When we first start to plot revenge on somebody who has hurt us, we plan for something equivalently as cruel as the initial suffering we felt. The aim when plotting revenge is to hurt those who have hurt us, however, morally, when one starts to reflect and thoughtfully think the plan for revenge through, it does not feel right. Revenge may feel like justice at first but when carried out, one stoops just as low as the one who caused the initial suffering. When we actually go through with a plan of revenge, there may be a feeling of justice and satisfaction, however later, it is usually replaced with regret.
We can sympathize with Shylock as he legally did nothing wrong when trying to collect his bond. He went to court and tried to collect his payment and was later forced to convert to Christianity as well as give up most of his wealth even though he technically was not in the wrong and didn't force Antonio to accept the conditions of the bond. While Shylock was generally seen as a villain in the play, he can be considered a victim of society as he is constantly mistreated and ridiculed. Antonio and his "squad" always spat on Shylock as well as call him names such as dog.
I feel like Shylock would not be satisfied and happy if he'd been able to kill Antonio as it would not feel good afterwards. He would have been happy only for a little while as killing Antonio over money, pure hatred, and greed would have not been worth it. When standing over Antonio's body, Shylock would have soon realized what he had done and would have probably regretted the murder. Shylock may be cast as the villain in the play however, he is the same as everyone else and does have feelings too. Similar to the average person, Shylock would have probably started to freak out looking at a limp Antonio and would have tried to revive him even though there would be nothing additional he could do.
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