Within the various forms of literature, many notable authors have emerged as experts in their particular field. Shakespeare is viewed by many as one of the most profound and dramatic playwrights. He is generally noted for his complex dramas, tragedies, and comedies, all of which were written in a most eloquent and glorified manner. In one of his latter plays, The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare attempts to portray the evil expressed by an individual who develops this way both because of the persecution he is faced with and the insufficient virtues he is given.

Few of Shakespeare's characters embody pure evil like The Merchant of Venice's Shylock. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. He is a malignant, vengeful character, filled with venomous malice; a picture of callous, unmitigated villainy, deaf to every appeal of humanity. Shylock is the antagonist counterpart to the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist, who must defend himself against the devil Shylock. The evil he represents is one of the reasons Shakespeare chose to illustrate Shylock as a Jew. According to many historians, Jews of hi

Shylock is the villain of the play and he is far from innocent. The most outright demonstration of evil by Shylock is his insistence on the pound of flesh at the trial scene. Shylock had been viewed in the past as evil for his miserly love of money, but now he is fixated on much more. He is willing to give up three times the loan in exchange for a pound of Antonio's flesh. This tenacious pursuit of homicidal intentions toward Antonio is representative of Shylock's character. He is completely devoid of mercy; that and other positive virtues are beyond his comprehension. Shylock's personality can be characterized by blind spots and basic human limitations which make a balanced human life unattainable. The evil Shylock commits is further compounded by the helplessness of Antonio's situation. When one examines the signing of the bond, further duplicitous treachery on Shylock's part becomes evident. Shylock puts Antonio in a situation where he cannot reject the apparently innocuous but potentially dangerous bond. When Antonio approaches Shylock, he asks for the money yet insists that Shylock lend it to thine enemy. This act is an implicit, unstated rebuke of usury. Shylock then pounces on this opportunity and offers a proposal that seems to act upon Antonio's teaching, slipping in his seemingly ridiculous contingency of a pound of flesh, which Antonio never dreams could be taken seriously. Antonio is now put into a precarious position: he must agree because to reject reformation is to nullify censure (Traversi). Further duplicity on Shylock's part is seen in the fact that he himself acts as if he does not take the pound of flesh seriously, when he imparts to Antonio the perfectly reasonable contention, "If he should break this day, what should I gain?" (I. iii. 163). Literary critic James E. Siemon finds further evidence of the profound evil Shylock exudes in Shakespeare's setup of the trial scene. By this point, it is obvious to all that Shylock is consumed with rage and will stop at nothing to have his revenge (Siemon).

In addition to evil from Antonio, the Christians despise Shylock. He himself attributes his woes to the fact that "[He is] a Jew" (III. i. 58). He says he hates Antonio because "he is a Christian" (I. iii. 42) and he sees Christians as his oppressors. His thrift is condemned as miserly bloodsucking when it is just his own means of survival based on his separate standards.

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Approximate Word count = 1632
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)