Act 3, Scene1

Again, it is impossible to boil this scene down to an ethical lesson. The Merchant of Venice is not that simple. Shylock may not have been the kind of father celebrated as sensitive but he certainly did not deserve the kind of betrayal that Jessica gives him. I suppose Antonio was kind of stupid for putting up collateral that he could well lose. Shylock might have been brash to ask for a pound of flesh, but really can you blame the guy?