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Patrick McDermott
Mrs. Stimmel
Period 6
17 March 2015
Writing Application Part II
Shylock is a very interesting and complex character who brings a
lot of controversy into Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice. Shylock
is a wealthy Jewish merchant who is willing to lend his money to
people, however he is very adamant about getting his money paid
back with interest. One of the biggest controversies is the question
whether Shylocks character is a victim or a villain in this story. I
believe Shylock is portrayed as both a victim and a villain in this story;
he is a victim because of the persecution and discrimination he faces
because of his Jewish faith; however he becomes a villain by throwing
Antonio in jail for not repaying his debt and threatening to take a
pound of his flesh, essentially killing him.
Toward the beginning of the story, in Act 1 Scene 3, Shylock is
being portrayed as a victim. The scene revolves around a loan between
Shylock and Bassanio. Bassanio need three thousand ducats because
he is trying to impress a woman with his money, and he tells Shylock
that he will have Antonio pay him back once his ships come back from
trading. Shylock does not agree at first because he loathes Antonio and

his hatred for Jewish nation. Shylock recalled how Antonio would
always call him a misbeliever, cut-throat dog (p. 49) but despite his

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hatred Antonio convinces Shylock to make the deal out of hatred,
telling him it will make it easier to punish him if he doesnt pay back
the loan.
At first the reader is sympathetic towards Shylock because he is
a victim of his Jewish heritage and the terrible prejudice he faces. Later
in the story Shylock turns from being the victim and turns into the
villain. In Act 3 Shylock becomes a villain toward Antonio when he was
unable to pay back his loan due to all his investments sinking with his
ships. Shylock originally said that he if Antonio did not pay back his
loan within three months he would take one pound of flesh from
Antonio as punishment. When Shylock arrested Antonio, nobody
thought that he would actually take a pound of flesh from him, but
Shylock had no intent to let Antonio slip away without any punishment,
saying Jailer- guard him well! Dont speak to me about mercy.
(p.137) When Antonio is asking for mercy Shakespeare uses pathos
through Shylock when he denies him mercy and demands that he have
a pound of his flesh. Although Antonio had every intention to pay him
back once his ships got back, Shylock spare him any mercy despite
Antonios despite please.

Throughout the story you see multiple accounts of Shylock being

persecuted for many different reasons Primarily Shylock is threated
with great prejudice because of his Jewish heritage and his severe
lending practices. However, Shylock will also go to extreme measures if
he feels that he is being cheated or not getting what he rightfully
deserves, therefore he is disliked by all good men. Through all of his
persecutions and all of his actions, Shylock proved himself worthy of
being both a victim and a villain. He is a victim because of his Jewish
faith, but he is a villain for
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his hard heart and for not showing mercy to people he loans money to,
especially Antonio.