Christians are superior to Jews." Such was the attitude of the Elizabethan audiences. This audience saw Shylock as the villain, because, according to them, evil was an inherent trait of a Jew. In order to make all the negative traits of Shylock the Jew more apparent, Shakespeare created a contrast. Antonio, who is meant to contrast Shylock, is used to make the Jew's flaws more obvious to the Elizabethans.
When Shylock and Antonio meet, their words of confrontation show how each is nearly the opposite of his fellow. To highlight the Jew's stinginess, Shakespeare has the two protagonists argue about it. Shylock prides himself on his thrift, while in the gentile world it was most probably, as it is today, looked down upon. …
