Shylock wanted much more than just a pound of flesh. Shylock was very clear about the injustices that had been committed against him. The famous "hath not a Jew hands" speech is far more than just an incidental "Oh, yeah, antisemitism" add-on to the play. Shylock's plight is complex and real, not just a cardboard villain. There is a passing reference to his wife, who had given him the ring that his daughter stole, and it's utterly heartbreaking.
The play is actually quite sympathetic to Shylock, even if none of the other characters are. Antonio is no more a cardboard hero than Shylock is a cardboard villain. Neither is Portia, for that matter -- who is herself struggling with the injustice of her father controlling her from beyond the grave, marrying her off almost by lottery. The play is of its time, to be sure, but the people then were just as complex and conflicted as we are now, and a good performance of it today isn't easily dismissed as "look at the awful way people behaved 400 years ago".
The play is actually quite sympathetic to Shylock, even if none of the other characters are. Antonio is no more a cardboard hero than Shylock is a cardboard villain. Neither is Portia, for that matter -- who is herself struggling with the injustice of her father controlling her from beyond the grave, marrying her off almost by lottery. The play is of its time, to be sure, but the people then were just as complex and conflicted as we are now, and a good performance of it today isn't easily dismissed as "look at the awful way people behaved 400 years ago".