The merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play by William Shakespeare who was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and world’s preeminent dramatist, is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. This play is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Though classified as a comedy 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 it is best known for Shylock and the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech. Also notable is Portia 's speech about "the quality of mercy". Critic Harold Bloom listed it among Shakespeare 's great comedies.
The merchant of Venice, Antonio, is a wealthy merchant, the opposite of the usurer of another Jew, Shylock. Bassanio, Antonio 's good friend, due to the eager of marrying a beautiful lady Portia who inherited a fortune, comes to Antonio for help; unfortunately, Antonio has no money left besides him. Therefore, Antonio has no choice but to borrow three thousand pieces of gold from Shylock. However, Shylock because of Antonio lending money to people without interest, which affects the usury, moreover, he once insulted himself; thus, hates Antonio and wants to take advantage of the loan agreement and set a trap to revenge.
Shylock 's hatred of Antonio 's former self is so great that he takes advantage of this opportunity to demand a
2. However, in Act 1, Scene 3, Shylock said, “I hate him for he is a Christian” Shylock is clearly contradicting himself. And this would have caused an uproar since the Elizabethan audiences were Christians, causing them to hate his character. D. Shylock enjoys hearing that Antonio’s ship had wrecked overseas and that Antonio is losing a fortune because of it. When Tubal broke the news to Shylock, he responded by saying, “I am very glad of it.
In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya, follows the journey of the main character, Antonio, from his childhood into his early maturity. His journey slowly stripped away at his innocence and continually challenged his religious beliefs shaping him into the person that is seen at the end of the book. Growing up can be a challenge and through this book, it shows how Antonio grew up from a six year old boy into a man through the help of his family, his religious belief, the challenges caused by different people, and especially Ultima, a healer. One example of Antonio growing up into a mature person was when he witnessed the death of Lupito. After seeing Lupito get shot and die right in front of him, he started questioning
During the 13th Century, in an age when the Earth was presumed to be flat, few people in Europe traveled far from their place of birth. They relied on merchants, who traveled to distant places, for both precious goods and information about distant lands. In a time of uncertainty about the world around them, they were fortunate that a brave, young adventurer would be born In their generation. As a young man, he embraced the dangers of his perilous journey, and he returned home triumphantly from his travels longing to share his knowledge and remarkable tales with the world.
The cacophonic cry of the shrieking bell alerted me to sneak forward. Silently, I strolled through the narrow hallway; taking care not to rouse anyone in their vivid dreams. I felt like an elusive rat, manoeuvring sleekly past obstacles to reach the end. The end – where I would find a succulent, luscious delight. Cheese.
He is subjected to insults and mistreatment by the Christian majority, who view him as an outsider. Shylock's poignant speech in Act III, Scene 1 reveals the effects of prejudice on his own identity: "Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? If you prick us, do we not bleed?" Through this powerful monologue, Shakespeare emphasizes the humanity and shared experiences of individuals, regardless of their religious or cultural
1. I think that Shakespeare wrote in blank verse because sometimes when I am reading something that rhymes and is super long I eventually don't even understand what I am reading, I think it aids the drama even if it is confusing. I'm just thinking about all the words rhymes and kinda give myself a beat to go off of. So I'm not actually focusing on the sentence just the words that are rhyming. Shakespeare seemed to smart, and plus that is how a lot of things were written back then.
Iago uses very clever methods of persuasion and manipulation aimed to use Othello’s hamartia against him, pointing out that “ “She (Desdemona) did deceive her father, marrying you,” so much so that Brabantio “thought ’twas witchcraft”. Through this, Iago is subtly raising the issues of Othello’s cultural differences with Desdemona; a root cause behind Othello’s insecurities with his wife – along with inadequacy due to race, degree of sophistication and age. As Iago prompts Othello to think the worst, his utterances are short and uneasy, revealing the beginning to his downfall, whilst Iago’s dialogue is at length highlighting his growing power of
Shakespeare cheapens Othello by lowering his standard with impertinent language. Othello ruined himself with jealousy because of the doubt that Desdemona has
‘The Merchant of Venice’ written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and ‘The Jew of Malta’ written by Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) were both written during a period when anti-semitism was prevalent in England. Anti Semitism is the intense dislike for and prejudice against Jewish people. The Jews were considered a despised race and were deeply resented by the Christians. They bore the plaque of disgrace and hostility. As a Jew, Shylock too faced such discrimination.
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.
Role of women in The Merchant of Venice Women during 16th century had no individual freedom. Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. Women were considered the weaker gender and always in need of being protected. Wealthy woman were highly educated but they had no right to have professions while poor women sometimes would turn to prostitution or become servants to survive. The book The Merchant of Venice was settled in Venice because Shakespeare wanted to show that even in the foundation place of Renaissance were prejudicial ideas and woman was considered as a weak character.
Othello loses his respect and nobility when he falls right into Iago’s trap. In Act IV, an upset Othello strikes Desdemona. The Venetian gentleman, Lodovico, sees for the first time Othello behave violently. Lodovico asks,” Is this the noble Moor whom our full Senate/Call all in all sufficient?” (IV,ii,259-260).
When we were little we were taught the Merchant of Venice in school. What I could grasp from the Christian version imparted to us was ' a cruel Jew wanted to harm a Christian gentleman and his subjugation to justice by Portia 's wits. ' Thus for me justice was served. However now reading it again my previous presumptions have been replaced with questions. The 'Jew ' is the question; why did the Jew did what he did?, what made him the spited Jew, Shylock?.
In Merchant of Venice, a romantic comedy written by Shakespeare, Shylock, a man of Jewish faith, is portrayed as the villain and obstacle of the tale. Many have argued that the play was written as an anti-Semitic piece of work because of the portrayal of Shylock. Anti-Semitism is the hatred, prejudice or discrimination of Jews in all aspects of their lives, and this treatment is clearly seen being thrown onto Shylock by one of the main protagonists, Antonio. One must ask the question now, if the role of Shylock is simply to be the villain. I say this because there is a reason as to why Shylock is a villain in the first place; the treatment of Shylock by our good hearted Christian, Antonio.