In The Merchant of Venice, a play by William Shakespeare, money-lender Shylock is proven to have a villainous demeanor. Shylock holds a hatred towards a Christian merchant, and there is not a strong explanation to support the intense hatred. Also, instead of charging penalties, he fancies human flesh as a penalty to the debtor. Finally, he will not accept immense sums of money instead of the agreed upon bond. In the text, Shylock is continually proved as a murderous villain with insufficient reasoning for his unruly behavior.
Shylock is shown to be a villain because of the way he acts towards Antonio in Act 1, Scene 3 of the play. Shylock is making a contract for a loan with Bassanio so that he can woo Portia with “his” money, which is really Shylock’s. Bassanio tells him that the loan will be paid for with Antonio’s credit, and Shylock scoffs at the mention of Antonio’s name. Shylock insults Antonio and blames him for lost customers in his money-lending business stating, “I hate him for he is a Christian; / But more for that in low simplicity / He lends out money gratis and brings down the rate of usance here with us in Venice,” (Shakespeare 1.3.38-41). Simplified, this quote means “I hate Antonio because he is a Christian, but also because he lends out money for free which brings down the interest rates in Venice.” Because Shylock is Jewish, he is allowed to lend money with interest, a forbidden sin in the Christian religion, what Antonio follows. Shylock rudely jumps to
The presence of greed utilized by Chaucer in the Pardoner’s tale presents satire as his character is meant to be honorable, yet, behind the scenes is actually the most unethical one. The first example the audience is shown of this fraud is as the pardoner explains his motives, when he states, “Of avarice and of swich cursednesse/ Is al my prechyng, for to make hem free/ To yeven hir pens; and namely, unto me!/ For myn entente is nat but for to wynne,/ And no thyng for correccioun of synne” (114 – 118).
Greed and jealousy live inside everyone, but one must refrain from these thoughts to prevent self destruction. In William Shakespeare's Elizabethan era Tragedy Macbeth, Shakespeare uses betrayal as a vehicle for obtaining power for selfish means, and illustrates the grave costs of betrayal to the individual. Greed often fuels an uncontrolled lust for power. Shakespeare reveals the extent of Macbeth’s greed when Macbeth's first thought regarding the witches prophecy stir thoughts of murder: “ My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(I.iii.152). Most individuals do not think one should murder someone to obtain what you desire.
A villain- a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. Macbeth’s greed for power is what shaped him to be the villain in the play. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, despite the good Macbeth had done in the very beginning his actions throughout make him the villain.
There are a variety of sins committed in the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Much of the conflict is caused by different levels of lust, envy, greed, and wrath. However, the most prevalent of all sins that keeps showing up throughout the work is pride. The character of the play that shows most pride is the main protagonist, Hamlet.
Greed is one of the worst things a person can have in his or her characteristics during the Middle Ages. The representation of being greedy made you get looked upon by the people in many bad ways. A good example of this is “The Pardoner's Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer. “The Pardoner's Tale” shows that the idea of not being greedy in order to enhance the characterization of the Pardoner, as he used the church to his advantage to earn money.
Who is the True Villain in Macbeth Historian Lord Acton once cautioned, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. " In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the three witches use their supernatural powers to lead Macbeth astray from his destiny, which ultimately leads to many murders and the corruption of Scotland.
Vengeance vs. Virtue The play The Tempest, by Shakespeare, explores the values of vengeance and forgiveness through the story of Prospero. The main conflict of the story is Prospero's lack of forgiveness for his brother Antonio, who stole his throne. This causes him to seek vengeance on Antonio and all his allies. Through the events of the story, it is evident that there is more value in virtue compared to vengeance.
This statement is directed towards Othello, and is significant for many reasons. This statement directly relates to how Iago is targeting Othello’s major weakness, which is jealousy. However, this quote also adds dramatic irony to the play because Iago’s major motive throughout the tragedy is his own jealousy of Cassio. This statement also foreshadows how jealousy will ultimately be the cause of the demise of many characters throughout the
These two villains slander Othello to the point of eradicating any pity the audience could have developed towards Othello. The Venetians also have a hidden fascination for Othello and his foreign qualities but, they mask feelings with negative slurs. The audience also affected by the portrayal of Othello, and are persuaded to feel pity for him because of his circumstances; being betrayed by his ensign and being looked down upon because of his Moorish descent. Shakespeare also uses racism as a creative apparatus to generate a metaphor between Desdemona and Othello.
How can I say such a thing? That is easy Hamlet is a villain because while he is acting to avenge his father’s death, he is willing to sacrifice anyone he has to get his revenge. Of course, one can argue that Claudius intentionally killed old Hamlet, which makes him a far better nominee for villain then
William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character; Macbeth, is seen as an evil character. The play is based off of Macbeth’s decisions and his actions to become King. In the beginning Macbeth starts out as a hero in Scotland’s war with Ireland and towards the end he is transformed into a murderer. Macbeth is not wholly evil because of is heroism in the war, his love for Scotland, and because he didn’t want to kill King Duncan initially. Macbeth was brain washed by his wife and tricked into killing the King.
Villain, a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. Just like the definition of villain states, they show traits just like macbeth. In Shakespeare 's “ The Tragedy of Macbeth”, the character Macbeth is displayed as the villain throughout the play. Macbeth shows the readers that his amiton gets in the way and makes him do things that are considered “evil” until the end of the play. Macbeth is thinking to himself that it is not fair that Duncan 's kids will become king so he kills Duncan and has his sons flee.
Macbeth characteristics of greed and ambition are examples of what is seen as good desire that can easily turn negative because of the person’s true intentions. Shakespeare applies the change and the contrast of Macbeth’s characteristic to amplifies his theme of how ambition is sane until harm becomes an outcome and a prize belongs to those who play their cards right; not to those steal them. Although ambition can be good, this play set an excellent example for young readers when ambition can turn into greed which will allow them to be cautious of how they thrive for their
The concept of justice varies depending on the country, their cultures, and on individual people. Justice and mercy are important themes in The Merchant of Venice and are supported by quotes in the play; it is clearly seen that these two virtues cannot be achieved simultaneously. Justice calls for “an eye for an eye” and mercy asks for forgiveness and compassion towards the one who did wrong. Using examples from The Merchant of Venice, it can clearly be seen that these two human virtues can not be pursued at the same time. There are various definitions as to what justice truly is.
In the story, “The Merchant of Venice,” there is a character named Shylock. Shylock is a Jewish citizen who lives in Venice, a place where Jewish people are one of the lowest class of citizens. This piece by Shakespeare creates this controversial character that can be viewed as a villain or victim. In this play, through the archetypal lense, we can see that Shylock is a villain because of his hatred and his desire for revenge. Some people may see Shylock as a victim because during the time period in which the story is wrote, jewish people were treated like animals and given nearly no rights or role in society.