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Theme Of Appearance Vs Reality In Merchant Venice
1,930 wordsThis theme of Appearance Vs. Reality is used throughout the play to mislead and confuse so things may not always be what they seem. Shakespeare uses deception to enhance the unfolding drama and involve his audience more fully in the play the audience are party to deceptions which the characters themselves are unaware of. Prejudice was common and the word Jew applied to hardhearted unscrupulous moneylenders. An Elizabethan audience would have been happy to see a Jew, Spaniard or a Moor deceived a...
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Elizabethan Audience Sixteenth Century
1,230 wordsThe Merchant of Venice was written in 1598 by William Shakespeare. The story is set in Elizabethan times, which was the sixteenth century. People back then were quite prejudiced towards any race that was not Christian. They would have hated Jews. When Shylock would come onto the stage, the audience would have just booed him back off. The Christians had their reasons for hating the Jews. The fact that they supposedly killed Jesus still angers many people today. Christians were resentful of their ...
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Pound Of Flesh Thousand Ducats
1,206 words... y, he wants Antonio to suffer for disrespecting Shylock's authority. This really enforces the fact that Shylock is a ruthless scoundrel. The two women enter the courtroom with a message that the doctor Balthasar (Portia) has being sent to replace the original doctor, Bellario. Portia begins her case with a plea for mercy, she begs him to forfeit the bond and accept three times the amount. Shylock refuses, as he wants to take his revenge on the Christians who have criticized him because he is...
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Dramatic Irony Elizabethan Audience
1,507 wordsShakespeare presents Shylock as both a villain and a victim in 'The Merchant of Venice'. To what extent is this true? Shylock is shown as a villain because he has attempted to kill Antonio, he's abused Jessica's freedom and cares more about his money than his daughter. He is, however, presented as misunderstood and a victim, because not only is he physically abused in the text (he is spat on and kicked), his business is undermined, and he is an alien in his own city. A modern audience would not ...
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Pound Of Flesh Sum Of Money
737 wordsThere are many sides to this argument. The first is that Shylock does not sin at all, the second is that all the characters sin as much as each other, the third that Shylock is the only one who sins, the fourth that they all sin, but Shylock sins the most making the above statement false, and the fifth way of arguing it is to agree with the statement. Shylock may sin when he makes the contract with Antonio saying that he must pay back the 3000 D within 3 months if he lends it to him, or he can t...
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Merchant Of Venice Antonio And Shylock
820 wordsWilliam Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio's friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio's name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for ...
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Shakespeare Dramatic Genius Portrayed As A Comic Character Shylock
1,218 wordster> Modern Humanitarianism has run riot on Shylock. Discuss. The Merchant of Venice is concerned with two issues that were of importance in the Elizabethan Age: Jewry and Usury. It is generally assumed that the Elizabethan attitude to Jewry was hostile and that the execution of Rodrigo Lopez in 1594 was characteristic of the Christian rejection of all Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics, who were considered to be misbelievers. But this could also be a false assumption, for although the...
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The Merchant Of Venice Shylock Villain Or Victim
1,788 wordsMany people are villainous in the way they behave. Their villainous acts may be attributed to their desire to destroy others and in turn elevate themselves to a higher financial or social level. However, the root cause of their villainy may be a response to the treatment they have endured at the hands of others. In short, they have been taught villainy, rather than it being an integral part of their personality. In such instances, revenge can be a key motivator in inspiring them to act in a vill...
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Merchant Of Venice Shylock Villain Or Victim
861 wordsIn the play Merchant of Venice, there is always a lot of controversy about whether Shylock is a victim or a villain. The definition of victim is a person who dies or suffers as a result of voluntarily undertaking some enterprise or pursuit. Meaning someone who dies or suffers as a result of his or her own actions is still a victim. In accordance with the definition, in my opinion Shylock is a victim. When we first start to read the play, as a Jew Shylock is put at a huge disadvantage. 400 years ...
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Feel Sympathy Human Qualities
374 wordsIn Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice the antagonist of the play is Shylock. Shylock is a wealthy Jewish moneylender. Shylock is probably the most memorable character in the play because of Shakespeare's excellent characterization of him. Shylock is the antagonist in the play because he stands in the way of love, but this does not necessarily make him the villain of the play. Shylock can be seen as both the villain of the play and as a man who is very human. The villain that we see in Shylock is t...
