Futhermore inside the casket plan when Portia marrys Basanio she makes him promise never to give his engagement ring away. In this scene is a famous speech, is shylock a victim or a villain essay, linesby Shylock that portrays him as a mixed character, both a victim and a villain. The bond was a pound of flesh from Antonios chest. Wanting to move as far as getting rid of a man intended for revenge is exactly what Shylock really wants to do. This is a sign of villainy in my opinion. Get your essay now! He does this by simply switching between plots and locations for vital points in the play.
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We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. A limited time offer! Get a custom sample essay written according to your requirements urgent 3h delivery guaranteed. The Jews have unfairly endured extreme persecution for thousands of years, because of their strong beliefs. The Jews lost their own country to the Romans, and had to move out. They have not had an official country until recently, and had to settle down in tight-knit communities, in foreign countries. Their racial prejudice towards them was caused by their intelligence, hard work and success in business in conjunction with their hate for keeping up their customs and religion.
Another reason for their loathing is because they can be used as a scapegoat. They are a convenient group to single out and blame for troubles, is shylock a victim or a villain essay. He randomly selected the Jews as his scapegoat and launched a massive campaign against them to alienate them from mainstream German society. He succeeded in his efforts, and as a result, the overwhelming majority of Germans came to hate Jews. Two thousand years ago, the Jews lived in a country now called Israel. Unfortunately for them, the Romans had succeeded to take over their land.
This led to Jewish communities living all over the world. Their hatred towards them can be understood, because of their differences to the Christian faith. Today, there is still quite a lot of racial hatred towards the Jews. One example is the Palestinians. They live in a country next to Israel, called Palestine and attack the Jews regularly. The Palestinians are Arabs and have strong views against the Jews. The first scene where Shylock appears is Act 1 Scene 3, is shylock a victim or a villain essay, where Antonio and Bassanio ask Shylock for the loan. It is clear in my opinion, is shylock a victim or a villain essay, that their relationship is quite bad, and has tension between them.
I think this makes Shylock appear more like a victim in this instance. In Act 2 Scene 2, Launcelot delivers a soliloquy. Because this is a part where the character speaks to the audience by himself, usually the speaker is honest. I think that this is quite extreme for a Jew to insult another Jew with anti Semitic insults. This suggests that Launcelot deeply detests is shylock a victim or a villain essay. Because we know Launcelot is telling the truth, there are suggestions that Shylock is a very cruel master and I think these suggestions can be believed. In Act 2 Is shylock a victim or a villain essay 3, Jessica tells Launcelot her feelings about her father, Shylock. I think this is quite unfair on Shylock, her father because he is a Jew.
This also, in my view makes Shylock look a victim, as he has done nothing wrong except to be a Jew. His hatred is targeted again, because he is a Jew and for no other reason. Act 2 Scene 4 makes Shylock look both a victim and a villain. Because this is the part Jessica is planning to run away from her father, it naturally makes him look a victim. She plans to take a lot of gold and jewels from her father and cause him great pain. This in my opinion is very harsh towards Shylock; after all, she could just have gone without taking anything with her. In Act 2 Scene 3, where we hear that she is going to elope from her father, we think this is purely because she loves Lorenzo, but she personally insults him by taking his jewels.
This might suggest that he has been quite a bad father to her for Jessica to want to insult him. This makes him look a villain slightly. Also in my opinion, what Lorenzo says at the end of the scene makes him look a villain. This shows that he has been a sinner, and a villain. I believe Shylock looks a villain in Act 2 Scene 5. This makes him look a villain as; he spends more time with his money, than with his daughter. However, in Act 2 Scene 8, I think Shylock is made to look more like a victim. Solanio and Salerio, in my opinion, represent the general Christian point of view, which is complete hatred. O my ducats! O my daughter! I personally, sympathise with Shylock in this part of the story, because it would be devastating to lose your daughter. His worry about material wealth makes me sympathise less with him.
Solanio and Salerio taunt Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1 to make him feel worse is shylock a victim or a villain essay he is already. This scene makes him look the victim in my view. In this scene is a famous speech, linesby Shylock that portrays him as a mixed character, both a victim and a villain. Shylock uses argument straight out of the Christian church. Shylock uses the Christians arguments against them. The rest of the speech tries to make the Christians feel guilty, and I think is shylock a victim or a villain essay makes him look the victim again. I am a Jew. I believe this is a very clever way to try to get the people on his side.
I think that the use of prose in this speech makes Shylock appear more human than usual, which may also make the reader think that he is a victim in all of this. If he felt happy and dominant over Salerio and Solanio, he might have used iambic pentameters. The fact that he uses prose might suggest that he feels inferior, and a victim. He seems less noble in this part of the play than usual. In a way, he begs Solanio and Salerio to treat him as an equal. This indicates that he is a victim in this part of the play. Still in Act 3 Scene 1, Tubal enters. This is a sign of villainy in my opinion. I am glad of it. We then sympathise with Shylock, when he lose his turquoise ring.
