Shylock, a character in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, is a character of many emotions. Throughout the entire story Shylock is bitter towards all the other characters. However, this spite and hatred is not undeserved, the other characters ridicule him for no good reason. Shylock puts himself in the position of being the antagonist and protagonist of the situation throughout the story. By putting himself in this position he causes the other characters, particularly Antonio and Bassanio, even more trouble than before. Shylock's goal is not success, but the death of every other person around him. Shylock sets out to be both the antagonist and protagonist by making people react to his very selfish actions, which ultimately causes his downfall. Shylock, without even realizing what he is doing, makes himself the antagonist and protagonist using his wealth. He is the savior of the entire opera when he grants Bassanio a loan of three thousand ducats so that he can have the opportunity to marry the splendid princess Portia. The agreement men come to if the debt is not repaid is "let the lump sum be appointed for an equal pound of thy fair flesh" (Shakespeare, I, iii,). At this point Shylock controls the situation of almost all the key characters in the play with the exception of Portia. Although Antonio and Bassanio do not like the deal because they are almost certain that Antonio will not pay, they have no choice to accept these terms. Also, at the end of the play, Shylock controls all the main characters when they are in court. He is planning to kill Antonio if Antonio's friends make even the simplest of mistakes... middle of paper... leave the Christians alone. When Shylock overcomplicates things, he ruins any chance of success by being selfish. Although he is the character subject to the most internal and external problems, Shylock does not make any of his bad situations better for himself. At first Shylock could have tried to befriend the Christians but instead he takes revenge for their comments and they end up being in some sort of religious war. Later, when Shylock loses his daughter Jessica, he does not try to find her but wishes that she would go to hell for the pain she has caused him. He has many opportunities to make the most of the situations he is given but, shy being the self-centered man he is, he hurts himself in an ill-conceived plan to take advantage of himself. The reason why Shylock becomes the sad, lonely old man that he is cannot be attributed to anyone else but himself.