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O J Simpson Merchant Of Venice
2,352 wordsThe Role of Prejudice In The Merchant of Venice This paper discusses the subject of prejudice in the William Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. I. Introduction William Shakespeare's satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, believed to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and greed. The premise deals with the antagonistic relationship between Shylock, a Jewish money-lender and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who is as generous as Shylock is greedy, particularly with his...
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York New York Don Pedro
2,243 wordsShakespeare's Use of Trickery and Disguise In His Plays Shakespeare uses similar comic elements to effect similar outcomes in his works. Many of his plays utilize trickery and disguise to accomplish similar endings. Trickery plays a major role in The Merchant of Venice and drives most of the action, while mistaken identity, specifically Portia's disguise as the learned attorneys representative, plays a major role in the resolution of the play. The first instance of trickery in the play is Bassan...
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Act Iii Scene Hath Not A Jew
1,366 wordsThe Merchant of Venice: Hath not a Jew Mercy? Kevin Jacoby Many of William Shakespeare's plays have sparked controversy. Probably the one that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The character that this discussion centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack the perspective of the sixteenth century audience. Throughout Shakespeare's Th...
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Religious Views Three Times
645 wordsThe secular and religious views of both, Antonio and Shylock, were portrayed very bluntly. The religious opinions of both characters were that their religion was superior to infidels and also very stereotypical. In the business world, Antonio owned ships with valuable goods and was extremely generous. He always relied on their return to shore and expressed his faith in this book. On the other hand, Shylock was a greedy man and used the Bible for sources of interest to collect more money. Relatin...
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Hath Not A Jew Merchant Of Venice
1,007 wordsThe Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there appears Shylock. He is a Jew, that much we are told in the cast list. But, as the play unfolds Shylock is seen to be the villian. He is protracted as being cold, unbending, and evil. But is he? Is Shylock really the antagonist in this play or can he also be viewed as persecuted individual who resorts to revenge only after he has been pushed too far. To fully understand the character of Shylock we must first look at E...
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Hypocritical Nature Of The Christian Christians In The Play Shylock
1,025 wordsThe Merchant of Venice is in essence, a comedy, with clearly defined good guys and the infamous villain. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to take a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. This, however, has more depth to it than it appears. Shakespeare gives reasons for Shylock s actions; though they may be acts of hatred, it is not unjustified hatred. Instead, it is clear that the Antonio has given Shyl...
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Merchant Of Venice Due To The Fact
1,433 wordsTo what extent do you feel sympathy for Shylock? In the 16 th century Jews were discriminated against especially in England and Venice. Christians believed that the Jewish race was inferior to them and that Jews should not be accepted into their society. There were very few Jews in England in this period this was mainly due to the fact that Edward had been lent money by several Jewish money lenders, he became unable to repay the money he owed them, and as a result sent them into exile. The remai...
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Pound Of Flesh Merchant Of Venice
887 wordsPoints Against And In Favour For The Points Against And In Favour For The Way The Trial Was Handled In The Merchant Of Venice The trial scene in the Merchant of Venice is the climax of the play as Shylock has taken Antonio to court, as he has not paid back the money he borrowed. Shylock wants the pound of flesh that is the forfeit of the bond concerning the money Antonio borrowed from him. Shylock s main motivation for wanting this forfeit is as his daughter has stolen his money and run away, he...
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Act Iii Scene Act Iv Scene
1,847 wordsMany people are villainous in the way they behave. Their villainous acts may be attributed to their desire to destroy others and in turn elevate themselves to a higher financial or social level. However, the root cause of their villainy may be a response to the treatment they have endured at the hands of others. In short, they have been taught villainy, rather than it being an integral part of their personality. In such instances, revenge can be a key motivator in inspiring them to act in a vill...
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Pound Of Flesh Hath Not A Jew
1,616 wordsDiscuss Shylock as either victim or villain, with reference to his performance in the? Merchant of Venice? ? The Merchant of Venice? was written by William Shakespeare in the Elizabethan period. The play is a tragi-comedy written in his second period. It is set in Venice in the late 15 th century. Venice is situated in the north-east of Italy and is known as? Queen of the Adriatic? for its strong naval power. The play is about Shylock? a Jewish money lender? trying to make a living and survive i...
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