Rex Clayton Professor Kennedy ENGL 200 07/13/2013 Sympathy not Tragedy That old Jew got what he deserved! This is the cathartic feeling that William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice inspires as the central character Antonio is released from the perils of his impending death. In American society today‚ it is wrong to persecute someone for their religious beliefs‚ as we are all created equal. This sentiment was‚ indeed‚ not the case in the 1500’s. Although the events that surround Shylock are
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similarities between Ser Giovanni’s Il Pecorone and William Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice are blatantly obvious. The stories seem to be essentially the same with few differences between them. It appears that Shakespeare just added dialogue to an existing tale‚ not having created the plot himself. This simply is not the case. While there are many recognizable similarities between Il Pecorone and A Merchant of Venice there are significant differences between Shakespeare’s character of Bassanio
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society and has impacted many people throughout history. Injustice is of the main themes shown in the plays Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Injustice is illustrated in both plays and issues of discrimination‚ character conflicts‚ and stereotypes are demonstrated. Discrimination proves that injustice is shown in both plays. In The Merchant Of Venice‚ Jews are often mistreated by Christians and this results in Shylock’s mistreatment throughout the play. Shylock
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discrimination‚ segregation and hate towards the Jewish culture and its people. Both the movie “School Ties” and the play “The Merchant of Venice” include two Jewish males‚ David and Shylock‚ who were hated and frowned upon because of their culture and religion. Although both were treated like garbage‚ one of them was treated worse than the other. In the play “The Merchant of Venice” it was set in the 1500s‚ where discrimination and the mistreatment of Jews were totally acceptable. Since Jews were frowned
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The Three Caskets Three caskets; one of gold‚ one of silver‚ and one of lead. Three caskets are set before many suitors who all would like to take Portia of Belmont’s hand in marriage. But Portia’s father’s will states that each suitor who wishes to take Portia’s hand in marriage‚ must choose one of the three caskets and the one who chooses the correct casket may have the fair Portia’s hand in holy matrimony. This trial‚ designed by Portia’s late father‚ allows him to screen through his daughter
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In the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’‚ there are several characters who behave in villainous ways but Shylock is the most villainous character out of all of them. Do you agree? Throughout ‘The Merchant of Venice’ there are many examples of villainous acts performed by the characters. Although the character of Shylock may perhaps stand out in the mind of the reader‚ these acts are not solely limited to him individually. shylock cannot be considered the only villain in the play‚ for he shoulders much
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Narrator: The Merchant of Venice is set in 16th century Italy. Venice‚ a city of canals‚ at that time was a famous cultural and trading centre. Antonio is a leading merchant in the city. The scene opens on a street in Venice. (Enter Antonio‚ Salerio and Solanio from left side of stage. They walk up to the centre) Antonio: Truly‚ I don’t know why I’m feeling sad; It’s tiresome; you say you’re tired of it too. But I have no idea why I started feeling this way. And this sadness makes me lose
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gets down and Dirty in Venice Portia‚ Lady from Belmont‚ always seemed like a sweet girl‚ always behaved the way her father wanted her too. Obviously her father’s death has caused some changes as recently Portia has taken some extreme risks to save her love Bassanio. Bassanio is Portia’s most recent suitor who successfully picked the lead casket and now him and Portia have wed. Soon after they had found their love for each other Bassanio soon left for court in Venice where his best friend Antonio
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Consider Shakespeare’s presentation of Portia in “The Merchant Of Venice” “The Merchant of Venice” is believed to have been written in the 16th century and it is to a large extent reflective of England at the time‚ which was a patriarchal society. Portia’s character embodies the characteristics of an ideal woman at the time that arguably defers to her father and eventually her husband. However‚ as the play advances we see a different side of Portia. Shakespeare introduces her character in
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In the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare‚ according to a number of characters‚ there is a prominent aura revolving around the themes of love and hate. It is understandable that during the latter part of the play‚ Shylocks daughter‚ Jessica‚ contradicting her father Shylock‚ is in love with a Christian man named Lorenzo‚ a friend of Bassanio’s‚ whom takes Jessica from her father’s home and escapes to Belmont with her. On the other hand however‚ it is clear that within majority of
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