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.
I do not agree that Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. Although he may not be the nicest person and he does some wrong things simply because that is who he is, most of the things that he does are done as a response to how people in society treat him because he is a Jew. It was very nice for Shylock to make the three thousand ducat loan to Antonio and although he had every intention for the deal to end with the death of Antonio, he did it to get back at not only Antonio, but also Christians in general for how they treat him. His bad acts are not acts of evil and they do not make him a villian because they are not being done for no reason. It all is a response for the bad past treatment of him. Just because he is a Jew that does not mean he is any less of a person than the rest of them.
I agree that Shylock is characterized as a villain. When Shylock wants to take a piece of Antonio's flesh because of Antonio being mean to him, that act is not justified. No matter what someone does, two wrongs do not make a right. Antonio's mistreatment of Shylock does not warrant Shylock murdering him. Not only does Shylock want to cause Antonio harm, but Shylock also wants his daughter, Jessica to die. Since Jessica ran off with Lorenzo who is a Christian and took Shylock's money, Shylock gets very angry at her and even hopes that she will die. No matter what a child does, only a villainous father would desire his child's death.
I do not think that Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play, but rather the victim of play. If you look at the way Shylock is treated in the play by Antonio, Bassanio and even his own daughter Jessica it makes the audience sympathies for Shylock, because he is begin beaten and mistreated by the people around him. Shylock is only treated this way because he is Jewish. No one ever deserves to be treated that way no matter their religion and no matter their personality. Shakespeare tries to get this message across through Shylock's speeches, where he talks about Christians being the same as Jews. The discrimination towards Shylock only makes the other characters look bad for treating him that way, and in turn makes Shylock seem like the victim.
No, I do not think Shylock should be considered the villain of the play. As a Jew, he has constantly been tormented for his personal life choices, possibly since birth. And with having to deal with that stress can really take a toll on a person. Shylock may seem like a cruel person, but that is only because the world has been cruel to him. Life hasn't been good to Shylock so he struggles with being good to others, but no, he should not be thought a villain.
I personally do not think that Shylock should be characterized as a villain in this play. But I haven't finished the entire play yet. But to this point I feel bad for Shylock. He has been punished his whole life for something he can not really help, being Jewish. I think all of the bullying he's received from "christians" has just been building up inside of him. Yes, it is a little crazy to want to have a pound of Antonio's flesh..but I think he's seeing this as his chance to take out his anger. Shylock is just trying to get his point across that he's tired of being messed with. But my view could absolutely change at the end of the play.
I do not believe Shylock is the villain in the play. I think that the villain is a belief and not a man. All of the evil in the play comes from the idea of anti-Semitism. The hate that Christians and Jews feel towards each other that cause them to act cruelly is the true villain of the story. If one states that Shylock is the villain of the story because he seeks revenge on Antonio, then the question is; what is his motive? Shylock explains himself and plainly states his opinion of Antonio, “I hate him for he is a Christian” (Shakespeare 16). Shylocks reason for taking revenge against Antonio is because of religious differences, which is the real problem. All of Shylock’s evil actions stem from the fact that he is hurt because everyone looks at him as inferior because he is a Jew. He is lashing out against Antonio, not personally, but to seek revenge on all the Christians and people who treat him badly because of his religion. His greediness can be explained by the fact that no one will help him or take care of him because in his society, he is seen as a dog, so he knows he has to take care of himself by any means possible. Jessica’s betrayal is so hurtful to Shylock because, not only is that her father, but a fellow Jew how should have the same morals and who should look out for each other and not side with the Christians. She turned against everything Shylock had taught her and he reciprocates by pretending he does not care about her. All of these things Shylock does can be explained as a way to fight anti-Semitism and the bitterness it makes him feel.
