"To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge" (Shakespeare III.i.42-43).
Shylock's purpose for making Antonio repay the bond with his flesh is to express his hatred of Antonio. Shylock despises Antonio because he is a Christian and because he has mistreated him (I.iii.34). Shylock uses the bond to inflict cruelty on Antonio. Shylock wants to make it known that he would like to have the same rights as a Christian. Shylock argues that if a Christian can take "revenge" on a Jew, then a Jew has every right to act in the same way towards a Christian (III.i.46-57).
Katie--You do a good job here of explaining Shylock's motivation for making Antonio repay his bond. Now...what do you make of this? Your moral judgment?
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