Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor and merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind‚ generous‚ honest and confident‚ and is loved and revered by all the Christians who know him. Even Portia‚ who sees Antonio as a rival for her husband’s affections‚ reveres his character and appreciates — with reservations — his willingness to die for Bassanio. Antonio manifests his
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Conflicts in "Merchant of Venice" occur as a result of four major life themes: love‚ money‚ prejudice and disguise. Shylock‚ the Jewish moneylender is usually‚ and somewhat unjustly‚ held responsible for many of these conflicts. Though Shylock’s behaviour is‚ in many ways‚ evil‚and should by no means be exonerated‚ the conflicts he does cause are most often merely his vengeful attempt to respond to the prejudices he has experience caused by his religion. In the time of Shakespeare‚ prejudices were
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In Shakespeare’s play the merchant of Venice the audience learns about love in many forms. Through the characters‚ of Portia and Bassanio‚ Shylock and his love for money over his daughter and Antonio and Bassanio. The audience learns through Portia that true love always triumphs. From shylock we learn that money isn’t everything it seems to be and that you should treasure your family more than money. Through the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio we learn about the love of one friend for another
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play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ by William Shakespeare‚ is one that receives a lot of controversy in History. The main storyline of the play is about a Jewish moneylender named Shylock who strikes a deal with the Christian merchant‚ Antonio. Antonio’s friend‚ Bassanio‚ needs money for his wedding and asks Antonio for the money. Unfortunately‚ Antonio’s money is at sea‚ stored in boats; However‚ Antonio agrees to obtain money for Bassanio through Shylock‚ the moneylender. So‚ the two merchants strike a
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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 Merchant of Venice Speech It has been almost four hundred years since Shakespeare completed the last of his plays. His work however continues to be played to sell out audiences still captivating people. His plays are still taught in schools with eager passion. Many people question the relevance of his work and lingering popularity. So what could a playwright from the seventeenth century have absolutely anything to do with a world full of advancing technology‚ fast food and materialistic views
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The Merchant of Venice - of Shylock Shylock was mistreated by Christians in particularly Antonio before they entered into their bond. It is understandable that this would be‚ because Jews were mistreated by the Christians and that’s just the way it was during those times. The Jews were segregated and forced to live in a ghetto and were abused by the Christians. It is know wonder that when Shylock was presented with an opportunity to reciprocate‚ he would. However‚ Shylock also did his fair
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In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice‚ prejudice is a predominant theme and it is displayed in numerous ways. A dominant form of prejudice in the play is prejudice against religion by both the Christian and the Jewish believers. Other minor but important forms of prejudice displayed are against races and against various types of disabilities. Shakespeare demonstrates that during his era‚ in the Elizabethan Era‚ prejudice wasn’t frowned upon like it is today in present society. Shakespeare
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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’ strong feelings are presented by: 1. The Narrator 2. Letters 3. Dialogue Whereas in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ strong feelings
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has been looked down upon‚ disrespected and persecuted by other ethnicities. In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice‚ the character of Shylock reveals to us Shakespeare’s attitude towards the Jewish people and anti-Semitism. Throughout the play Shylock is treated with a continuum of hostility and disrespect from the other characters. Many would argue that Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice condones anti-Semitism‚ but if a closer look is taken‚ Shakespeare’s playwright actually supports an opposing
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