The Merchant of Venice, does Shakespeare intend us to read Shylock only as a bad guy, or is there more going on here? If you find yourself being sympathetic to Shylock, how much of your sympathy is due, do you think, to our different attitude nowadays toward religious difference?
Please divide your response into paragraphs for easier reading, and make sure to quote (this is preferred!), paraphrase, or reference specific passages in the poem to support your reading (and cite the passages using MLA citation format).