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Essay On How Shylock Portrayed As A Villain In Merchant Of Venice

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To what extent is Shylock portrayed as a villain in Act 1 Scene 3?

In the play Merchant of Venice, Shylock in Elizabethan times portrayed as a stereotypical comical villain with a orange beard, wig and a Jewish man who is only worried about money. However over time, the word villain has a different meaning to the modern audience, and Shylock is portrayed in a more positive and sympathetic settings as the divide between the two religions: Christians and Jews, has become smaller.

Act three Scene one starts when Shylock enters and Bassanio is following him trying to make him agree and grant the loan. The repetition of the statement “well, for three months, well” makes Bassanio desperate and then he lists three questions at once, “may you stead me? Will you pleasure me? Shall I know your answer?”. Bassanio child like and behaviour represents his innocence while on the other hand Shylock not responding to his pleas shows his shrewdness. Further, instead of answering directly, Shylock avoids the question and only after Antonio enters the rooms, Shylock makes his intentions clear in the aside. He says that “I hate him for he is a Christian; But more… Brings down the rate of usance” This quote confirms the stereotype that Jews love money and the only thing Shylock thinks about is money. This quote also stresses on the divide between Christians and Jews and Shylock’s dislike for Christians with the use of the word ‘hate’. Shylock 's declaration of his hatred for Antonio

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