I believe Shylock may be a villain with some situations, but he is definitely not the worst in the play. I agree that yes, a villain might have acted the way Shylock did so after his daughter went missing. Or a villian would agree on a deal that included a pound of a man's flesh. But Shylock is considered the lowest of the low at this point, because he's a Jew. I think we have to take a look at where he's coming from before critizing his actions as a villain. The true villians of this story are Bassanio and Antonio; the Christians who sought money from Shylock. Bassanio and Antonio are above Shylock in standard society class rankings and they know it. They treat him as if he in subhuman in a way. They are not kind, they are hypocrites of the Christian religion. Shylock's action, I beleive, are a mere cry of self defense. He is trying to do anything humanly possible to try and get an upper hand on the Christians above him, but not because they are Christian but because they way they have treated them. He explains in his "hath a Jew" speech that we are all humans, no different from each other. And on that topic, wouldn't anyone act like Shylock does in his situation? Would that make all of us villians? No, I beleive it's a human drive instilled in us from birth to be the best we can be. And that's all Shylock is, is another human. No villian.
I personally believe that Shylock is not the villan of the play. He has been treated poorly his entire life by Christians over being a Jew, so he grew up and lives by abuse. One specific quote shows how he is not a villan: "The villainy/ you teach me I will execute—" (3.1.59-60) What Shylock is saying is that he will take the exact same revenge on Antonio that all Christians have been treating him with. Shylock has a lot of anger couped up inside of him over the Christian's behavior, but this does not make him the villan of the play.
I agree with the argument that Shylock is the villain in the play. It isn't a crime to be Jewish and it's wrong that he was treated so cruelly by Antonio. But the best way to get revenge on Antonio would be to deny him the loan! It would really upset Antonio and it wouldn't be illegal, as opposed to killing him. It would be best to take the high road, but no. He takes the violent approach. His character is out for revenge and murder, so I would call him a villain.
Shylock as the Villain I do think that shylock is the villain in the play, because he is portrayed at the antagonist and Shylock has a negative effect on other characters. Without Shylock there would be no conflict, therefore no plot, so he is absolutely the villain, whether or not he just wanted revenge. Shylock wanted to kill the protagonist Antonio, and loved money more then his own daughter, this categorized Shylock as the villain.
I don't believe Shylock is the villain in the play. Though his actions may be considered cruel, I believe they were mainly provoked by his anger towards Antisemitism. I thought it took a lot for Shylock to lend Antonio that much money, after he treated Shylock so rudely. Also, it seems that Shylock is just being overprotective of Jessica, as he doesn't want her to experience the same treatment he received from Christians. By speaking his mind in the "Hath not a Jew" speech, I felt sympathetic for Shylock. The speech made it seem like Shylock was almost even victimized. Therefore, I don't believe Shylock is the villain.
Though at first I perceived Shylock as a villain, I have thought about it and think his actions were done out of hurt. I do not think he is the villain. After his speech about how, he and Christains are the same, I think he has a point. The other characters would take revenge upon him in a second if he did something wrong, so why should he be considered a villain when he seeks revenge on those who wronged him. I also do not think that he meant to be the way he was towards his daughter. His only intention of keeping her hidden away was to protect her from the ridicule and humiliation all Jews endured. He wanted what was best for her and that is the best way he saw in doing that. It is not Shylock's fault for making the bond, that if broken Antonio would owe a pound of flesh. Antonio came to Shylock and even after hearing the consequences agreed to it. Shylock is a victim in the play and does not deserve to be called the villain because of how others treated him. c.barton
I do not believe Shylock is the villian in the play. Although the majority of the audience sees his actions as selfish and greedy, I don't believe a person can judge another unless they have been in a similar situation. All his life, Shylock has been harassed for his religion. Christians, like Antonio, say derogatory and belittling words without really knowing Shylock as a person. Shylock was extremely generous for loaning Antonio money, but his motives remain open to interpretation. Even if Shylock wanted to "get back" at Antonio, it was not guaranteed at the time that Antonio would lose his money at sea. Shylock deals with a lot of hatred, and I believe his actions and attitude result from the way he is poorly treated. Personally, I pity Shylock for what he is going through- espesically because his own daughter misunderstands him. By considering what Shylock has and will go through, I do not believe he is the villian of the play.
