SHYLOCK STUDY

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 Act 1 Scene 3 when Shylock offers to lend money without interest \

some argue that he is being kind, do you agree?

yes because he willing to share is money as long it gets payed back.

• In A3S1 Shylock suffers great losses. Look for suggestions of his

sorrow, loneliness and feelings for his dead wife. he feels lonely

• In A4S1 when Shylock is sentenced, we again feel pity for him. Why is

this an achievement for Shakespeare (consider his audience) because he

could not cut it because there is no way to way it.

• The Merchant of Venice is considered a comedy, however the character

of Shylock makes it feel more of a tragi-comedy. because he acts like a dark

person.

and people use his money and do pay it back so he gets angry

Do you feel he is portrayed

more as a villain or victim. Write a paragraph explaining your thoughts with

supporting evidence from the play.

Shylock is more victim then villain because he might want to cut flesh off

someone but they have treated him with no respect an made him angry

but also he never cut some flesh of Antonio so he still had to live because i

some blood was droped he will had to die they made it so he had to be no

longer Jewish and he had to lose all his money and land

• It has been argued that the play should be renamed ‘The Jew of Venice’.
  I argue that it should be called that
• Why do you think this is? Would it change your initial view of the play?

Would it be a more suitable name? yes because its about a Jewish man.