William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), was an English poet and play writer, he wrote many plays, and still to this day, his writing is highly regarded and studied throughout the world. ‘Merchant of Venice’ was considered a comedy when it was written, but in modern times it comes off as more of a tragedy. It’s a love story, and a story of good triumphing over evil, but there are themes hidden in the story, which become apparent when it is properly studied. At a glance, the play appears to support racism towards Jews, but delving deeper into the meaning of the text, the opposite view comes about, and the readers can see that Shakespeare intended the play to condemn prejudice and anti-Semitism; he shows this through the Characters, their dialogue and the storyline. The characters in the play are mostly Christians, who are all prejudice against Jews.
How Does Shakespeare Show Us The Dangers Of Prejudice and Judging By Appearance In Act One and Two Of ‘The Merchant Of Venice’? Prejudice and the judgement of matters just by appearance are both regularly recurring themes throughout “The Merchant Of Venice,” by William Shakespeare. For the whole play, Shakespeare makes clear the potential dangers of many different forms of prejudice and premature judgement in what is obviously an important aspect to this text. In this essay, I will be trying to identify the dangers of this. There are several examples of prejudice that can be found in the book, somewhat seemingly more commonly used and allowed at the time this play was written.
The idea that justice will prevail is one of the most important beliefs of any society. What is justice is dependent on the social and cultural values and attitudes of society where factors such as morality and politics often provide the foundation on which it is designed and implemented. The belief that justice will be served is essential for the well being of a society; however, while this is a noble value, the practical application of justice is often flawed by factors such as wealth, race, religion and gender. Shakespeare explores different attitudes to justice in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596) as he contrasts the literal ‘eye-for-an-eye’ style of justice with the Christians in the play who advocate the importance of mercy and compassion. However, while technically justice prevails at the end of the play, the Christians fail to show mercy and compassion with the result that Shakespeare shows how justice without mercy and compassion can often result in more injustice.
The Great Dilemma John Proctor, the tragic hero of The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, has the mind of an honest man, but he also has a hidden secret—his act of adultery with Abigail Williams (Reverend Parris’s niece). Her obvious jealousy, emphasized by Proctor’s ending of their affair, gives the inspiration for the witch trials; Proctor then accepts some of the responsibility for what events happen. He feels that the only way to end Abigail and the other girls from their lies is to plead guilty to his adultery. Proctor abstains for a long period of time from admitting his sin, however, for the sake of his own good name and his wife’s honor. Eventually, Proctor’s efforts to expose Abigail as a fraud without revealing the vital information about their affair fail, and he makes a public confession of his sin.
How does Shakespeare craft the character’s tone of voice in order to encourage the characters tone of voice? Through Shakespeare’s play Macbeth (a bloodthirsty tale of ambition) and Merchant of Venice (comedy and near tragedy) Shakespeare crafts the characters tone of voice by many techniques such as their dialogues. Merchant and Venice was written in 1596 or 1567, it is set in Venice’s Italian setting and marriage plot and Shakespeare first great heroine and the unforgettable villain Shylock elevate this play to a new level. The basic plot outline with the characters of the merchant, poor suitor, fair lady and a villainous Jew. Jews in Shakespeare’s England would have been familiar with portrayals of Jews as villains and main source of mockery.
Assignment -1. To be submitted in Assignment book on 24 – 06 – 13 (Monday). Write Name and Register No: in the Assignment book. Draw neat Diagrams , charts, if any. For Sl/No: 1117139, 1117551 – 1117562 Qn.
BOB Merchant of Venice Character trait essay on Shylock In the book " The merchant of Venice " Shylock the main character expresses different character traits like vengefulness. Shylock is vengeful to all people but Jews. Shylock is also greedy, all Shylock wants is Antonio's flesh. Lastly Shylock is hateful towards all non-Jews. Shylock shows a lot of vengefulness towards non-Jewish people like Antonio.
Shylock Although critics tend to agree that Shylock is The Merchant of Venice’s most noteworthy figure, no consensus has been reached on whether to read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly, Shylock is the play’s antagonist, and he is menacing enough to seriously imperil the happiness of Venice’s businessmen and young lovers alike. Shylock is also, however, a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has endured at Christian hands make it hard for us to label him a natural born monster. In one of Shakespeare’s most famous monologues, for example, Shylock argues that Jews are humans and calls his quest for vengeance the product of lessons taught to him by the cruelty of Venetian citizens. On the other hand, Shylock’s coldly calculated attempt to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering his persecutor, Antonio, prevents us from viewing him in a primarily positive light.
Analyse how an interaction between two characters helped you to understand a theme in the text. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ written by William Shakespeare, the interaction between Antonio a Christian and Shylock a Jew, portrays the idea ’You reap what you sow’ as the mutual hatred between these two characters meant they treated each other with contempt, only to have their behaviour and actions backfire. This theme derived from the bible verse, Galatians 6 vs 7 coincides with biblical references used within the play by Shakespeare. Together these help to grasp the religious societal structure of 16th century Europe (that the play is set in) which caused the mutual hate between Shylock and Antonio as Christians were classed above Jews. The Merchant of Venice is set during a time where Jews were believed by Christians to be associated with the devil, and because Christian monarchy ruled Europe, restrictions and mistreatment of Jews was common.
