternately generous and grasping Antonio to the alternately love stricken and exploitative Bassanio to the vulnerable and manipulative Portia, this play has an copiousness of multi-layered personalities. However, one of the most intriguing characters is also the most oft-vilified and minimized in the work. This character, Shylock, is certainly just as compelling as any of the sameif not more so, because he acts as the catalyst for the majority of the interesting sections of the play (i.e. The flesh pact, the court scene etcetera). It is certainly undemanding to plainly denounce Shylock a stereotypical stock character the greedy, spiteful and bloodthirsty villain. Surely, there are more than enough instances available to label him as such (1.3.38-49, 3.1.59-62), 3.1.372-375). However, there also exis ts another possible, yet neglected, commentary of Shylocks character the aggrieved, marginalized and putupon minority. As the text repeatedly reminds us, Shylock is Jew moreover, a Jew in a predominantly Christian Venice. He is an individual that is consistently attacked at every opportunity by supposedly goodly Christian characters (1.3.103-105, 108-110, 2.8.15-17). It is to be expected that someone living in those peculiar circumstances would cilium out when the chance eventually arisesin this case, Antonio is the target of the wrath. So, to those who would argue that Shylock is a mean-spirited, unforgiving and avaricious character, I would respond of course he is. But he can also be seen as a distressed, violated and desperate ... ...ts to the inherent contradictions in the practices of Christians that they prize their humility--that is, until they down a chance to revenge themselves on a Jew that has wronged them. These words give way the color of a man well acquaint ed with the unfairness and dissymmetry of the system that a Christian can pursue retribution against a Jew without consequence but when a Jew does exactly the same, he or she is nurture demonized. He then concludes that he exit follow and then fleet the precedents set by his Christian counterparts by seeking revenge The annoyance you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction (66-67). Here, it is visible that Shylock has finally know his chance for a didactic display of revenge against his tormentors he will finally show them how it feels to be powerless, to be fearful...to be victims.