Although many people find Shylock's evil motives understandable because of what he endures as a Jew, I personally believe that they make him the villain of the play. The way I view it all is that Shylock had to different options to choose from when it came to dealing with his suffering. He could have taken the higher road and chosen not to seek revenge, or he could have turned to violence and anger and chosen the path of vengeance. As we all know, Shylock chooses to take the corrupt path in life and seek revenge on all his avengers. Even though he certainly had reasonable motives for choosing this road in life, Shylock still had the choice to ignore them and take the higher road. But because he denied this choice and gave in to his motives, he turns into this nefarious and revenge-seeking man. As a result of his choices, I strongly feel that Shylock is the obvious villain of the play.
Even though Shylock commits some evil acts, I don't think he's characterized as the villain of the play. Villains are evil because they're born that way; evil runs through their veins. No one is ever sympathetic to a villain, no matter how sad of a story they might have. I think Shylock is hurt and frustrated, not evil. The discrimination he's endured based on his religion his whole life has made him do the cruel acts he's done. I bet he'd be a much different person if he wasn't made fun of and betrayed by his daughter. Discrimination toward Shylock makes the reader feel bad for him, so he's not the villain of the play.
I believe Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. He has an evil state of mind throughout and desires to kill one of the main characters. Also, his true values are revealed when he shows his care for money over his love for his daughter. How Shylock got to this state is not relevant. A person is rarely born evil. Most, if not all, people obtain an evil personality after suffering through some sort of hardship or experiencing mistreatment from others. Therefore, the fact that Shylock became the man he is, after undergoing religious discrimination, does not give him an excuse to not be the villain of the play.
I believe Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. Throughout the play he has a negative outlook on life. Society in Venice caused him to be alienated because he is a Jew. This hatred from the Christians has built up for a long period of time, and when he sees Antonio coming to him for help, he views this as a window of opportunity for revenge. Like every villain we know from stories, Shylock wants to inflict some sort of punishment on the oppressor, Antonio, who represents all the Christians that ever caused trouble to Shylock. Shylock also has something to press him onto doing this. What is fueling his fire is money. Shylock even says he would rather have his daughter dead at his feet with jewels in her ear. From these examples in the text, Shylock is the character who is the villain in my opinion.
I do believe that Shylock is the villian in this play because he is characterized as doing evil things and wanting harm for characters. In scene 4 it really shows, because instead of calling off the barbarous deal he continues to want the revenge of killing Antonio. Yes I agree that Antonio and Bassanio treat Shylock horrible only based off his religion, but that is how a majority of the people were like in this time. With his chance to hurt and most likely kill a rival, Shylock jumps straight to it without another thought, making him the play's villian.
I do not believe that shylock is a villian. I believe this because he does not constantly harm any one but when he gets the chance, his first chance to show a christian antonio that he wronged him he takes. do you blame him for all the time antonio has spat on him or hurt him or downed his religion. Shylock is not a villian, he just gets revenge and shows antonio what its like to be on the other side of the fence. roger beilman hr 5
I do not believe Shylock to be the villain of the play. Although some of the situations that he poses on himself may seem villainous, but that is the result of a life time of antisemitism. If he were exposed to a community that did not hold anything against people based solely on religious ideals, then his terms may have been less harsh. In his speech, Shylock outlines his reasoning for such a high penalty because of all he has been through with both Antonio's disrespect and that of most Christians of the time. Therefore, I do not believe that Shylock is a villain, it is just his reaction to the society he lives in.
I do not believe that Shylock is the villain of this play, there really isn't any one who can be categorized as a villain for this play. All shylock is doing is claiming his bond for which Antonio agreed to. In the terms Antonio agreed to it said that Shylock could have a pound of his flesh of the bond was not paid on time and Shylock is jut claiming this bond. A person can not being classified as an villain just because they are claiming what is theirs. Shylock is said to be a villain in the majority of the play because of his religion and this isn't fair to him as person. Tue factthat his is Jewish is really no fault of his own, he is just following the traditions of his family with the majority of people do. Shylock is just being a good business men and claiming what is his.
