... in its day which suggests that the English thought it was funny to see Shylock persecuted for believing in the Jewish faith. The friends of Shakespeare who decided that Merchant of Venice was a comedy, justified this by saying the play was about love and marriage. These people left out the part when Shylock lends ... money to Antonio, and but a deal was made that Antonio would pay Shylock or have a pound of flesh removed. Antonio did not repay Shylock, but a ... he asks Bassanio a Christian for forgiveness Bassanio denies it which is very non Christian like. The last piece of Anti Semit...

• Word Count: 1361
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The Merchant of Venice: Is Shylock a villain or a victim? Shylock is in many ways much more difficult for us to deal with today than for Shakespeare's audience. We ... in the middle ages, murdered Jews and pillaged Jewish property whilst travelling to the Middle East. Racism still exists today and in The Merchant of Venice' through the sufferance and rogue character of Shylock. Shylock is portrayed as both a victim and a villain. His character is ambiguous - he is portrayed as both a stereotypical Jew: vicious and cunning, and ... like saying that Christianity is the right' religion and you ...

• Word Count: 2283
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... hatred also pushed them to believe that if a Jew converted to Christianity, as Shylock is forced to do in The Merchant of Venice, then all will be forgiven as the repentant Jew is now pure of heart. "...some Christians believed that the coming of the Kingdom of God was aided by converting the Jews to Christianity" (Hughes 5). As the play unfolds, Shylock appears to be ... marriage because he suspects that Antonio had encouraged her escape; this suspicion increases Shylock's hatred toward Antonio (Lippman 1). Moreover, Shylock harbors resentment toward Antonio because Antonio has persona...

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School