Shakespeare - Merchant of Venice

A detailed Summary of Shakespeare - Merchant of Venice


What defines a villain as such an evil person? What qualities and actions determine whether or not this individual is deserving of the title villain? What is it that distinguishes a villain, from being confused with a tragic hero? These two descriptions are commonly confused and especially in the case of Shylock from the William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice. The question of which role Shylock falls into can be debated heavily. However, if looked at closely it becomes quite clear that Shylock is the villain, rather than the tragic hero. This is seen by how he treats those individuals around him, where his priorities are and by his choice of faith.

First, Shylock demonstrates a complete disregard for the feelings of those around him throughout the play. When in contact with the servant Lancelot, Shylock speaks badly of him behind his back when he says, "The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder, Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day More than the wildcat. Drones hive not with me.. ..His borrowed purse" (2.5.45-50). He b


In life, it is a most important thing to have correct priorities and to know what is important and what is not. Shylock either did not know or did not care, for his priorities were completely out of line. The first example of this is when he could not figure out which he would miss more, his one and only daughter or the valuables that she took with her. In act 3, scene 2, he rants and raves of his lost money as if it is his child. He shows complete lack of priorities here as he sets money and riches above his loved ones. Another instance of his lack of setting his priorities correctly is when he attempts to stick to his deal of getting a pound of flesh from Antonio. This shows a huge lack of judgement on his part and he eventually pays for it by losing his money and his faith. Which leads to the third aspect of why shylock was a villain, his religion.

In the Elizabethan Age, being a Jew was considered as evil as any other sin for it meant that the individual was simply not a Christian. The item that especially added onto this villainy wa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Christian Lorenzo, Age Jew, Antonio Venetian, Merchant Venice, Lancelot Shylock, , Satan Shylock, shylock villain, tragic hero, William Shakespeare's, pound flesh, added onto, shylock mistreated, merchant venice,

Approximate Word count = 711
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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