What do you think is Shakespeare's main intention of creating Shylock in The Merchant of Venice?
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Shylock is only aiming for money and revenge. He lends out money at interest which a lot of people thought is wrong. As an outcast in Venice, Shylock had to survive by as many means as possible, and money-lending was perhaps the only profession left for the Jews by the laws of Venice, which barred Christians from money-lending, and Jews from almost everything else. It is Shakespeare's achievement that while we are disgusted by Shylock's evil obsession, we can understand, almost sympathize with his position. He must ruthless to survive; he is an alien whom Venetian merchants that he has to work with spit upon - Antonio most of all.
In Act III Scene i, Shylock is tortured by Jessica's elopement and the loss of his money, takes comfort in the loss of Antonio's ships, and asserts his humanity, his feeling of loss, when Solanio makes a coarse joke: " I say my daughter is my flesh and blood." Shylock makes us realise the common humanity linking all men, Christian or Jew: ' If you tickle us, do we not laugh? '. Shylock's image is a money-lending robot with no feelings at all, no desire fro anything other than money-grabbing, but this tells us of his capacity for simple enjoyment. The reasonable conclusion that Shylock draws is that revenge is natural - normal behavior in Christians, and also in Jews. The important thing is that now he has the power to do it.
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