ShylockisthemostvividandmemorablecharacterinTheMerchantofVenice,andheisoneofShakespeare'sgreatestdramaticcreations.Onstage,itisShylockwhomakestheplay,andalmostallofthegreatactorsoftheEnglishandContinentalstagehaveattemptedtherole.ButthecharacterofShylockhasalsobeenthesubjectofmuchcriticaldebate:HowarewemeanttoevaluatetheattitudeoftheVenetiansintheplaytowardhim?Orhisattitudetowardthem?Isheabloodthirstyvillain?Orisheaman"moresinnedagainstthansinning"?OneofthereasonsthatsuchquestionsariseisthattherearereallytwostageShylocksintheplay:first,thereisthestage"villain"whoisrequiredfortheplot;second,thereisthehumanbeingwhosuffersthelossofhisdaughter,hisproperty,and,veryimportantlyforhim,hisreligion. 　　Shylock'sfunctioninthisplayistobetheobstacle,themanwhostandsinthewayofthelovestories;suchamanisatraditionalfigureinromanticcomedies.Somethingorsomeonemustimpedeyoung,romanticlove;here,itisShylockandthemanyandvariouswaysthatheislinkedtothethreesetsoflovers.ThefactthatheisaJewis,inasense,accidental.Shakespearewantedtocontrastliberalityagainstselfishness—intermsofmoneyandintermsoflove.Therewassuchafigureavailablefromtheliteratureofthetime,onemanwhocouldfulfillbothfunctions:thismanwouldbeausurer,ormoneylender,withabeautifuldaughterthatheheldontoastightlyashedidhisducats.UsurywasforbiddentoChristiansbythechurchoftheMiddleAges,andasaconsequence,moneylendingwascontrolledbytheJews;asarule,itwasusuallytheonlyoccupationwhichthelawallowedtothem.Asaresult,agreatdealofmedievalliteratureproducedtheconventionalfigureoftheJewishmoneylender,usuallyasaminorcharacter,butalsotoo,asamajorcharacter.ItisfromthismedievalliterarytraditionthatShakespeareborrowsthefigureofShylock,justasMarlowedidforhisJewofMalta.SomecommentatorshavesaidthatthecharacterofShylockisanexampleofElizabethan(andShakespeare'sown)anti-Semitism.Incontrast,manyhaveseenthecreationofShylockasanattackonthiskindofintolerance.ButShakespeare,theyforget,wasadramatist.Hewasnotconcernedwitheitheranti-norpro-Semitism,exceptinthewayitshapedindividualcharactersinhisplaystoproducethenecessarydramathathewasattemptingtocreate.Theplayisthusemphaticallynotanti-Semitic;rather,becauseofthenatureofShylock'sinvolvementintheloveplots,itisaboutanti-Semitism.Shakespeareneverseriouslydefinedorcondemnedagroupthroughthepresentationofanindividual;heonlydidthisforthepurposesofcomedybycreatingcaricaturesinminiatureforouramusement.Shylockisdrawninboldstrokes;heismeanttobea"villain"intermsoftheromanticcomedy,butbecauseofthemulti-dimensionalitywhichShakespearegiveshim,wearemeanttosympathizewithhimattimes,loathehimatothers.Shakespeare'smanipulationofouremotionsregardingShylockisatestamenttohisgeniusasacreatorofcharacter. 　　WhenShylockleavesthecourtroominActIV,Scene1,heisstrippedofallthathehas.Heisadefeatedman.Yetwecannotfeeldeepsympathyforhim—some,perhaps,butnotmuch.Shakespeare'sintentionwasnottomakeShylockatragicfigure;instead,Shylockwasmeanttofunctionasamanwhocouldbevividlyrealizedastheepitomeofselfishness;hemustbedefeatedint