Shylock is a Jew in a world dominated by Christians, and because of this he is already a marginalized citizen of the Venetian community. Furthermore, he is further ridiculed for having the stereotypical Jewish occupation of a money-grubbing loan shark, which ensures both his peers and the public dislike him. He is even first introduced in the play as Shylock the Jew, which almost seems to mark him distinctly as something different from the rest of the characters in the play. Shylock is certainly considered a victim of society, and when he accuses the Christian Antonio of anti-Semitism and of having ruined his business, Antonio replies that it would be "like calling you that again, spitting on you again, despising you too. If you will pay this money, but you will not lend it as to your friends, for when did friendship ever take a race for the barren metal of its friend but rather lend it to your enemy, who, if it breaks, you could better exact punishment from it." Antonio hypocritically believes it is his role as a Christian to belittle Shylock's faith and treat him as inhumanly as possible, and ironically prepares to receive Shylock's revenge. Shylock is also verbally abused by most characters in the other plays with names such as "the villain with the smiling cheek, a miscreant, a bloodthirsty creditor, an inhuman wretch, a damned relentless dog, a merciless dog, a Jewish dog, the cur more impenetrable." that ever remained with men" yet bears it all with a patient shrug accepting that "suffering is the badge of all our tribe." However, in response to such blatant racism and prejudice, Shakespeare lets Shylock hold one of the greatest soliloquies written about humanity and tolerance with “has no Jew eyes? Doesn't a Jew have hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" with the same food, wounded with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by