I believe that Shylock is the villian of the play through and through. By this point in the play, we can see how the only thing that Shylock is concerned about is making Antonio pay the debt. Even when Shylock is offered much more money, double in fact, of the original bond, but he still refuses it. He wants Antonio to die. Only a villain would want an innocent character to die. It is more than clear how evil Shylock truly is.
I do believe that Shylock is the villian of the play, "The Merchant of Venice." While he does suffer from anti-Semitism, his discrimination that he experiences does not make his hatred towards Antonio just. Only a villian would want an innocent man to die. Throughout the play, Shylock demands to have his bond, but when he is offered more money, he will not take it. This shows that Shylock only wants to see Antonio suffer. I do believe that Shylock is hurt from the discrimination he experiences, but he is a villian for trying to commit murder, especially in such a cruel manner.
I do not believe that Shylock is characterized as the villian of this play. He may have demanded a pound of flesh but thats just his way of getting retribution. Shylock was the one being bullied by being spit on, kicked, and verbally insulted to his face. Shylock is also very angry for these reasons and he barely talked himself into loaning the money to Antonio so the fact that he didn't pay the money back just made Shylock furious.
I believe Shylock is considered the villain in this play. I reason this because in the play Antonio is the good character whose goal in the play is to repay the money he loaned and and still live. Shylock is the character in the good guy's way throughout the play. He makes it harder for the good guy to achieve his goal by setting a time limit on when the loan must be payed off, charging interest, and setting up a trial as a last attempt to get taking a pound of flesh from Antonio approved. Since Shylock is the one attempting to block Antonio from achieving his goal and harm him, he is defined as a villain in the play.
I do not agree that Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. Although he may not be the nicest person and he does some wrong things simply because that is who he is, most of the things that he does are done as a response to how people in society treat him because he is a Jew. It was very nice for Shylock to make the three thousand ducat loan to Antonio and although he had every intention for the deal to end with the death of Antonio, he did it to get back at not only Antonio, but also Christians in general for how they treat him. His bad acts are not acts of evil and they do not make him a villian because they are not being done for no reason. It all is a response for the bad past treatment of him. Just because he is a Jew that does not mean he is any less of a person than the rest of them.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that Shylock is characterized as a villain. When Shylock wants to take a piece of Antonio's flesh because of Antonio being mean to him, that act is not justified. No matter what someone does, two wrongs do not make a right. Antonio's mistreatment of Shylock does not warrant Shylock murdering him. Not only does Shylock want to cause Antonio harm, but Shylock also wants his daughter, Jessica to die. Since Jessica ran off with Lorenzo who is a Christian and took Shylock's money, Shylock gets very angry at her and even hopes that she will die. No matter what a child does, only a villainous father would desire his child's death.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play, but rather the victim of play. If you look at the way Shylock is treated in the play by Antonio, Bassanio and even his own daughter Jessica it makes the audience sympathies for Shylock, because he is begin beaten and mistreated by the people around him. Shylock is only treated this way because he is Jewish. No one ever deserves to be treated that way no matter their religion and no matter their personality. Shakespeare tries to get this message across through Shylock's speeches, where he talks about Christians being the same as Jews. The discrimination towards Shylock only makes the other characters look bad for treating him that way, and in turn makes Shylock seem like the victim.
