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After the accident, Jessica’s identity starts to change. Jessica starts to believe that she can run again because of the people who she was surrounded by. Jessica thought to herself, “People tell…
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In the play “The Merchant of Venice” Shylock was the greedy and wealthy Jew, who was hated by everyone. Shylock’s occupation was to lend money to anyone who asked him to, but he put interests which no one could afford. This is one of the main reasons Shylock is hated, the other would be an obvious reason, he is a Jew and the rest of Venice consists of Christians (other than the Jewish community). Jews are known to be “money hungry”, greedy and selfish. Shylock gives no sympathy to anyone in any way, especially to his daughter Jessica. When he received the news that his…
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TTS reflects its 16th century European context in that its central theme is the dominance of men over women and society’s acceptance of it. Whether Shakespeare intended to ridicule the misogyny and patriarchy of Elizabethan society is irrelevant; however, as his play is concerned with the two, it indicates that the social systems were firmly established. Katherina is forced into marriage that was agreed upon by Petruchio and her father, the governing force of their household. Her objections are nullified in the face of her lesser status as a woman and the authority her father and husband holds over her in age and gender.…
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In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare illustrates his feelings towards Jews in 17th century England through the use of a commonly known stereotype during the time, the racial tension between Jews and Christians. Shylock is the focal point of the play, and acts as the traditional stereotype of the Jew in Elizabethan times. The merchant of venice is often seen as an anti-semitic work due to the stereotypical portrayal of the jewish character shylock. Some would argue that the most inevitable interpretation of shylock as a miserly wretch who care for nothing but his money is shakespeare expressing now – unfashionable anti-jewish views. However , one must remember that this view was seen as entirley normal and acceptable at the time, and most of the jews of elizabethan england had stoicly accepted such treatment.…
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They were often the center of crude nicknames, harsh comments, and bullying when seen walking around town. Many people saw this, and many famous authors wrote about it. Much of the antisemitism in the European commercial world came from the fact that those of the Non-Jewish community could not match the economies of scale and advertising promotions of the Jews at the time (Perry, 141). Mark Twain once wrote, “I am persuaded that in Russia, Austria, and Germany, nine-tenths of the hostility towards the Jewish community comes from the average Christian’s inability to compete successfully with the average Jew in business, in either straight business, or the questionable sort (Concerning the Jews, 1898). Along with this, Abraham Foxman wrote that “it is likely that non-Jews in Medieval or Renaissance Europe harbored feelings of fear, vulnerability, and hostility towards Jews, because they resented being beholden to Jewish lenders,” (Foxman, 65). Not only have famous authors wrote about how Jews have been portrayed economically through history, but it has been an important aspect in some famous plays, including work done by William Shakespeare. In Shakespeare’s famous play, The Merchant of Venice, the character Shylock is characterized as a Jewish moneylender who is considered “unscrupulous and avaricious.” This one character has stuck with the Jewish…
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In the play “The Taming of the Shrew” , written by William Shakespeare, Three men want to marry the youngest daughter, named Bianca, of a man named Baptista. However, Bianca can not be married until the older daughter Katherine is married. Katherine has the mouth of a sailor (to put it lightly) and is vicious with it. She is also very violent. However, Hortencio (one of Bianca’s suitors) convinced his drunk, violent, and poor friend Petruchio to marry Katherine, for the dowry that Baptista would provide. I am here to convince you that Katherine, though vicious with her words and actions, is a better person than Petruchio, not on her own morals, but through the horrible actions of Petruchio.…
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All communities run successfully with qualities of fairness and equality. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance they receive from those with power and influence in their society. When the people become corrupt and start having intentions that do not contribute back to the community, the society will fall apart and be unable to maintain balance and stability. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the reader sees examples of injustice inflicted on the victims within the plays through the people with power within the community. The Christians in The Merchant of Venice mock Shylock the Jew countless times while the high court in The Crucible believe citizens are practicing witchcraft without a proper testimony. In both situations, the Christians and the court see themselves doing the right thing and believe they are contributing to the society when in reality, they break apart the community by persecuting those that are different. The victims in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible suffer from injustice as power being placed in the wrong hands leads to the formation of biased decision, the limited free will of citizens and severe punishments.…
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David H. Lawrence famously quoted ‘Never trust the artist, trust the tale’; and indeed, this ha what happened with Shakespeare’s intentions for Shylock and the grim reality. For example, the character of Shylock was used in anti-semetic propaganda by Hitler in Nazi Germany to promote the scapegoating of the Jews; Shylock is held up by a local newspaper in Konigsberg, Germany in 1935 as ‘cowardly and malicious’ when ‘properly understood’, a line that undermines both the intelligence and self-esteem of local people upon reading (in that they did not read enough into the play), and the true meaning of The Merchant of Venice. Upon saying that the deeper meaning is that Shylock is cowardly and malicious, they are mistaking the shallow, surface meaning for a deeper one. As Harold Bloom commented in 1999, ‘It would have been better for the Jewish people had Shakespeare never written this play’; here, Bloom is obviously commenting on the fact that people only took away the shallow meaning, not the deeper, politically-charged (for the times) meaning that Shakespeare is attempting to…
