The Merchant of Venice (William Shakespeare) is a play set in Venice and in the Belmont area. It is a tale of love, decision and consequence. One of the main characters in the play, Shylock, makes a bond with another character named Antonio. The bond is that if he does not receive the money he lent to Antonio so that Antonio and his friend Bassanio can travel to Belmont, then Antonio owes Shylock a pound of his own flesh. Bassanio is travelling to Belmont as he is in love with a woman named Portia and wishes to marry her. Shylock shows much hatred towards Antonio because he insults his religion (Shylock happens to be a Jew), at every opportunity and meddles in his business deals. However, when Antonio's ship sinks and he cannot repay his part of the bond, Shylock takes the opportunity to revenge on Antonio, and seeks a pound of Antonio's flesh. However, just as Shylock is to receive his amount of flesh agreed, then Portia disguised as a lawyer, twists the bond and so results in Antonio remaining alive and Shylock losing most if not all his money . Is then Shylock, a villain who just happens to be a Jew, is he deserving of being ill-treated and persecuted, or does he deserve the sympathy of the reader? After an examination of Shylock's character and events in the play , a well balanced conclusion will be produced.
Throughout the play, there is a sense of sympathy for Shylock because he is constantly ridiculed by Christians. In one scene, Shylock is recalling times when Antonio has mocked him:.
"In the Rialto you have rated me about my money and usances for the sufferance is the badge of all our tribe. You call me misbeliever, and cut throat dog and spit upon my Jewish gabardine." This quote shows an almost pure hatred for Shylock and his tribe by Antonio, and reinforces the feeling of sympathy for Shylock and the presence of anti-semitism throughout the play. In another occasion, Shylock is labelled as a "dog" by Solanio: "As the dog Jew did utter the streets".
