Shylock's role in this play is to be an obstacle, a person who hinders the love story; Such a man is a traditional figure in romantic comedies. There must be something or someone that hinders young romantic love; Here, Sherlock and his various connections with these three lovers. In a sense, it is accidental that he is a Jew. Shakespeare wants to compare generosity and selfishness from the perspective of money and love. From the literary works at that time, we can see such a figure, a person who can perform two functions: this person may be a usurer or a money lender, and he has a beautiful daughter, and he holds on to it as if he were holding on to his own gold coin. The church in the Middle Ages prohibited Christians from usury, so lending was controlled by Jews. Usually, this is the only occupation that the law allows them to engage in. Therefore, a large number of medieval literary works shaped the traditional image of Jewish money lenders, usually as a secondary role, but also as a major role. It is from this medieval literary tradition that Shakespeare borrowed the character Shylock, just as Marlowe borrowed the Jews in Malta. Some critics say that Shylock is an example of anti-Semitism in the Elizabethan era (and Shakespeare's era). In contrast, many people think that the appearance of Shylock is an attack on this intolerance. But they forget that Shakespeare is a playwright. He doesn't care about anti-Semitism or pro-Semitism, except for the way in which he portrays personal characters in his plays to produce the necessary drama he tries to create. Therefore, the play is obviously not anti-Semitic; On the contrary, due to the nature of Shylock's participation in the love story, it is about anti-Semitism. Shakespeare never seriously defined or condemned a group through personal performance; He did this only for the purpose of comedy, by creating micro-comics for our entertainment. Shylock is painted in bold; As far as romantic comedies are concerned, he should have been a "villain", but because of Shakespeare's versatility, we sometimes sympathize with him and sometimes hate him. Shakespeare's manipulation of our feelings about Shylock proves his genius as a characterization.
When Shylock left the court in the fourth act, scene 1, he was deprived of everything he had. He is a failure. However, we can't show deep sympathy for him-maybe some, but not many. Shakespeare's intention is not to portray Shylock as a tragic figure; On the contrary, Shylock's original intention is to play a person who can be vividly understood as a microcosm of selfishness; In this romantic comedy, he must be defeated. In a sense, it is Shakespeare's own talent that makes him make Shylock almost too human. Shylock was strongly attracted, perhaps too strongly for this comedy, but his lofty dignity is admirable, despite the fact that we must finally condemn him. Perhaps the poet W.H. Auden gave us the best clue about how to treat Shylock: "Those who have been done evil," he said, "will repay evil." This explains the complexity of the money lender and our complex reaction to him in a few words.