Act 2, Scene 5
Line pg. 76, 44-48
Shylock talking about Launcelot (after he just left):
“The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder,
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than a wildcat. Drones hive not with me.”
Many wonder why everyone in the story hates Shylock, and even more specifically Launcelot and Jessica. Is it because he doesn’t like them? When Shylock talks about Launcelot, although he mentions how he is lazy, a huge eater and a waste of money; he doesn’t seem to hate him (“The patch is nice enough”). So if he doesn’t hate him, or his own daughter Jessica, he could just be taking his anger out on them, rather than being a straight up rude person. So is Shylock really the villain?