The play is two fairy tales that come together at the trial scene. Until this point, Shylock’s story takes center stage and Portia’s courtships are something of a subplot. By the trial, Shylock has had enough. He has become a vengeful figure, blinded to humanity and compassion by the chance to finally exact revenge against those who have wronged him. "I’ll have my bond” he gloats, ignoring pleas for mercy from all around him. Portia sets up Shylock, offering him a chance to escape with the money. If he is merciful, it is a win-win situation for everyone. When Shylock refuses, she is justified in crushing him. But he threatens to turn the play into something other than it is, and he must be gotten rid of once and for all so that the happy ending can materialize. Shylock seems almost too vivid for the rest of the characters in The Merchant f Venice. However, his determination to extract his pound of flesh at any cost is the work of a comic villain whose downfall we will applaud. The good-humored intrigue of the rings that ends the play is something of an anticlimax: love, mercy, and compassion have conquered it all…
But would you honestly say Shylock's received compassion if he had to give up his wealth and Jewish religion at the end..? I agree with most of your points (largely) but I think the positive outcomes are for all the other characters - except for Shylock!