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not think Shylock should be considered the villain of the play. As a Jew, he has constantly been tormented for his personal life choices, possibly since birth. And with having to deal with that stress can really take a toll on a person. Shylock may seem like a cruel person, but that is only because the world has been cruel to him. Life hasn't been good to Shylock so he struggles with being good to others, but no, he should not be thought a villain.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not think that Shylock should be characterized as a villain in this play. But I haven't finished the entire play yet. But to this point I feel bad for Shylock. He has been punished his whole life for something he can not really help, being Jewish. I think all of the bullying he's received from "christians" has just been building up inside of him. Yes, it is a little crazy to want to have a pound of Antonio's flesh..but I think he's seeing this as his chance to take out his anger. Shylock is just trying to get his point across that he's tired of being messed with. But my view could absolutely change at the end of the play.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe Shylock is the villain in the play. I think that the villain is a belief and not a man. All of the evil in the play comes from the idea of anti-Semitism. The hate that Christians and Jews feel towards each other that cause them to act cruelly is the true villain of the story. If one states that Shylock is the villain of the story because he seeks revenge on Antonio, then the question is; what is his motive? Shylock explains himself and plainly states his opinion of Antonio, “I hate him for he is a Christian” (Shakespeare 16). Shylocks reason for taking revenge against Antonio is because of religious differences, which is the real problem. All of Shylock’s evil actions stem from the fact that he is hurt because everyone looks at him as inferior because he is a Jew. He is lashing out against Antonio, not personally, but to seek revenge on all the Christians and people who treat him badly because of his religion. His greediness can be explained by the fact that no one will help him or take care of him because in his society, he is seen as a dog, so he knows he has to take care of himself by any means possible. Jessica’s betrayal is so hurtful to Shylock because, not only is that her father, but a fellow Jew how should have the same morals and who should look out for each other and not side with the Christians. She turned against everything Shylock had taught her and he reciprocates by pretending he does not care about her. All of these things Shylock does can be explained as a way to fight anti-Semitism and the bitterness it makes him feel.
ReplyDeleteI believe Shylock may be a villain with some situations, but he is definitely not the worst in the play. I agree that yes, a villain might have acted the way Shylock did so after his daughter went missing. Or a villian would agree on a deal that included a pound of a man's flesh. But Shylock is considered the lowest of the low at this point, because he's a Jew. I think we have to take a look at where he's coming from before critizing his actions as a villain. The true villians of this story are Bassanio and Antonio; the Christians who sought money from Shylock. Bassanio and Antonio are above Shylock in standard society class rankings and they know it. They treat him as if he in subhuman in a way. They are not kind, they are hypocrites of the Christian religion. Shylock's action, I beleive, are a mere cry of self defense. He is trying to do anything humanly possible to try and get an upper hand on the Christians above him, but not because they are Christian but because they way they have treated them. He explains in his "hath a Jew" speech that we are all humans, no different from each other. And on that topic, wouldn't anyone act like Shylock does in his situation? Would that make all of us villians? No, I beleive it's a human drive instilled in us from birth to be the best we can be. And that's all Shylock is, is another human. No villian.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that Shylock is not the villan of the play. He has been treated poorly his entire life by Christians over being a Jew, so he grew up and lives by abuse. One specific quote shows how he is not a villan: "The villainy/ you teach me I will execute—" (3.1.59-60) What Shylock is saying is that he will take the exact same revenge on Antonio that all Christians have been treating him with. Shylock has a lot of anger couped up inside of him over the Christian's behavior, but this does not make him the villan of the play.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the argument that Shylock is the villain in the play. It isn't a crime to be Jewish and it's wrong that he was treated so cruelly by Antonio. But the best way to get revenge on Antonio would be to deny him the loan! It would really upset Antonio and it wouldn't be illegal, as opposed to killing him. It would be best to take the high road, but no. He takes the violent approach. His character is out for revenge and murder, so I would call him a villain.
ReplyDeleteShylock as the Villain
ReplyDeleteI do think that shylock is the villain in the play, because he is portrayed at the antagonist and Shylock has a negative effect on other characters. Without Shylock there would be no conflict, therefore no plot, so he is absolutely the villain, whether or not he just wanted revenge. Shylock wanted to kill the protagonist Antonio, and loved money more then his own daughter, this categorized Shylock as the villain.
