Discuss Your Response to Shylock in the Light of Secondary Sources.

... Gabriela Belmar-Valencia 12CA 30th November 2002 Discuss Your Response to Shylock in the Light of Secondary Sources "The Merchant of Venice" was first performed in 1597 and the four hundred year period between then and the present day has seen many diverse portrayals of Shylock. Shylock, over the years, has changed from a comical monster, to a complex villain, to a sympathetic victim, each era developing a different aspect of Shakespeare's villain. Shylock provokes a response of fascination and respect. He is a complex villain, a twisted product of an anti-Semitic society whose personality has been reduced to malevolence and vengefulness through the ill-treatment he has suffered at the hands of the frivolous and superficial Venetians. He clings devoutly to his Jewish faith while cleverly scheming revenge against those who have wronged him. Shylock's intellect shows that he is above the derogatory names and petty insults heaped upon him by the Venetians. He

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