asses and. dogs and mules, [that they] use in abject and in slavish parts," (Pg 147, Line 92-93). The Christians even lecture Shylock on how mercy "is an attribute to God Himself," (Pg 155, Line 201). Shylock replies that he will not show mercy because he "crave[s] the law" (Pg 155, Line 213). Shylock, in this scene, just wants vengeance on the Christians and is trying to be lawful in his pursuit of it. In Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is sympathized with because how of cruel the Christians are. However, the text can also be interpreted to show that Shylock is an evil Jew who is "an inhuman wretch, uncapable of pity, void and empty from any dram of mercy," (Pg 141, Line 4-6). This scene shows that the play may be anti-christian, but this is based on how the text is interpreted.
Another scene that highlights the injustices created by the Christians is when Shylock explains to his fellow Jew why he wants to cut off a pound of Antonio's flesh. Shylock knows that he can only use the flesh "to bait fish withal" (Pg 97, Line 52) because you can't eat human flesh and human flesh is pretty worthless. However, "if it will feed nothing else, it will feed [his] revenge," (Pg 97, Line 52-53). Shylock is even willing to lose most of his wealth in order to exact his revenge. Shylock has been denigrated by the Christians and more specifically by Antonio. Antonio has "laughed at [his] losses, mocked at [his] gains, scorned [his] nation, thwarted [his] bargains, cooled [his] friends, heated [his] enemies-and what's [Antonio's] reason? [Shylock] is a Jew," (Pg 97, Line 54-57). Shylock explains that Jews and Christians are the same. They are both human. They are "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.