The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare raises seriousness of many issues, one of which that has been long debated is anti-Semitism and desecration of the Jewish population in 16th Century England. Back to Elizabethan society, Jewish heritage was usually the object of mockery. This is why even many parts of the play seem offensive in modern times, The Merchant of Venice can still be defined as comedy back then. The character of Shylock is portrayed to exhibit stereotypical characteristics of the villainous Jew. However, many times in the play he diverges from the stereotype and reveals that his anger and villainy stem from mistreatment by people around him. In this paper, I want to make the argument that Shylock is truly a sympathetic figure since he becomes a villain as a result of having been unfairly victimized.
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