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The Merchant of Venice


Shylock's loneliness is accentuated by his loss of a wife. This questions the closeness of his relationship with his daughter. It could be said that he treats her poorly because he is in mourning. Shylock is not portrayed as the model father although we can only assume this from his one scene with Jessica and the later scene in which she steals his money and jewellery (his wife's ring). "It is the house which stands at the core of Shylock's being; Jessica is no more than the daughter of the house." according to John Palmer. He is attentive, restrictive and sees his daughter as a possession. Shylock believes he acts with his daughter's best interests in mind. However, there is much evidence for Shylock's valuing money over his daughter, presented in the internal conflict with his crisis.
             "My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!" (Act2, Sc8, Line15) .
             after she has eloped with a Christian, though E.E.Stoll contradicts this view saying "I cannot think that even this speech has for generations been misread, simply taken, , out of it's context, and a meaning super-imposed." He views him as a victim of society.
             Gobbo makes it apparent that Shylock is an unfair employer with his constant repetition of the words fiend and devil. He is poorly fed and deserts Shylock for a lesser wage. Gobbo leaves him for Christian, actions which Jessica later mirrors showing that Shylock has no power against such a strong force. Both John palmer and E.E.Stoll believe Shylock to be a comic character/the comic villain, when presented as a businessman. Shylock's first words in the play are about money. In 1770 Francis Gentleman stated that Shylock was just greedy and villainous, "Shylock is "a most disgraceful picture of human nature subtle, selfish, fawning, irascible and tyrannic". The character of shylock is indeed money orientated, however it is in my opinion that this was the only way he could be in such a society.


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