In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice the antagonist of the play is Shylock. Shylock is a wealthy Jewish moneylender. Shylock is probably the most memorable character in the play because of Shakespeare's excellent characterization of him. Shylock is the antagonist in the play because he stands in the way of love, but this does not necessarily make him the villain of the play. Shylock can be seen as both the villain of the play and as …showed first 75 words of 374 total…

…showed last 75 words of 374 total…loss of his property was certainly a blow to Shylock but it can hardly compare to his loss of his religion. His forced conversion to Christianity brings out more sympathy for him.         Shakespeare's manipulation of our feelings for Shylock show Shakespeare's gift as a writer. He gave Shylock the ability to make us hate him at times, and sympathize with him at others. This makes Shylock one of the most vivid characters of the play.