The Greed of Shylock In the play The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, the character Shylock is mean, greedy, money-loving Jew. He shows these characteristics in the way that he acts through his daily life. His character traits are evident in the way he loans money to Antonio, the way he acts after his daughter runs away, and the way he craves revenge after Antonio’s ships do not return. Shylock shows his hateful …showed first 75 words of 452 total…

…showed last 75 words of 452 total…says, "Give me my principal, and let me go" (IV. i. 334). What Shylock wants, is a cruel punishment for Antonio instead of a civil one. Shylock is a cold, uncaring, cruel person. All he cares about is himself and his money. He does not care about the well being of anyone else. Shylock has many cruel and heartless characteristics. They can be seen in the way that he interacts with other characters throughout the play.