The Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of...

The Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice In his chapter â€Å"Shakespeare and Dissident Reading,† Alan Sinfield argues that viewing Shylock as anything but an evil villain is â€Å"achieved only by leaning, tendentiously, on the text† (Sinfield 1994, 6). This is an oversimplification of Shylock’s character as portrayed in The Merchant of Venice. Sinfield portrays Shylock as static and unchanging. However, emotions and portrayal of Shylock are not as forward as Sinfield claims. Constantly evolving, Shylock goes from being described as a human, with emotional pitfalls and grief, to being angry and vindictive, and portrayed as an animal. Shylock’s emotional changes inflate and add dimension to his character, challenging the†¦show more content†¦Antonio’s business of loaning money without interest is hence an insult to Jews as a whole, Shylock’s â€Å" sacred nation.† This religious assertion is repeated several times throughout this particular scene, especially when Sh ylock alludes to stories of the Old Testament to justify his use of interest. This strong intertwining of religion and money emphasizes the importance Shylock places on both and helps define his outspoken and passionate character that is seen through the course of the play. Another, more striking emotion seen in Shylock is shock and grief. When his daughter, Jessica, leaves him to marry Lorenzo (a Christian), Shylock shows longing for both the loss of his daughter and his material possessions (‘ducats’). Salanio’s speech in Act II recalls Shylock’s reaction to the news hand he seems surprised at the response â€Å" I never heard a passion so confused, so strange, outrageous and so variable† (II.8.12-13) His recantation of Shylock’s speech shows a confused and upset father indeed. Shylock repeats the words ‘ducats’ and daughter’ multiple times, in an attempt to sort out what exactly has just transpired â€Å" My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter!† (II.8.15-17). Here we see Shylock confused, angry,