In the play The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare used two characters to show his point of view of what he thought Christianity was. The first character, Antonio, the merchant of Venice, was presented as the hero at the beginning of the comedy because he was a good Christian trying to help out a friend. The second character, Shylock, the Jewish usurer, was presented as the villain. However, as the plot gradually became more intense …showed first 75 words of 976 total…

…showed last 75 words of 976 total…hero because he was a Christian. Then, Antonio was made to be a hypocrite who might have been gay. Also, Shakespeare presented Shylock as the villain. However, by the middle of the play, the reader was made to feel sorry for the Jew. Finally, the plot reached the point where one could no longer tell the difference between the hero and the villain. The Christain had as many, if not more, flaws than the Jew.