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Student Essay on Shylock, Victim or Villain?

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William Shakespeare
About 7 pages (2,038 words)
The Merchant of Venice Summary

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Shylock, Victim or Villain?

Summary:   Discusses the William Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. Analyzes the character of Shylock. Questions if the character was the villain of the play or if he is a victim.


As an audience we see Shylock in two different ways, as a villain and as a victim. Whereas in the play most of the other characters just see him as a villain the whole time. In this essay I am going to explore how he is presented as a villain and a victim, the language he uses, how he is treated and his behaviour in the trial scene.

Throughout the play Shylock is presented as a victim. The first main way is when Shylock does his famous plea for equality in Act 3 Scene1.When he tells the audience about the abuse he has suffered from Christians in general and from Antonio in particular.

"I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 2,038 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.

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