I don't believe Shylock is the villain in the play. Though his actions may be considered cruel, I believe they were mainly provoked by his anger towards Antisemitism. I thought it took a lot for Shylock to lend Antonio that much money, after he treated Shylock so rudely. Also, it seems that Shylock is just being overprotective of Jessica, as he doesn't want her to experience the same treatment he received from Christians. By speaking his mind in the "Hath not a Jew" speech, I felt sympathetic for Shylock. The speech made it seem like Shylock was almost even victimized. Therefore, I don't believe Shylock is the villain.
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ReplyDeleteThough at first I perceived Shylock as a villain, I have thought about it and think his actions were done out of hurt. I do not think he is the villain. After his speech about how, he and Christains are the same, I think he has a point. The other characters would take revenge upon him in a second if he did something wrong, so why should he be considered a villain when he seeks revenge on those who wronged him. I also do not think that he meant to be the way he was towards his daughter. His only intention of keeping her hidden away was to protect her from the ridicule and humiliation all Jews endured. He wanted what was best for her and that is the best way he saw in doing that. It is not Shylock's fault for making the bond, that if broken Antonio would owe a pound of flesh. Antonio came to Shylock and even after hearing the consequences agreed to it. Shylock is a victim in the play and does not deserve to be called the villain because of how others treated him.
ReplyDeletec.barton
I do not believe Shylock is the villian in the play. Although the majority of the audience sees his actions as selfish and greedy, I don't believe a person can judge another unless they have been in a similar situation. All his life, Shylock has been harassed for his religion. Christians, like Antonio, say derogatory and belittling words without really knowing Shylock as a person. Shylock was extremely generous for loaning Antonio money, but his motives remain open to interpretation. Even if Shylock wanted to "get back" at Antonio, it was not guaranteed at the time that Antonio would lose his money at sea. Shylock deals with a lot of hatred, and I believe his actions and attitude result from the way he is poorly treated. Personally, I pity Shylock for what he is going through- espesically because his own daughter misunderstands him. By considering what Shylock has and will go through, I do not believe he is the villian of the play.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many people find Shylock's evil motives understandable because of what he endures as a Jew, I personally believe that they make him the villain of the play. The way I view it all is that Shylock had to different options to choose from when it came to dealing with his suffering. He could have taken the higher road and chosen not to seek revenge, or he could have turned to violence and anger and chosen the path of vengeance. As we all know, Shylock chooses to take the corrupt path in life and seek revenge on all his avengers. Even though he certainly had reasonable motives for choosing this road in life, Shylock still had the choice to ignore them and take the higher road. But because he denied this choice and gave in to his motives, he turns into this nefarious and revenge-seeking man. As a result of his choices, I strongly feel that Shylock is the obvious villain of the play.
ReplyDeleteEven though Shylock commits some evil acts, I don't think he's characterized as the villain of the play. Villains are evil because they're born that way; evil runs through their veins. No one is ever sympathetic to a villain, no matter how sad of a story they might have. I think Shylock is hurt and frustrated, not evil. The discrimination he's endured based on his religion his whole life has made him do the cruel acts he's done. I bet he'd be a much different person if he wasn't made fun of and betrayed by his daughter. Discrimination toward Shylock makes the reader feel bad for him, so he's not the villain of the play.
ReplyDeleteI believe Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. He has an evil state of mind throughout and desires to kill one of the main characters. Also, his true values are revealed when he shows his care for money over his love for his daughter. How Shylock got to this state is not relevant. A person is rarely born evil. Most, if not all, people obtain an evil personality after suffering through some sort of hardship or experiencing mistreatment from others. Therefore, the fact that Shylock became the man he is, after undergoing religious discrimination, does not give him an excuse to not be the villain of the play.
