the storyline. In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock is presented as the most developed character. Shakespeare purposely creates both an antagonist and protagonist in Shylock‚ by creating a change in view for the reader throughout the play. He can be viewed as a hated Jew that is often referred to as a villain‚ a devil‚ and a money obsessed freak‚ but a sudden change of personality tends to always occur. We first see Shylock as a person who chooses everything over money‚ but later we
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Shylock is one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing creations who has been identified as a character who can fluctuate to extremes. Shylocks elaborate and complex nature has never been completely understood within the plays and movies‚ causing stage director and cinematic producers to alter his character continuously. During early Elizabethan times Shylock would have been played by a comedian who wore a grotesque false nose and red wig; cleverly these props were used to insinuate to the audience that
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sympathise for Shylock? - Give reasons for your answer Should Shylock be shown pity or did he deserve how he was treated? Ever since Shylock was shown as a character by William Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice there have been many interpretations about him all throughout history. Some of these opinions are of the time are biased. Even different groups of people throughout the centuries have a different point of view about this man. In the 19th century (Elizabethan times) Shylock had been
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Love (Jessica and Shylock) 1) What forms the foundation of the relationship between the two characters your group has been assigned? (Think about the ties they have with one another‚ how are they drawn to one another etc.) There is familial love between Jessica and Shylock but Jessica is unfilial. The quote ‘To be ashamed to be my father’s child’ (2.3.16) shows that Jessica detests her father to the extent of being ashamed to be related to him. However‚ Solanio heard Shylock shout in the streets
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Macbeth‚ Hamlet‚ and Romeo. In another one of Shakespeare’s plays‚ “Merchant of Venice”‚ the antagonist‚ Shylock‚ is often labeled as a complex character as well. He works as a Jewish moneylender in the predominantly Christian‚ Italy. During this time period‚ Shylock and his fellow Jews are treated as second-class citizens. In one of Shakespeare’s most powerful and memorable soliloquies‚ Shylock addresses Salerio and Solanio on what its like living openly as a Jew and all the injustice he has endured
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Speech 2: As said earlier‚ Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a villain because he is greedy and selfish‚ and because he has a vengeful and violent personality. Shylock stands in the way of love‚ and is very materialistic. When Tubal brings news of Jessica to Shylock‚ Shylock says "Two thousand ducats in that‚ and other precious‚ precious jewels! I would my daughter dead at my foot‚ with the jewels in her ear!" This clearly shows that Shylock would prefer to have his wealth over his daughter’s
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In Elizabethan Europe‚ Jews were seen as the lowest class of society‚ and were discriminated against to extreme degrees. Around the 1000s Jews lived in Europe amongst everyone else‚and did not live in ghettos. A Jew was often wealthy‚ and many became money lenders in their societies. Because of their jobs‚ they often had to be their own debt collectors as well. This led to much resentment against them‚ and the views on Jews were starting to turn negative. As time went on‚ these views became more
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Shylock: Villain or Victim It is without doubt that William Shakespeare’s suspenseful play of The Merchant of Venice evokes complex feelings within a reader. Throughout the play‚ Shylock is portrayed as the antagonist‚ a miserable‚ cruel and prosaic figure menacing enough to endanger the happiness of Venetian citizens. At the same time‚ one feels a curious compassion for this character. In the 2004 film of The Merchant of Venice adaptation starring Al Pacino‚ Shylock is portrayed as a justifiably
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Task: Shylock: Victim or Villain? From the book ’The Merchant of Venice.’ Written by William Shakespeare Shakespeare sets his play within the 16th century. During this time Venice was a powerful city involved in trade and was a strong believer in the religion of Christianity. In the Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock is the only Jewish character‚ he is complicated‚ yet wise‚ and the one who gets tormented‚ mocked and humiliated in front of everyone. The
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us wonder many times while reading the Merchant Of Venice. Is Shylock really a victim or a villain? At first‚ we weren’t quite sure about the answer as throughout the play Shylock is portrayed as being both victim and villain. However‚ after reading and analyzing the book and getting enough evidence to prove our point‚ we finally made up our minds and decided which was the most suitable adjective for Shylock. On the one hand‚ Shylock might be considered as a villain as he is a miserly moneylender
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