William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice Essay

William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout The Merchant of Venice Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader. His personal traits and beliefs evoke complex emotions. We cannot decide whether Shylock is an†¦show more content†¦Sympathy is created, as it is apparent that Shylock cannot trust, nor befriend anyone in the play, not even his own daughter. This is clear evidence of one way in which Shylock is more sinned than sinning. Shylock places profit above love. When Jessica, his daughter, steals from him and leaves him, it is clear that Shylock is very distraught. However, it is difficult to ignore what appears to be Shylocks priority -the loss of money. As, money lending is Shylocks profession; it is obvious money is very important to him. When discussing the loss of his daughter and ducats, Shylock describes how he would rather his money returned to him than his daughter and would infact like to have revenge against her. Shylock: I would my daughter were dead at my feat, and the jewels in her ear. Immediately it is clear how heartless, inhumane, unforgiving and sinister Shylock is. To place profit above the life of his daughter demonstrates how wrong Shylocks priorities are and is clear evidence of how Shylock is sinning. Shylock is more sinned against than sinning by the fact that every character in the play is against him. Shylock has no family or friends to rely upon or trust. He is constantly mocked and insulted by many characters throughout The Merchant of Venice. The firstShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeares Merchant of Venice2271 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Merchant of Venice In many ways, shylock is a more difficult character for a modern audience than for an Elizabethan audience. With close reference to Act 1 scene 3, Act 3 scene 1 and Act 4 scene 1 show how an actor might reveal the human being behind the stereotype. The merchant of Venice is a play written in Elizabethan times by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Elizabethan Venice. The play starts with Antonio, a rich merchant, who isRead More Responsibilities in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice1212 Words   |  5 PagesResponsibilities in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice The small and seemingly insignificant details in a story often hold together an entire theme of the work. 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