"The Merchant of Venice": Critical Evaluation

In this essay I intend to decide whether Shylock is a victim or villain, whether he is good or bad evil and twisted or just driven by revenge. "The Merchant of Venice" is set in Elizabethan times, when Jews were hated and persecuted for their religion. Jewish people had to adapt. They lived in tight knit communities. They worked hard and became lawyers, doctors and successful business men. In turn this caused Christians to be …

…daughter but she ran away from him. He really cared about his wife, but she died. And he must give Lorenzo, the man who stole his daughter and Jessica one half of his wealth. He is forced to give up his religion, which he has been loyal to all his life. Even when Shylock was being condemned for being a Jew, he was still a loyal one. Clearly Shylock is the victim of this play.