Shylock Character Study 3

Shylock Character Study #3

Many characters hold anti semitic views, but in places Shakespeare lets Shylock speak from the heart and suddenly we see him as a human, not a stereotype.

• In A1S3 when Shylock offers to lend money without interest some argue that he is being kind, do you agree? Maybe. He does asks some else's flesh which it just leads to someones death all though Shylock is willing to give up his ducats for someone desperate.
• In A3S1 Shylock suffers great losses. Look for suggestions of his sorrow, loneliness and feelings for his dead wife. Quote ''The only luck I have is bad luck, Nobody suffers but me, Nobody crying except me''
• In A4S1 when Shylock is sentenced, we again feel pity for him. Why is this an achievement for Shakespeare (consider his audience) Considering back in the time when this Shakespeare people were different and I have no clue on how they portray the people in the comedy but, now a days people can understand and decipher the specific parts of the Shakespeare. What I think about Shylock when he was sentenced was somewhere around the retribution/Clueless thoughts as I just read it like half way through the book [was in vacation]
• The Merchant of Venice is considered a comedy, however the character of Shylock makes it feel more of a tragi-comedy. Do you feel he is portrayed more as a villain or victim. Write a paragraph explaining your thoughts with supporting evidence from the play.
• The way I feel Shylock is being portrayed is more of an villain as he asks for such important stuff like Bassanio's flesh. {he probably sees Bassanio's flesh as something that is frivolous] Although all of the things Shylock has lost like for example his jewels that were from her past-away mother, whilst also losing his daughter. [thought he wants the jewels more than his daughter] Overall I see Shylock as some guy who is obsessed with payments.

• It has been argued that the play should be renamed ‘The Jew of Venice’. Why do you think this is? Would it change your initial view of the play? Would it be a more suitable name? Well I guess how Shylock makes his own character intriguing which makes people read and find out more about his character, but in my view it just stay the same as it states how as the Merchant as it sounds more fitting because of Shylock and Antonio traded something towards each other.