The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice‚ William Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a covetous Jew. Shylock charges interest to those who borrow money from him when they are in need. Shylock is mercenary. Shylock’s love for objects overweighs his love for his own daughter. This character trait shows that in Venetian times‚ it was a time of greed and selfishness. In The Merchant of Venice‚ Antonio discriminates against Shylock because he is a Jew. Shylock shows us his human moments –this embodies
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The Merchant of Venice can be an effective tool for spreading anti-Semitism depending on the type of reader. Since Shakespeare’s play is an “ambiguous” work‚ everyone can have different interpretations depending on their knowledge‚ thoughts and background. In this essay‚ we will answer to the question by analyzing the character of Shylock. Although Shylock takes action only in five scenes of the play‚ he is the cornerstone of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Shylock‚ “referred as ‘the Jew’
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The Villain of The Merchant of Venice We all have a mind of our own and with that we can make the choice to do good or evil. So it is not our enemies that lure us to evil ways. It is our own minds that decide to do so. In the play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ by William Shakespeare‚ Shylock is a villain because in the play Shylock uses deception and his knowledge of Antonio to exact his revenge‚ Shylock also shows that anger‚ revenge and hate has clouded his mind and so he chooses to show no forgiveness
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The late sixteenth century play "˜The Merchant of Venice’‚ one of Shakespeare’s more popular comedies‚ is one that is portraying various peoples lives throughout Venice and Belmont. During the course of the play there is a concentration of thoughts and emotions towards the character Shylock‚ a Jewish usurer‚ this is the very character that we shall be concentrating the question in the title on. In most scenes the character Shylock has to deal with a lot of racial discrimination‚ which has at modern
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The Merchant and the Jew: Examining the bond between Shylock and Antonio in The Merchant of Venice In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice‚ the use of oaths and exchange often help to forge personal bonds. For instance‚ Bassanio’s marriage to Portia is based off of both characters’ oaths to honor the instructions of Portia’s dead father; the exchange of wedding rings further seals their bond. Similarly‚ the bond between Shylock and Antonio is first formed when both characters pledge to recognize
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not returned in time. Shylock’s greed got the best of him and left him nothing. When he was outsmarted by Portia during court‚ he was given many opportunities to forfeit the bond and take double or triple the money‚ but he refused. When he denied the money and realized that he could not go through with the cutting of the flesh‚ he decided that he will take the money instead. However‚ Portia as manipulative and clever as she is had other things in store for him. His greed and lack of compassion are
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Question 1 Essay question: The Merchant of Venice The outcome of the trial of Shylock versus Antonio doesn’t reach an apt conclusion at the end of the play. In the preceding essay I plan to demonstrate the factors that influenced my decision to object to the verdict that concludes this play. I believe Shylock’s punishment is too harsh in this unjust court of law. It is of most relevance to highlight the fact that Antonio was entirely aware of the penalty that would arise from the bond forfeiting
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“There is no doubt that Shylock is a cunning and vengeful man‚ but nothing can justify the treatment he receives at the hands of the Christians.” How far do you agree with this statement? Does Shylock deserve his punishment? Shylock is punished by the Venetian court for seeking to end Antonio’s life. He is charged under a Venetian law (of Shakespeare’s creation) and he is forced to give up his wealth and to beg the Duke to spare him his life. Viewed like this it seems simple enough; Shylock broke
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The question asks us‚ “Explore the ways in which Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Shakespeare and Jane Austen both present strong feeling of love‚ revenge‚ hatred and friendship. They are two different types of stories‚ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a novel and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play so therefore they both have different ways of presenting strong feelings but they do have some similarities. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’
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sea‚ as he intends to get back at Antonio for making him and other merchants suffer in the past. Even after being offered twice as much money by Bassanio‚ he refuses as his main goal is to get back at Antonio for his past transgressions. However Portia along with Nerissa who are disguised as law clerks save the day with their wisdom‚ forcing Shylock to tire in his quest and agree to converting to Christianity and later allowing Jessica and Lorenzo to inherit half of his wealth upon his death. In
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