Kimberley Williamson “The Merchant of Venice” Analyse how ONE main character’s attempts to solve a problem were important to the text as a whole. In the text‚ “The Merchant of Venice‚” written and performed by Shakespeare‚ Antonio‚ the merchant‚ borrows money from Shylock‚ a Jewish moneylender‚ to send his friend Bassanio overseas to woo and marry Portia. However‚ failing to pay back the money in time‚ Shylock takes Antonio to court demanding a pound of his flesh in payment. Portia‚ one
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Trial Scene Merchant of Venice At the court of law in Venice‚ the Duke‚ Antonio‚ Bassanio‚ Salerio‚ Graziano‚ and various notable personages are gathered for Antonio’s trial. The Duke begins the trial by showing how impartial he is: he immediately says he’s sorry for Antonio and that Shylock is an "inhuman wretch‚ uncapable [sic] of pity‚ void and empty from any dram of mercy." Wow‚ so much for a fair trial. Antonio shrugs this off as no big deal – he knows everyone has done what they can‚ and he’s
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One of the most central issues in ’The Merchant of Venice’ is that of the antagonism between the Jews and the Christians. The unconscious‚ inborn dislike of cultures which jeopardise our way of life. Ever since people have left their homelands to settle in other places there has been conflict between different cultures. So‚ in the play‚ Antonio‚ Bassanio‚ Gratiano and many more of the Christians feel resentment towards Shylock the ’alien’. This is partly because of the trap that he has led Antonio
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How does Shakespeare create dramatic interest for the audience in the trial scene‚ Act 4 scene 1 in The Merchant of Venice’? In the trial scene (act 4 scene 1)‚ Shakespeare uses many different dramatic techniques to make the tension in the court room rise and build. He also uses dramatic irony and many other techniques to engage an audience in this particular scene in the play. These techniques would work have worked on an Elizabethan audience or a modern day audience. Although‚ these two eras
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Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" Summary: In "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare‚ Shylock is always portrayed as the villain of the play. However‚ a study of his strengths and weaknesses reveals how hard it is to tell whether he is a villain or a victim. ’The Merchant of Venice’ written by William Shakespeare is two stories; the flesh blond tale and the love caskets tale. An important character that portrays these two stories is Shylock‚ an arrogant Jewish merchant. Shylock is
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Merchant of Venice Notes KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING The play‚ as the title suggests‚ is set in Italy. Venice‚ in the popular imagination of Elizabethan society‚ was a place of fabulous wealth‚ royal merchants‚ richly attired gentlemen‚ and refined culture. Antonio is very much a part of this society. But this is not the only part of the Venetian picture that is portrayed in the play; another less romantic view is also given. It is the cruel commercial and legal side of Venice‚ where ships
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The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare‚ believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598.In Shakespeare s The Merchant of Venice‚ there are many controversies over religion and friendship‚ but the idea of the play that interested me the most was the role of women. The two women that are in this play take on the role of the saviors of the men who seem helpless and hopeless compared to them. From the first time we meet Portia‚ we see that she is a very smart woman and that she is
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Merchant of Venice A comedy is a dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of conflict. Merchant of Venice is a classic example of how to write a funny‚ entertaining and great story. William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice consisted of many humorous scenes‚ great acting and happy resolution of a conflict in the end. All of this fits the bill for a great movie to be produced. A few comical scenes consist
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Is Shylock portrayed as a villain or victim? In our lessons we have been studying one of Shakespeare’s plays The Merchant of Venice. This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedies‚ written in 1596. The bases of this play lies on dealing with a dispute between shylock‚ a wealthy Jew‚ and Antonio‚ a merchant of Venice. In my essay I am going to evaluate weather shylock is a man more sinned against than sinning. Shylock has the most important role‚ but despite his importance he doesn’t
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In Shakespeare’s play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ the audience is challenged by the conflict of different religions and faiths‚ unfairness in the law and revenge towards other characters to explore relationships with fellow humans. The play’s essential focus around these themes allows the audience to explore each character’s actions and morality. Antonio and Shylock’s continued conflict over their different religion‚ Portia’s inability to choose who she wishes to marry and Shylock’s revenge towards
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