Who is Shylock in The Merchant of Venice?

Answer 1

As a greedy money lender. Shylock, the Jew, the antagonist in Merchant of Venice is portrayed as a money lender, who asks the title character Antonio for a 'pound of his flesh,' in case the latter could not repay his loan. One can say that he is more famous than any other character of that Shakespearean comedy.

Answer 2

Although critics tend to agree that Shylock is The Merchant of Venice's most noteworthy figure, no consensus has been reached on whether to read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly, Shylock is the play's antagonist, and he is menacing enough to seriously imperil the happiness of Venice's businessmen and young lovers alike. Shylock is also, however, a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has endured at Christian hands make it hard for us to label him a natural born monster. In one of Shakespeare's most famous monologues, for example, Shylock argues that Jews are humans and calls his quest for vengeance the product of lessons taught to him by the cruelty of Venetian citizens. On the other hand, Shylock's coldly calculated attempt to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering his persecutor, Antonio, prevents us from viewing him in a primarily positive light. Shakespeare gives us unmistakably human moments, but he often steers us against Shylock as well, painting him as a miserly, cruel, and prosaic figure.

Answer 3

The best way to describe Shylock is as a sympathetic villain or an antihero. We may deplore his actions, but we understand, and to a degree, sympathize with them. The audience's attitudes toward Shylock are also conditioned by history since the time the play was first performed. A modern audience is aware of the Holocaust and reacts in a way that Shakespeare's audience would not, possibly giving him more sympathy than an audience in Shakespeare's day might have.

Answer 4

He is the main villain, from whom Antonio borrows three thousand ducats and agrees to give Shylock a pound of his flesh should he fail to repay this bond; however, he can also be viewed as a victim of the hate felt against Jews in that time, revealed in his "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech.

Answer 5

Although a lot of people want to bring their stereotype of Jews as particularly greedy to the table when talking about Shylock, the fact of the matter is that Shakespeare did not paint him that way. Of course he cares about money--so does Antonio, because money is their business. But the interesting part of Shylock's interaction with Antonio is that he lends him money without asking for any interest. That's an interesting way to proceed for someone whose only way to make a living is from interest on loans. What he wants is not more money, but the chance of getting Antonio into a position where Shylock can legally kill him. Indeed, when they get to court, Shylock is offered two or three hundred percent interest. He refuses. No greedy person would really do such a thing. People ask him what use a pound of Antonio's flesh would be. Shylock says "To bait fish withal". He doesn't care at all about the money, or getting anything of value from the deal. All he wants is revenge. Shylock is vengeful, certainly, but greedy, no. There is a huge and sad irony in people wrongly painting Shylock with the "greedy Jew" stereotype, and then complaining that the play is anti-Semitic because it stereotypes Jews as greedy.

Answer 6

He is te moneylender in Shakespeare's The merchant of Venice