The character of Shylock
is complex because he is simultaneously portrayed as both a villain set on
vengeance and a victim antagonized by the prejudice that surrounds him and his
religion. To Antonio, Shylock is a devious and money obsessed business man who
demands a pound of flesh as revenge for Antonio's abuse as a Christian. He is
introduced as a hateful character who expresses his contempt for Bassanio and Antonio,
“How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian [...] I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him"(I.iii.). He is
also manipulative, exploiting Venetian laws to pursue his revenge. Venetian laws
state that it is just to own slaves, giving Shylock the right to
collect a pound of flesh from Antonio if he cannot repay his debts, “The slaves
are ours. So do I answer you. The pound of flesh which I demand of him is
dearly bought. Tis mine, and I will have it."(IV.i.94-99). Although
Antonio and Bassanio have been adverse to Shylock and treat him with
impiety, it is Shylock who suggests violent harm against his enemies which
further proves his villainy. It is Shylock's villainy serves as the
catalyst of the play which drives the story forward.
In his third act soliloquy, Shylock declares that his malice is due to his
mistreatment by the Venetians and that Jews and Christians are more alike than
society dictates, "Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses,
affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons,
subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by
the same winter and summer as a Christian is?"(III.i.49-54). The audience
sympathizes with Shylock because his bitterness is the result of the
hatred he endures from a Christian culture. It is more likely that Antonio and
Shylock hate each other because of the conflict between their religions,
than themselves as people. It is also that Antonio's plea for sympathy is an
attempt to earn recognition for his humanity because he is self aware of his
corrupt persona which would greater confirm his role as a villain. Though
Shylock acts devious throughout, by the end of the play when Antonio is able to
pay off his debts thanks to the return of his ships, Shylock is reduced back to
a victim. Having lost the agreement, Shylock is forced to either convert to
Christianity or be killed, a harsh punishment by modern audience
standards and further regard him as a tragic figure.
Even though Shylock is portrayed as an antagonist, his villainous actions are a
result of the mistreatment he has endured in an anti-Semitic society.
