GCSE English coursework. Merchant of Venice: - Is Shylock a victim or villain of the play? The merchant of Venice is a tragic-comedy play written by William Shakespeare in the Elizabethan period. It was set in Venice in the late 15th century. One of the main characters of the play is Shylock, who was a Jew. Throughout his five scenes in the play he is looked down upon, betrayed, deserted, punished and humiliated by Christian …showed first 75 words of 2417 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2417 total…and any future earnings to Lorenzo after his death. I think that the torment and prejudice pushed on him throughout his life by his own Venetian community, has led him to such misfortune and bitterness. From the play we see that Shylock is indeed a character with great depth. In the end he quite simply turns out to be a victim who is driven to be villainous just because of all his suffering and pain.