Why Is Shylock a moneylender?

Shylock is a Jewish moneylender in Venice. He is unpopular with other characters who accuse him of practising usury. This means lending money with outrageously high rates of interest . When Antonio’s ships and wealth are lost, Shylock demands his pound of flesh.

What does Shylock do in The Merchant of Venice?

In the play Shylock is a Jew who lends money to his Christian rival Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio’s flesh. When a bankrupt Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock demands the pound of flesh.

What are the good qualities of Shylock?

In addition to his baser traits, Shylock is proud and has deep religious instincts. Although clearly portrayed as a vengeful villain for insisting on his rightful payment of Antonio’s debt to him, it is clear that Shylock’s acts at least in part because of the way he himself has been mistreated by Christians.

Who is the real merchant in Merchant of Venice?

Antonio
The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.

How did Portia plead Shylock?

Portia’s plea for mercy is, in fact, directed at the whole society and the ideas in the play. Salvation will follow mercy, not justice. However, Shylock is a non-changing character, and her speech does not impress him that much. He replies, “My deeds upon my head!

How does Shakespeare explore the character of Shylock?

In this extract Shakespeare presents Shylock as vengeful. This can be seen when Shylock says that Antonio’s flesh will, ‘feed my revenge,’ and the verb ‘feed’ personifies his vengeance and makes it seem animalistic and intense, as well as suggesting that Shylock is hungry for revenge.

Why does Shylock hate Antonio in Merchant of Venice?

Shylock hates Antonio because Antonio has the privilege of being a wealthy Venetian who charges no interest on his loans, and he also hates Antonio for being a Christian. Antonio not only loans money interest-free to many, he has also covered the loans of Shylock’s victims without charging them interest to repay him.

Is Shylock a good businessman?

169-170). Antonio and Shylock both are well off and successful businessmen. Antonio, being a man who is treats everyone nicely, lends his good name to Bassanio to woo Portia. Shylock is depicted as the greedy businessman while Antonio is the nice man who tries his luck.

How does Shylock view himself?

Though the Christian characters of The Merchant of Venice may view Jews as evil, Shylock does not see himself in that way. His views of himself and others are rational, articulate, and consistent. Shylock, on the other hand, is an outcast even before the play begins, vilified and spat upon by the Christian characters.

What can a Shylock character analysis tell us about the merchant?

A Shylock character analysis can tell us a lot about The Merchant of Venice. Shylock, the Jewish moneylender is the villain of the play and the audience response depends on how he is portrayed in performance.

Is Shylock Jewish in The Merchant of Venice?

‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare is about a man called Shylock, he is Jewish. Throughout the play he is subject to severe racial hatred from the Christian people of Venice, Venice was primarily a Christian state so being of a different religious background, being a Jew was frowned upon.

What is Shylock’s problem with money?

Shylock was a usurer which in fact added to his problems, a usurer is someone who loans money and takes back interest. A Christian participating in this in Venice would have been considered an abomination in their faith; it was acceptable in the Jewish faith however the Christians hated Shylock for it.

What are some character traits in Shylock’s character?

Another trait in Shylock’s character has been the religious and racial hatred he maintains towards the Christians. I’m not saying that he is the only one to do that or it is only one-sided. Rather, it was the Christians who showed strong hatred and ill-treatment towards his race.