Shakespeares Merchant of Venice and Othello Shylock vs...

The Merchant of Venice and Othello: Shylock vs Iago Shakespeares use of timeless themes make his works relevant to the modern reader. His two plays The Merchant of Venice and Othello deal with the seeking of revenge and forbidden love. In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, the main character, is a Jew who loans money and charges interest. Shylock has an enemy named Antonio who also loans money to people, but without interest. Iago is a character in Othello who has been passed over for a position as Othellos right hand man. He feels that he deserves the position not the person who received it, Cassio. Both of these characters want revenge from the people whom they perceive as having done them wrong and will stop†¦show more content†¦Antonio is not able to pay after the three-month period, but in the next couple of days he does get enough money to pay the debt. Shylock does not want the money anymore, rather the pound of flesh from Antonios body. Nothing will make him change his mind. Iago also will stop at nothing to ge t his revenge. He uses everything that he can think of to make sure that his plan is fulfilled. These two characters are also similar in that they are both conniving. Shylock uses his intelligence to convince Antonio that he has his best interests at heart when he loans him the money. Shylock says that he will not charge him interest, instead he wants in payment, if Antonio fails to pay, a pound of his flesh. Iago is also conniving in that he uses people and tells them what they want to hear to help himself with his plan. He leads Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello on to help fulfill his plans. Thus, Shylock and Iago appear to be similar in that they both want revenge, are conniving, and ruthless; however, they are very different when you really look at their characteristics. The first difference between Shylock and Iago is that the reader can sympathize with Shylock and not Iago. When Shylock loans Antonio the money, he wants a pound of his flesh as payment if he defaults on the loan. Shylock says, The pound of flesh which I demand of him / Is dearly bought, is mine, and I will have it. / If you deny me,