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She bids Launcelot, Shylock's servant good-bye and privately expresses her shame of her father Shylock and her intention to reject her father and his Jewish religion, to become Lorenzo's wife and a Christian, thereby rejecting all that her father Shylock believes in...…
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Still have I borne it with a patient shrug, for sufferance is the badge of all our tribe. You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, and all for use of that which is mine own. Well then, it now appears you need my help...What should I say to you? Should I not say, 'Hath a dog money? Is it possible a cur can lend three thousand ducats? '...Say this: 'Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last, you spurned me such a day, another time you called me dog, and for these courtesies I 'll lend you thus much moneys '? (p.83, I.3)This quote shows the strained and hostile relationship between Antonio and Shylock and shows Shylock 's hesitance and resentment of the idea of helping Antonio. It is evident in this quote that Antonio bears prejudice towards Shylock based on the fact that he is of a different faith. This form of prejudice is a solid theme in 'The Merchant of Venice ' and is still common today. The major modern example would be the Holocaust of the Jews in World War 2. This was the mass killing and hatred of people based solely on their faith. Still today many people are discriminated against based on their faith. There are forms of prejudice found everywhere in this modern…
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The Merchant of Venice, supposedly written between 1596 and 1598 is classified as an early Shakespearean comedy and also one of the problem plays. Though It is classified as a comedy, it has certain aspects of a romance. The play itself is about what could be called a rival between Christianity and Judaism with parts including women’s rights. The Jewish money lending merchant, Shylock seeks a pound of flesh from his fellow Christian, Antonio from failing to pay back three thousand ducats. Not only does the play consist of the two men battling for their way, it also shows the respect and the way women are treated. Yet another Christian, Portia is to be married to her future husband Bassanio but firstly he must follow her father’s wishes to pick one of three boxes, one holding the chance for his and Portia’s marriage to commence. This novel and a very famous Shakespearean play consists of many women’s rights issues which will further be discussed, including Portia being controlled by her father’s will and men thinking women could not be as smart as themselves; resulting in the women dressing as men to take part in the court case with the pound of flesh, giving the women a chance to take some control.…
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Taming of the Shrew is focused on two sisters during their exploration of courting and eventually marriage. These two sisters, named Bianca and Katherine, have polar opposite personalities. One sister does not even consider the possibility of spending the rest of her life tied to a controlling man, while the other sister is the center of attention for all male suitors within a 100-mile radius and enjoys the devotion. Although the play begins with men chasing after Bianca’s hand in marriage, Katherine will be the forced to get married; without Katherine getting married Bianca would never have a chance at love. The pressure of love leads to the unveiling of masks to see characters true feelings and emotions; this theme is a common occurrence in Shakespeare’s plays. But what makes Katherine a unique character, not only in Taming of the Shrew but also out of all of Shakespeare’s plays, is that she is an outspoken woman who hides behind no masks and constantly shows her true self, just her genuine feelings and emotions are expressed. Katherine’s personality drastically changes from the beginning to the end and we are going to investigate and unweave why this happens.…
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In The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster, the Duchess is introduced as an independent and young woman who has lost her husband. As a widow, the Duchess has complete power over Malfi and her court, a power usually held by a man, and her all male court is under her command. The reversal of power is made starkly apparent as Webster illustrates the Cardinal and Ferdinand, the Duchess’ brothers, as being hostile and oppressive and Antonio as being a man struggling to find his own identity and position in society. On the other hand, the Duchess is spirited and defiant as she chooses to follow her ideas instead of being easily influenced by the male-dominated world she lives in. Throughout Acts 1-3, the Duchess’ relationships with Antonio, Ferdinand, and the Cardinal depict her struggle for power and her independent nature through her thought that “We are forced to woo because none dare woo us” (1.1.434).…
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She didn't learn to appreciate things and she was very ungrateful. Monsieur “compromised the end of his life” because she lost the necklace (page 157). He did it all for his wife and she didn't appreciate him. He tried to keep her warm by throwing “wraps”over her (page 155). The wraps weren't “rich” enough for her, and yet again he still failed to please her(page 155). After all the hard work he did to show her he loved her and tried to make her happy. She still wasn't pleased. While her husband would be working for her debts, she was still fantasizing about the night where she was “so admired” and “what would have happened” if it wasn't for the diamond necklace (page 158).…
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In agreement with Dusinberre, Portia ‘retains a separate identity from her husband’ (1996, P85). This is evident within the play text as well as Ronen’s Hebrew adaptation of the play, especially in the trial scene as she disguises herself as a male judge (Ronen, 2012). However, it must be questioned if this representation of a woman is something that is specific to the comedy genre and not to tragedy. In relation to the tragicomedy or black humour ‘Scotland, PA’, Pat has her own identity through the control she has over Mac as well as a joint identity with him within their marital relationship. However, it seems that Pat rules over her husband’s identity as well as her own. Traub states ‘the masculinity of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes is paradoxically vulnerable, dependent on women’s confirmation and approval’ (2001, P134-35). This is especially true in relation to Mac as everything that he does is under the influence and control of Pat. In relation to ‘The Merchant of Venice’, Bassanio is looking for approval through Portia’s deceased father and his lottery. Though Portia is represented in the production as an intelligent, witty and beautiful woman, she is dependent on man’s approval, more specifically her deceased father’s approval of a suitor. Therefore, this brings to light a weakness in…
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