Give a brief character sketch of Antonio and shylock with reference to Act 1 And Act 2.
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Answer:
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.