How The Character Of Shylock From “The Merchant Of...

How The Character Of Shylock From â€Å"The Merchant Of Venice† Is Presented To The Audience In Scenes 1.3, 3.1 and 4.1 Over the years, Shylock has been portrayed in many ways, for instance, in the Elizabethan time, Jews were seen as the cause of Christ’s death and were known moneylenders so they were persecuted, so Shylock normally came on stage wearing a bright red wig and portrayed as a comic villain due to this he was always mocked. However, after the holocaust was brought to light, Jews were taken more seriously and were treated with more respect than they were previously shown so when Shylock appeared on stage, he was treated fairly and was not mocked as he had been in previous versions of the play. Shylock is one of the†¦show more content†¦This shows he dislikes Christians, as he is not willing to socialise with them. After that Shylock even says aside from Bassanio and Antonio â€Å"I hate him for he is Christian†. This is solid evidence that shows he dislikes Antonio and Bassanio because they are Christians. These few quotes show Shylock as a racist. Shylock also says how he is humiliated and how he is a victim of racial hatred. He says â€Å"He hates our sacred nation, and he rails even where merchants most do congregate on me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift, which he calls interest: cursed be my tribe if I forgive him†. This makes the audience feel sympathy for him and also start to feel a little bit of dislike toward Antonio. This is ironic as Shylock is meant to be the villain and he causes the audience to feel sympathy toward him. Shylock is presented as a moneylender and Antonio frowns upon this but Shylock tells him about the story of Laban and Jacob, this is to show how a figure in the bible has gained from other people’s misfortune. This story is where Jacob was told by laban that he could have any ewe that was born that was not white, so Jacob took different coloured sheep and added them to the flock and they bred thus giving birthShow MoreRelated Is The Merchant of Venice an Anti-Semitic Play? Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesIs The Merchant of Venice an Anti-Semitic Play?      Ã‚   The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character that is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 whenRead MoreThe Merchant of Venice938 Words   |  4 PagesHate The Merchant of Venice a play written by the famous poet and play writer, William Shakespeare, in the year 1596 - 1598. 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