Shylock is a fictional Jewish character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
In The Merchant of Venice,Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival,Antonio,setting the bond at a pound of Antonio's flesh.When a bankrupt Antonio defaults on the loan,Shylock demands the pound of flesh,as revenge for Antonio having previously insulted and spat on him.Meanwhile,his daughter,Jessica,elopes with Antonio's friend Lorenzo and becomes a Christian,further fuelling Shylock's rage.
During Shakespeare's day,money lending was one of the popular careers among Jews,since Jews were forbidden to charge interest to fellow Jews; and Christians also followed Old Testament laws condemning usury charged to fellow Gentiles.In the 16th century,Christians regarded usury as a sin.However,Shylock's profession as a moneylender is still frequently used by critics to support claims of anti-Semitism in the play.
Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes..." speech,in which he asserts that he is no different than a Christian and deserves revenge as much as they would have it,is one of the most famous soliloquies in English literature.Some scholars also suggest that Shylock is repeatedly shown to have human qualities and that he becomes a sympathetic character,particularly when he is told about Jessica's betrayal and the loss of his deceased wife's ring.
In the play Shakespeare also makes repeated references to the cruelty Shylock suffers at the hands of Christians.