In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare, the character Shylock is portrayed as a victim and villain. In order to find out which one of these suits Shylock best, it is necessary to examine him further. Many people are villainous in the way they behave. Their acts maybe contribute towards their desire to destroy others and as a result they feel they have eared respect or risen to a higher social level. However their villainous acts also maybe a cry for help to the harsh treatment they have endured by others.In the Tudor period, Jews were seen as ‘aliens’ to people to Venice. They were also seen to be evil, because of there religion, as Christians believe that Jews killed Jesus. As a result of this, Jews were discriminated continuously. The play reflects the society in England at the time. Christianity was the main religion and anyone who followed a different religion was cast aside. When Shakespeare wrote the play, the intended audience’s views were a lot different from ours today. This is called zeitgeist. The play was written for a contemporary audience. Today’s audience is known as the modern audience. In Elizabethan England, many people were anti-Jew, driven by their hatred between the two religions, Christianity and Judaism. In the early Middle Ages, Jews were accused of exploiting Christians, and they were banned from England. They were not allowed into the country until several decades after The Merchant of Venice was written. However a small group of the Jews did exist in the country and they were allowed to stay but they were never really aloud to be a part of Elizabethan life. This historical fact emphasizes Shylock’s position as an outsider. There were hardly any Jews living in England, which gave out a negative image of the Jew . This made it become a cultural stereotype and a part of the public views on them.
Throughout the selected scenes you see many sides to Shylock. His characteristics and traits have major impact on our feelings...