At the end of Act 3 Scene 1, I believe Shylock is a victim until now. He was punished by Jessica as a consequence of his bad treatment of her, but he may have been driven by the Christians to keep her in the house out of troubles way. Jessica might have misinterpreted this, as an act of cruelty. He also relishes killing Antonio, yet we cannot help but feel that this is not all his fault. Act 3 Scene 2 shows that Shylock is a villain, as he is determined to have his bond. Shylock is shown to be very materialistic in the whole play, but here, when he is offered more money than the bond is woth, he turns it down. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock is beyond all reasoning, and is almost sadistic.
Speak not against my bond! This suggests villainy, because he has set out to kill a person, has a, is shylock a victim or a villain essay, ruthless mind, and will not let anyone influence him. Act 4 Scene 1 is the court scene. This signifies villainy. He is both a victim and a villain in this instance. I believe that it is fair for Shylock to be punished, but I think the Christians have gone too far to punish him. I agree with Sir Peter Hall that he is a very complex character, and that is what makes him an interesting character. He is so complex; he is both a victim and a villain, depending on the circumstances. In the first part of the play, i. before the court scene, he is more of a victim than a villain.
But as the plot unfolds and his plan comes to action, he is more of a villain. There is no definite answer, and the whole victim and villain argument is open to interpretation. One thing is for sure, Shakespeare did not want us to think he was a victim in any of this. It is only through modern, anti-racist eyes, is shylock a victim or a villain essay, are we able to see his victimisation. Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website. If you need this or any other sample, we can send it to you via email. By clicking "SEND", you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We'll occasionally send you account related and promo emails. With a hour delay you will have to wait for 24 hours due to heavy workload and high demand - for free. Choose an optimal rate and be sure to get the unlimited number of samples immediately without having to wait in the waiting list.
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Yet again showing no mercy as then no one can save Antonio from bleeding to death. To his surprise the judge played by Portia found loop holes and shows no mercy just as he had done. His three penalties for attempted murder are to give half his fortune to the state, the other half to Shylocks daughter and son in law and lastly and most importantly to become a Christian. At this point you do feel sorry for him as he is left with nothing not even the satisfaction of revenge, and also he is forced to become what he most hated, a Christian. He is also alone where as Antonio has his friends to see him through tough times. But then again you can also say that Shylock got what he deserved for being so cold-hearted. Shakespeare ends the play to make our own opinions of Shylock.
I think that even though a misunderstood character he is still a very cruel man. Poorly treated by Christians may had turned him bitter but being stripped of all his possessions I do feel sorry for him. Therefore in my opinion Shylock is a villain. I say this because he wanted revenge in one man for cultural reasons and religion for what had happened to him in the past. Not forgetting that he also showed no mercy and would had been heartless enough to kill Antonio. Home Page Literature Character Analysis Shylock Is Shylock a victim or a villain Essay. Is Shylock a victim or a villain Essay. Related Essays. Is Shylock a Villain or a Victim that Deserves Our Sympathy Essay Words 5 Pages.
Merchant of Venice Shylock - Victim or Villain Essay Words 6 Pages. With particular reference to Act 4 scene 1 how far is Shylock presented as a victim or a villain within the play Essay Words 5 Pages. This also, in my view makes Shylock look a victim, as he has done nothing wrong except to be a Jew. His hatred is targeted again, because he is a Jew and for no other reason. Act 2 Scene 4 makes Shylock look both a victim and a villain. Because this is the part Jessica is planning to run away from her father, it naturally makes him look a victim. She plans to take a lot of gold and jewels from her father and cause him great pain. This in my opinion is very harsh towards Shylock; after all, she could just have gone without taking anything with her.
In Act 2 Scene 3, where we hear that she is going to elope from her father, we think this is purely because she loves Lorenzo, but she personally insults him by taking his jewels. This might suggest that he has been quite a bad father to her for Jessica to want to insult him. This makes him look a villain slightly. Also in my opinion, what Lorenzo says at the end of the scene makes him look a villain. This shows that he has been a sinner, and a villain. I believe Shylock looks a villain in Act 2 Scene 5. This makes him look a villain as; he spends more time with his money, than with his daughter.
However, in Act 2 Scene 8, I think Shylock is made to look more like a victim. Solanio and Salerio, in my opinion, represent the general Christian point of view, which is complete hatred. O my ducats! O my daughter! I personally, sympathise with Shylock in this part of the story, because it would be devastating to lose your daughter. His worry about material wealth makes me sympathise less with him. Solanio and Salerio taunt Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1 to make him feel worse than he is already. This scene makes him look the victim in my view. In this scene is a famous speech, lines , by Shylock that portrays him as a mixed character, both a victim and a villain. Shylock uses argument straight out of the Christian church. Shylock uses the Christians arguments against them.
