Merchant of Venice - Secular and Religious ViewsThe secular and religious views of Antonio and Shylock have been described in a very direct manner. Both characters' religious views were that their religion was superior to that of infidels and also very stereotypical. In the world of business, Antonio owned ships carrying valuable goods and was extremely generous. He always counted on their return to land and expressed his faith in this book. On the other hand, Shylock was a greedy man and used the Bible as a source of interest to raise more money. When it came to religious views, Antonio and Shylock were very parallel, but in business, the two were reversed. “I [Shylock] hate [Antonio] because he is a Christian... [Antonio] hates our sacred nation.” This phrase spoken by Shylock, a Jew, is based on the beliefs of other Jews about other Christians. Shylock is very stereotypical because Shylock doesn't really know Antonio. Shylock has heard of Christians hating Jews, so he thinks all Christians hate Jews. Antonio happens to be a great man and Shylock didn't even give him a chance, he just hates Antonio because he is of a different religion. "The Hebrew [Shylock] will become a Christian; he will become a Gentile." Antonio says this, thinking that no Jew is nice, emphasizing naivety. Then Antonio sees that the Hebrew Shylock is becoming friendly, so he believes it is impossible. Antonio therefore interprets the scenario as Shylock being Christianized, because he becomes generous. This quote shows how Antonio believes his religion, Christianity, is superior to Judaism. The previous quote illustrated how stereotypical Shylock was about Christians. Both characters have similar beliefs about other religions. "Well, fear not, man, I won't feel it! Over the course of these three months - that's a month before this bond expires - I'm expecting a return of three times the value of this deposit." bind." This phrase was spoken by Antonio assuring Shylock that his ship with all its goods would return with the interest that Antonio owes Shylock for borrowing money. This shows Antonio's confidence in his ship, even if there were strong winds and a high chance that his ship would be overturned Antonio is very naive about the real world of business and whatever happens he thinks he will succeed in another. On the other hand, Shylock is a shrewd businessman, but very greedy..