Character sketch of antonio? Explanation
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Explanation:
Antonio – A Kind-hearted and Accommodating Man
Antonio is a kind-hearted man who lends money to needy people without charging any interest from them. In this respect he offers a striking contrast to Shylock who is a usurer. (A usurer is a money lender who charges excessive rates of interest on the loans which he gives). It is true that Shylock is a professional money-lender and he must, therefore, charge interest on the loans which he gives.
Antonio, on the other hand, is not a money-lender by profession. But the point to note is that Shylock charges unreasonably high rates of interest; and Antonio lends money to people even though he is not a money-lender, and he lends money gratis (that is, without charging any interest). While Shylock is a greedy man, Antonio is not at all greedy. In fact, Antonio is almost indifferent to wealth.
Antonio Religious Intolerance, a Serious Defect in His Character
Although Antonio is a man who wins our respect and admiration because of his fine qualities, yet he also suffers from a serious defect. As a Christian he shows an intolerance towards the Jews. He hates Shylock because Shylock is a usurer but even more because Shylock is a Jew. This religious or racial intolerance on his part somewhat lowers him in our estimation. In fact, Antonio goes out of his way to insult and degrade Shylock. On many occasions he has abused Shylock, and even spat on his clothes. His reason for thus treating Shylock is that Shylock is a usurer and a Jew. And even when he is asking Shylock for a loan, he says that in future also he would abuse him and spit on him. He tells Shylock that he wants a loan from him not as a friend but as an enemy. There was certainly in those days a general prejudice against the Jews; but we would expect a nice man like Antonio to be free from a prejudice of that kind. Antonio is a perfect gentleman but his religious fanaticism is undoubtedly a flaw in his character.