The Merchant of Venice: The Dehumanizing Effects of Ignorance One cannot look at the dehumanizing effects when one does not play a role in the ignorant undertaking. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the author writes about ignorance in a way that dehumanizes the people of Venice. Firstly, Shylock-a Jewish resident in Venice dehumanizes Antonio as an act of revenge and ignorance. Secondly, Antonio-a resident in Venice, shows ignorance towards the Jewish community which makes Antonio racist towards the Jews. Lastly, the Portia-the beautiful women looking for a Sutter, shows ignorance towards the men who so badly want her love.
Essay B – The Merchant of Venice “The Merchant of Venice” is a comedy play written by William Shakespeare in 1596-97. As most of Shakespeare’s plays, this is a universal play – the themes are still relevant. A Venetian merchant, Antonio, complains to his friend, Bassanio, of a sadness that he is unable to explain. Bassanio needs money in his try to win the wealthy heiress, Portia, who lives in the city of Belmont. Bassanio is desperate.
Assessment 1: The Merchant of Venice – Act 4, Scene 1 Question One The address “your grace” conveys respect and formally acknowledges the legal authority and social standing of the Duke[1]. Used in concordance with words such as 'mercy' and 'my lord', and within the context of a hearing, the role of the Duke is simultaneously rendered holy and godly-like. This is first demonstrated when Antonio appreciates the lengths “your grace has ta'en/to qualify his rigorous course” (4.1.2-6). The Duke is illustrated as saviour to Antonio and his Christian counterparts from Shylock, who is continuously likened to the devil due to his “strange apparent cruelty” (4.1.20). The Duke's compassion is further shown when he states, “With all my heart/ Go give him courteous conduct” (4.1.147), and his assertion that eventually, Shylock will “show thy mercy” (4.1.19).
3rd Play: The Merchant of Venice The following scenes will be read: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 1-14, 29-36, 41-45,153-185. Act 1, Scene 2, lines 40-55, 72-101. Act 1, Scene 3, 1- 48, 99-124. Act 2, Scene 3, 14-20. Act2, Scene 5, 44-55.
The Merchant of Venice is just one of the many famous works written by William Shakespeare. In this particular play two of the characters stand above the rest when it comes to their significance to the plot. In many ways, the characters Shylock and Portia are opposites, and it seems as if they were set in the play by Shakespeare to balance one another out. Due to the fact, however, that critics are so dazzled by Shylock, Portia seems to be cut short of the attention her character truly deserves. As a matter of fact Portia plays just as much of a prominent role in the play as Shylock, if not more.
The Merchant of Venice – Essay Q2: While authority is held in high regard in The Merchant of Venice, certain characters break traditional boundaries. Discuss examples from the play. Although authority is held high in The Merchant of Venice, certain characters break traditional boundaries. Portia, Jessica, and Lancelot are all characters in this play that seem to defy the rules of their society. Portia disguises herself as an unbiased legal authority and gets away with it.
In the Merchant of Venice, we see the tales of money (greed and generosity), love, and emotion (joy and sadness). The play revolves around Bassanio's love for Portia. Bassanio needs money to present himself as a financially sound suitor to Portia. His friend (Antonio) who loves him agrees to give him the money but because all of his money is invested in his merchant ships, he must take a loan from Shylock. Shylock loans him the money in exchange for a pound of his flesh if he does not pay the loan back on time.
The Merchant of Venice Essay Neeshah Dahya Do you think The Merchant of Venice capitalises on or criticises the prejudices against Jews in Shakespeare’s society? Support your opinion with detailed evidence from the text. One wonders how an alienated individual can still have the courage and ambition to seek revenge. But the significant Other in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, manages to fire such revenge with ease. Immediately we are made to raise the question ‘What made him like this?’ Shylock is a Jew amongst a predominantly Christian society, similar to that of Shakespeare’s society.
Shylock in The Merchant of Venice In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock is the hardest person in the play to figure out. As he is perceived to be the most noteworthy character in the play there hasn’t really been any consensus as to whether we should classify him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly Shylock is the plays antagonist in his “devil like” moments he holds, but he also seems to have his moments of good throughout the play. Few characters created by Shakespeare embody pure evil like the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies.
Antonio seeks assistance from Shylock by securing a loan from him for Antonio’s good friend, Bassanio. This was foolish of Antonio because, for years, he has persecuted Shylock and both of them share a hatred for each other. Shylock agrees to this loan, however states that if he is not repaid, he is allowed to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh. All is resolved when Portia, Bassanio’s wife, interferes and, disguised as a law clerk fools Shylock out of his “bond”. Originally, we understand Shylock to be quite a vengeful character because of the “bond” he makes with Antonio.
4/7/2014 The Merchant of Venice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Merchant of Venice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about Shakespeare's play. For other uses, see The Merchant of Venice (disambiguation). The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as acomedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and is best known for Shylockand the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech.