Now that Shylock is a Christian can he claim Antonio's flesh?

By the time it is pronounced that Shylock must convert to Christianity, Antonio has already been saved from having to give up a pound of flesh. It is Antonio, in fact, who creates the condition that Shylock become a Christian. Though some people may see this caveat as cruel, in Shakespeare's time it would have been viewed as an act of grace, since by forcing Shylock to become a Christian his soul would be saved...

By the time it is pronounced that Shylock must convert to Christianity, Antonio has already been saved from having to give up a pound of flesh. It is Antonio, in fact, who creates the condition that Shylock become a Christian. Though some people may see this caveat as cruel, in Shakespeare's time it would have been viewed as an act of grace, since by forcing Shylock to become a Christian his soul would be saved and he would be allowed to enter heaven.

Shylock's religion, in fact, had nothing to do with the pound of flesh he tried to claim of Antonio. It was the exact wording of the bond that saved Antonio. Portia, disguised as a doctor from Rome, reads over the bond while Shylock prepares to cut the flesh from Antonio's body. At the last second she stops him, pointing out that although the bond gives him claim to a pound of flesh, it does not mention blood. This condition essentially prevents Shylock from taking Antonio's flesh, since he obviously cannot cut into a man's body without drawing blood. Essentially, it is the vague wording of the bond that saves Antonio's life. If the bond had included Shylock's claim to Antonio's flesh and his blood, Antonio might have died in the courtroom and Portia would not have been able to stop it. For this reason, Shylock's religion had no bearing on whether or not he could take Antonio's flesh. Even as a Christian he would not have been able to do so. The only factor his religion played in the courtroom scene was that it labeled him as an "alien," and by Venetian law, if an alien threatened the life of a citizen, that alien's goods were confiscated and his life put at the mercy of the court. The Duke pardons Shylock's life on the spot, but Antonio shows further mercy by forgoing Shylock's goods and bestowing them instead to Shylock's daughter, Jessica, and Jessica's husband Lorenzo.