... Antonio lend money free of interest and put themselves at risk for those they love, whereas Shylock agonizes over the loss of his money and is reported to run through the streets crying, "O, my ducats! O, my daughter!" With these words, he apparently values his money at least as much as his daughter, suggesting that his greed outweighs his love. However, upon closer inspection, this supposed difference between Christians and Jews breaks down. When we see Shylock in Act III, scene 1, he seems more hurt by the fact that his daughter sold a ring that was given to him by his dead wife before they were married than he is by the loss of the ring's monetary value. Some human relationships do indeed matter to Shylock more than money. Moreover, his insistence that he has a pound of flesh rather than any amount of money shows that his ...

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