VENICE IN 14TH CENTURY Venice’s maritime empire: 13th - 15th century In the scramble to grab Byzantine land after the 4TH crusade‚ in 1204‚ the Venetians concentrate on territories suiting their maritime interests. They take the islands of Corfu and Crete. They yield Corfu ten years later to the Greek ruler of Epirus (the nearest part of the mainland)‚ but Crete remains a Venetian possession for more than four centuries. It is the first in a chain of valuable staging posts to the eastern
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Alyssa Auch Professor Grover ENG 314 November 17‚ 2012 A Victimized Villain in Venice What makes a villain? When introduced in films‚ the antagonist is often given tell-tale‚ gloomy music and shadowed lighting. They scowl and sneer and laugh in derision‚ and we know they are the opposition. In William Shakespeare’s plays‚ the villains often introduce themselves as such‚ stating their macabre intentions or hateful jealousies. From a psychological point of view‚ their thoughts are simple enough
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Women in "Merchant of Venice" 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. Influences of the Radical Feminist Perspective in The Merchant of Venice Angela Caravella 2006 The role that women play within many Shakespearian plays often highlights
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for Portia’s hand‚ in which suitors from various countries choose among a gold‚ a silver‚ and a lead casket‚ resembles the cultural and legal system of Venice in some respects. Like the Venice of the play‚ the casket contest presents the same opportunities and the same rules to men of various nations‚ ethnicities‚ and religions. Also like Venice‚ the hidden bias of the casket test is fundamentally Christian. To win Portia‚ Bassanio must ignore the gold casket‚ which bears the inscription‚ “Who chooseth
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The themes of Shakespeare’s plays are just as relevant to today’s society as they were in his day. Discuss making close reference to The Merchant of Venice. In The Merchant of Venice hate‚ loyalty‚ pride and prejudice‚ love and friendship are just some of the themes investigated with in the play. These themes‚ although were evident in the time of Shakespeare‚ are just as significant and universal today. Shylock‚ the Jew‚ explores most of these negative themes as in the play he is depicted as being
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Is shylock portrayed as the villain or the victim in the play? The play ‘Merchant of Venice’ is about a man called Bassanio who needs another loan of his good friend Antonio. He guarantees a loan of the Jew‚ Shylock. Shylock is both the villain and the victim in this play. He is the villain when he sees the opportunity to take revenge on Antonio for the way he has treated him and makes a bond to take a pound of his flesh. His anger is fuelled even more when his daughter runs away and steals his
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The Merchant Of Venice Essay May 31‚ 2012 There are two emotions commonly shown to motivate characters in the Merchant Of Venice‚ both positively and negatively‚ namely that of love and hate. These two emotions motivate characters such as Shylock‚ who’s actions are motivated by his hate for Antonio‚ Jessica’s love for Lorenzo and hate for her father and Antonio’s love for Bassanio and hate for Shylock. Antonio’s actions are motivated from both love and hate. These actions
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In this assessment I will analyse Shakespeare’s use of language‚ structure and dramatic techniques to present the relationship between Shylock and the Christians at different points of the play. I will first look at Act 1 Scene 3‚ where we learn that Shylock has suffered mercilessly at the hands of the Christians and now harbors an almost sadistic hatred towards them. This can be evidence by Shylock’s statement to Antonio. “You………gabardine‚”. This statement allows the audience to gain an understanding
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Shylock in the play was treated very bad by the Christian people. All the people in the play all said hateful things to him and spat on him. For his "un-Christian" behavior he was called a dog Jew by everyone he doesn’t even know. Shylock was fed up with Christians hating the Jews‚ so he made a bond with Antonio to get revenge. The bond had a slight catch to it‚ if Antonio did not pay him back on time then he would have to give Shylock a pound of his own flesh. He deliberately asks for a pound of
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The play Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare has two major themes running through its story. Even though it was written in the late 1500s these themes still have significance today. The main characters of this play are Shylock‚ the Jew‚ who is a money lender charging interest to make living. Antonio is another character of this play and he is a fairly rich merchant. Antonio has a very good friend Bassanio‚ who wants to marry Portia‚ a wealthy woman who is Shakespeare’s heroine. Prejudice
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