Villainy

Shylock is a villain in the strictest sense of the word. The villain is the character who goes against the actions of the main character. As good and evil are points of view, the main character may be evil, and the antagonist good, the antagonist is still the villain because they go against what the main character believes to be good. There is no way that Shylock is clear of being a villain just as there is no chance that Antonio is the villain.

Shylock, Villain or not?

Yes I do agree that Shylock is the villain in the play. He is so horribley cruel to many people, like Jessica and Antonio. The evil thoughts of getting revenge on Antonio in such harsh ways make him more a villain then anyone. He is constantly loosing his temper, and never very calm. For those reasons I belive that Shylock is the villain in the play!

Villianous Sympathy?

I do not believe Shylock is the villian of the play. Shylock may be a central cause of conflict and portay villianous characteristics, Shakespear makes the audience feel sympathy for him and understand his pain. A true villian is to be hated by the audience and to have no sympathy for. Through Shylock's "I am a Jew" speach he conveys why he feels this way and acts like a villian. Shylock is living in an anti-semetic society and stuggles to be treated as an equal throughout the play.

I believe that Shylock is the villain of the play because of the deal he made with Antonio. Antonio is obviously the protagonist in the novel, and Shylock wishes to take a piece of his flesh, and anyone that is wanting to harm the protagonist is a villain. Although he has a rightful reason to wager this deal, he is still devilish in the act of showing his want for blood. He is also classified as the villain because of his greed for money. Shylock's love for money ultimately causes his daughter to leave him because he values it above her. Anyone who values an object above a human is a villain in my mind.

Shylock... A Villain?

I believe Shylock is a villain in the play. As the audience, we see Shylock wanting revenge on all Christians and taking it out on only Antonio. But in Shylocks defense, he was affronted by Antonio and simply wanted to be able to get revenge like anyone else. All of the ribald comments and jokes made Shylock defensive to the world. I believe he only wants the best for his daughter but he also cares about money. He is trying to show all the Christians that he, as a jew, should not be trampled on. He is also looking to take a pound of Antonios flesh, which will kill him. I believe he does this as not only revenge for Antonio but also to all Christians who ridicule Jews. So in all Shylock is the nefarious character in the play, but it is due to the actions of the Christians.

I believe Shylock is a villain because though at the beginning of the story he seemed to be innocent and abused, once the deal with Antonio is made, it becomes apparent that Shylock is pure evil, and only agreed to the deal in hopes of killing Antonio. Also, how he treats Jessica, his own daughter, shows how evil he is. He seeks out his revenge on both Jessica and Antonio. And finally, we hear through Lancelot that Shylock never treated him fairly while he was workin for Shylock.

Shylock is a villain...

I do believe that Shylock is characterized as the villain because of his actions in the play. Not only does he make preposterous deals , but he also values money over his own daughter. His deal with Antonio shows the kind of person he truly is. I know that Antonio was crass to him, but his actions don't make him any better. He wants to take the flesh of Antonio, which is basically murdering him. He is taking out his revenge for all the Christians on one man. He is so obsessed with getting revenge that he doesn't even think about what he is doing. Shylock is also taking out his hatred for his daughter on Antonio. He is furious that Jessica took his money and ran off with a Christian. He wants her dead. He uses Antonio to get his revenge on Jessica and Christians. His actions suggest that he doesn't have a kind heart. They also suggest that he is pure evil. The personality and actions of Shylock characterize him to be the villain of The Merchant of Venice.

I believe Shylock is the villain of the play. He is the cause of the major conflicts. Without him there would be no climax at all. I can understand why some people would say that he has been wronged but that shouldn't determine who the villain is. He may not be the only villain, but he is clearly the primary villain.

Shylock...villain?

Shylock is labeled as the villain of the play, but do you agree?  In a short paragraph, argue whether you believe Shylock is or is not characterized as the villain of the play.  This blog post is due Monday, May 2nd at 11:59 p.m.