"Good always wins over evil ". The play 'The Merchant of Venice ' unveils this truth. Explain it with the description of the character sketches of Antonio, Shylock and Portia.
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Answer:
Shylock is the antagonist and a tragic character in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A Jewish merchant living in a Christian city, he comes across as greedy, jealous and vengeful. As opposed to his anti-Semitic nemesis and fellow businessman, Antonio, Shylock charges interest on his loan
Given the settings of the play, the main characters in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice'" are good and evil primarily because of their religion. Since Christianity was the main religion, Antonio and Portia qualify as good characters, while Shylock, who is a Jew, is automatically considered as evil.
Antonio is portrayed as a good person mainly by his friends, including Bassanio and Salanio and Salarino. He goes out of his way to arrange funds for Bassanio and even borrows 3000 ducats from Shylock for the same. Antonio signs the deadly pact for Bassanio.
Shylock on the other hand is considered wicked by others. He charges interest on loans, and is an incarnation of the devil. Also, Shylock dislikes Christians, which makes him even more evil. He is mean to his servant Gobbo too. Further, the vengeful conditions of his pact with Antonio and Shylock's intention of legally murdering Antonio make him a merciless and evil character.
Portia is a good individual as she is a obedient daughter, who puts her entire life at the mercy of the casket test devised by her late father. Despite the uncertainty, she fulfills her father's wishes. Next, once Bassanio wins her hand in marriage, she is extremely understanding towards him and asks him to go see Antonio immediately. She is selfless and proceeds to rescue Antonio because he is her husband's friend. Additionally, in the courtroom, Portia comes across as a fair person. She gives Shylock a chance to show mercy, failing which, she uses her intelligence to corner him.
The end of the play marks the victory of good over evil in many ways. The good man Antonio is rescued, while evil Shylock is rendered bankrupt and homeless. Shylock's daughter, Jessica, who chose to marry a Christian is saved from her father's misery. Bassanio too, is rewarded for changing his way of life, from being a spendthrift to a more sensible person, and so wins Portia's hand in marriage.