Victim or villain? How is Shylock presented in 'The Merchant of Venice'?

The merchant in 'The Merchant of Venice', by William Shakespeare, there appears Shylock. As the play unfolds Shylock is seen to be the villain. He is portrayed as being cold, unbending, and evil. But is he? Is Shylock really the antagonist in this play or can he also be viewed as a persecuted individual who resorts to revenge only after he has been pushed too far. To fully understand the character of Shylock we must …

…modern eyes, Shylock can be seen as both an Elizabethan stereotype and a fully drawn human being. Ironically, it is precisely because of the stereotypical elements in Shylock's character that many people argue against The Merchant of Venice, viewing it as an anti-Semitic work -- an understandable reaction in a post-Holocaust era. Shakespeare, however, did not write a one-dimensional villain, but a complex character who defies explanation and who will probably never be fully understood.