ReplyDeleteI believe Shylock is characterized as the villain of the play. Throughout the play he has a negative outlook on life. Society in Venice caused him to be alienated because he is a Jew. This hatred from the Christians has built up for a long period of time, and when he sees Antonio coming to him for help, he views this as a window of opportunity for revenge. Like every villain we know from stories, Shylock wants to inflict some sort of punishment on the oppressor, Antonio, who represents all the Christians that ever caused trouble to Shylock. Shylock also has something to press him onto doing this. What is fueling his fire is money. Shylock even says he would rather have his daughter dead at his feet with jewels in her ear. From these examples in the text, Shylock is the character who is the villain in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Shylock is the villian in this play because he is characterized as doing evil things and wanting harm for characters. In scene 4 it really shows, because instead of calling off the barbarous deal he continues to want the revenge of killing Antonio. Yes I agree that Antonio and Bassanio treat Shylock horrible only based off his religion, but that is how a majority of the people were like in this time. With his chance to hurt and most likely kill a rival, Shylock jumps straight to it without another thought, making him the play's villian.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that shylock is a villian. I believe this because he does not constantly harm any one but when he gets the chance, his first chance to show a christian antonio that he wronged him he takes. do you blame him for all the time antonio has spat on him or hurt him or downed his religion. Shylock is not a villian, he just gets revenge and shows antonio what its like to be on the other side of the fence.
ReplyDeleteroger beilman
hr 5
I do not believe Shylock to be the villain of the play. Although some of the situations that he poses on himself may seem villainous, but that is the result of a life time of antisemitism. If he were exposed to a community that did not hold anything against people based solely on religious ideals, then his terms may have been less harsh. In his speech, Shylock outlines his reasoning for such a high penalty because of all he has been through with both Antonio's disrespect and that of most Christians of the time. Therefore, I do not believe that Shylock is a villain, it is just his reaction to the society he lives in.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Shylock is the villain of this play, there really isn't any one who can be categorized as a villain for this play. All shylock is doing is claiming his bond for which Antonio agreed to. In the terms Antonio agreed to it said that Shylock could have a pound of his flesh of the bond was not paid on time and Shylock is jut claiming this bond. A person can not being classified as an villain just because they are claiming what is theirs. Shylock is said to be a villain in the majority of the play because of his religion and this isn't fair to him as person. Tue factthat his is Jewish is really no fault of his own, he is just following the traditions of his family with the majority of people do. Shylock is just being a good business men and claiming what is his.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Shylock is the villian of the play through and through. By this point in the play, we can see how the only thing that Shylock is concerned about is making Antonio pay the debt. Even when Shylock is offered much more money, double in fact, of the original bond, but he still refuses it. He wants Antonio to die. Only a villain would want an innocent character to die. It is more than clear how evil Shylock truly is.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Shylock is the villian of the play, "The Merchant of Venice." While he does suffer from anti-Semitism, his discrimination that he experiences does not make his hatred towards Antonio just. Only a villian would want an innocent man to die. Throughout the play, Shylock demands to have his bond, but when he is offered more money, he will not take it. This shows that Shylock only wants to see Antonio suffer. I do believe that Shylock is hurt from the discrimination he experiences, but he is a villian for trying to commit murder, especially in such a cruel manner.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Shylock is characterized as the villian of this play. He may have demanded a pound of flesh but thats just his way of getting retribution. Shylock was the one being bullied by being spit on, kicked, and verbally insulted to his face. Shylock is also very angry for these reasons and he barely talked himself into loaning the money to Antonio so the fact that he didn't pay the money back just made Shylock furious.
ReplyDeleteI believe Shylock is considered the villain in this play. I reason this because in the play Antonio is the good character whose goal in the play is to repay the money he loaned and and still live. Shylock is the character in the good guy's way throughout the play. He makes it harder for the good guy to achieve his goal by setting a time limit on when the loan must be payed off, charging interest, and setting up a trial as a last attempt to get taking a pound of flesh from Antonio approved. Since Shylock is the one attempting to block Antonio from achieving his goal and harm him, he is defined as a villain in the play.
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