Shylock and Venetian society in general
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sorry can't answer the question
Shylock is the antagonist of Shakespeare's play "The merchant of Venice" which is set in the city of Venice of the 16th century. Shakespeare tells us a lot about the society of those times through his characters.
Shylock's interaction with the Venetian society in general is not pleasant at all.
The biggest factor that sets Shylock apart from the rest of society is his religion. He is a Jew in a predominantly Christian society. Shylock is isolated not because he is is one of the few Jews amongst the Christians but because there is is a lot of mistrust between people of the two religions.
Traditionally Shylock's occupation of money lending was considered anti-Christian during those times. in this sense professionally too he was looked down upon by the rest of society.
In fact, the humiliation was so great that Antonio who is otherwise a seemingly nice person, also called Shylock names, abused him and even spat on him in public. Antonio had no problem in admitting that he had misbehaved with Shylock.
Shylock's question ," Hath not a Jew eyes? " proves that though Jews are built in the same way as other humans, they do not enjoy the dignity of humanity. The Venetian society had in fact marginalized and side lined the Jews, including Shylock.
By the end of the play Shylock is reduced to an extremely pitiable state. He has not only lost the court case, but also the ducats, his daughter and even his religion. He is thus a character who gets cornered by society.