The rest of the speech tries to make the Christians feel guilty, and I think it makes him look the victim again. I am a Jew. I believe this is a very clever way to try to get the people on his side. I think that the use of prose in this speech makes Shylock appear more human than usual, which may also make the reader think that he is a victim in all of this. If he felt happy and dominant over Salerio and Solanio, he might have used iambic pentameters. The fact that he uses prose might suggest that he feels inferior, and a victim. He seems less noble in this part of the play than usual. In a way, he begs Solanio and Salerio to treat him as an equal. This indicates that he is a victim in this part of the play.
Still in Act 3 Scene 1, Tubal enters. This is a sign of villainy in my opinion. I am glad of it. We then sympathise with Shylock, when he lose his turquoise ring. At the end of Act 3 Scene 1, I believe Shylock is a victim until now. He was punished by Jessica as a consequence of his bad treatment of her, but he may have been driven by the Christians to keep her in the house out of troubles way. Jessica might have misinterpreted this, as an act of cruelty. He also relishes killing Antonio, yet we cannot help but feel that this is not all his fault. Act 3 Scene 2 shows that Shylock is a villain, as he is determined to have his bond. This shows Shylock to be a cold, heartless man, utterly devoid of parental feeling, who is focused purely on revenge and money.
Antonio had accepted the offer with a lawyer present and a witness present therefore understanding the consequences in place after accepting such an offer. By then Shylock is full of vengeance for everything Antonio had done to him and the loss of his money and only daughter. In Shylocks attempts to retrieve his debt by going to court. He his humiliated and dehumanised even more. Act III Scene I. Here it shows his humiliation and dehumanisation even in court where there is to be justice. The word devil used which is a figure of evil and wrong doing. Furthermore, this kind of language to be used in the court of law,where there is supposed to be fairness and justice shows that Shylock had walked into the midst of blood hungry hounds ready to tear him apart, because of his religion.
Also the devil in Greek is also known as the accuser or the slanderer. To be called a devil is the low of the low. Each word comes from either another religion. This gives an idea that they may not know Shylock, but because of his religion they are at first glance accusing him of being an outcast, which was previously mentioned in the essay. They also seek to torment him even when he is most vulnerable, such as when Jessica elopes with Lorenzo Salerio and Salanio they taunt him about his losses and mock him;. This proves how much Shylock is mocked and has to endure in his life, even after the people closest to him have deserted him. This also shows how open and unsecure Shylock feels as if there is no privacy in his life everyone he turn to knows about his happenings such as his daughter eloping and his money being stolen.
Shylock is not able to avenge himself upon Jessica, however seizes the oppurtinity to make the Christians suffer through Antonio instead. This, added to his hatred for Antonio as an individual, gives the perfect oppurtunity for revenge or retribution. Antonios ships sink and therefore he is unable to pay the money he owes to Shylock. This is the oppurtunity Shylock had been waitng for, his retribution towards Christians and Antonio. Shylock is determined that Antonio must abide by the bond they agreed on, which will definitly end with the death of Antonio.
The pound of flesh demanded by Shylock in the bond seems inhuman, yet despite many pleas of mercy from Antonio and Friends Shylock is still determined to have what he is entitled to by law. He sits ready with his knife, getting ready to cut the flesh himself in the open court room, he even refuses to allow a surgeon to be present. Sterotypicaly it seems the villain is punished and the threat is over. It strikes a modern day audience as grossly unfair that the severity of his punishment reflects not his crime, but his race. In all, this essay believes that Shylock is merely a Victim who has the right to have vengeance for all he has suffered but instead had been humiliated a racist society in which a Christian will reep awards accusing a Jew.
Furthermore, his only daughter elopes with a Christian which is also one of his persecutors. She steals his money and the ring his wife gave him. It seems justified that he should feel betrayed and hurt. Shylock only demanded a bond that Antonio had accepted to and it could be argued that if Antonio was not willing to die, then why did he consent to Shylocks contract or bond in the first place. We can only guess at the way in which Shakespeare intended Shylock to be portrayed. This essay feels that Shakespeare intended Shylock to be a victim, however it can also be argued that Shakespeare himself decided to show Shylock completely defeated at the end of the play, and to not even have his religion to hold on to, that indicates Shylock to be to an extent a villain; moreso this essy believes he was created to challenge the pre-conceptions and ideologies of the Elizabethan era.
In addition this essay believes that he is not a villain because he inspires too much emapthy in an audience to ever be that. Having said this, This essay feels that it is not productive for us to simply categorise Shylock as either victim or villain. Through Shylock, Shakespeare explores the way in which the line between the oppressed and the oppressor can become vague.
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