Merchant of Venice Essay Many people are villainous in the way they act, and their villainous acts may be rooted in the desire to destroy others, or in the hopes of elevating themselves. Many people may only act "villainous" in reaction to the way they have been treated in the past. Shylock the Jew is the villain or antagonist in the play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock mistreats Antonio the Christian, his daughter, Jessica and Launcelot. The first person Shylock mistreats, is Launcelot. He mistreats this servant by complaining behind Launcelot's back of his laziness. Shylock says, "The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder