Question

Is it wrong for shylock to take revenge

Answer 1

Shylock is ridiculed and mistreated because he is Jewish and a moneylender. Money lending and being Jewish were both frowned upon during the time that this play takes place. When talking to Antonio, Shylock recalls all of the slanders and cruel things that Antonio has done to him. “You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, /And spet

. . .
Shylock receives no mercy from Antonio and is forced to give up everything, accept what he detests, and give up his religion. Shylock adamantly describes the ways in which Antonio finds any means possible to mock and hurt Shylock. Shylock is the victim of an unjust trial. Shylock is also victimized by his own daughter Jessica. Shylock refuses to accept anything but Antonio’s flesh because he wants to humor himself: “You’ll ask me why I rather choose to have/ A weight of carrion flesh than to receive/ Three thousand ducats. After Shylock finds that Antonio’s ships have not returned, he is happy and wants revenge on Antonio. Shylock’s mean demeanor and unreasonableness shows.

When in trial to retrieve his bond from Antonio, Shylock is also unfairly treated by the law.

Although Shylock has some villainous qualities, he is mainly portrayed as a victim because of the disrespect and the undeserved, malicious conduct shown towards him.

Answer 2

Shylock is a Jewish moneylender, father to Jessica, enemy to Antonio, and one of the most complex characters of The Merchant of Venice—and arguably of all of Shakespeare's works.

Over the years, theater and film productions of the play have portrayed Shylock in various ways. As literary critic Ann Barton points out in The Riverside Shakespeare, "Shylock has sometimes been presented as the devil incarnate, sometimes as a comic villain gabbling absurdly about ducats and daughters. He has also been sentimentalized as a wronged and suffering father nobler by far than the people who triumph over him."

In other productions, Shylock is portrayed as a justifiably angry man: he is hated by the Venetians; despised for his religion, culture, and occupation; betrayed by his daughter; and ultimately undone by the very city in which he lives. You could argue that Shylock's hatred and desire for vengeance is a natural result of his circumstances. In the 2004 film adaptation ofMerchant, Al Pacino's famous portrayal of Shylock is sympathetic and emphasizes his victimization and humanity.