In Shakespeare ’s The Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock is a Jew who struggles to adjust to a Christian society that belittles him. Antonio is a devout Christian. Shylock’s relationship with Antonio reveals that he is biased against Christians‚ and in this way both Shylock and Antonio exhibit similarities in how each perceive "the other." Both Shylock and Antonio are racially biased and they both put down each other. Shylock claims to be victimized by Christians; however‚ he exploits Christians in business
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Kimberley Williamson “The Merchant of Venice” Analyse how ONE main character’s attempts to solve a problem were important to the text as a whole. In the text‚ “The Merchant of Venice‚” written and performed by Shakespeare‚ Antonio‚ the merchant‚ borrows money from Shylock‚ a Jewish moneylender‚ to send his friend Bassanio overseas to woo and marry Portia. However‚ failing to pay back the money in time‚ Shylock takes Antonio to court demanding a pound of his flesh in payment. Portia‚ one
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British Literature Theme paper for Merchant of Venice October 29‚ 2014 A theme is an underlying idea the author hopes to communicate in his/her story. Sometimes a theme is also another way an author can leave a message for his or her readers to think about. In the Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare added themes of prejudice‚ love versus greed‚ and mercy versus revenge and justice. Prejudice was one of the key themes in this story. The Merchant of Venice shows the religious discrimination between Christians
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A Serving of Injustice with a Side of Revenge: The Merchant of Venice During the Venetian era in which The Merchant of Venice takes place‚ the law is heavily depended on among society. Within the law‚ it is asserted that justice must be shown impartially to both parties and that the outcome will be a just balance for the good of society. Within this play lies a court case between two parties‚ Antonio and Shylock‚ where justice must be served to abide by the laws and to the contracted agreement
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Historical Context The historical context of The Merchant of Venice turns‚ for the most part‚ on one question: the status of Jews in Shakespeare’s England. Jews had lived in England throughout the Middle Ages; they were treated then as property of the King‚ and were permitted to stay in England‚ over the protests of the Church‚ only by his "good graces." In fact‚ English kings allowed the Jews to remain in England largely for financial reasons: practicing trades‚ particularly money-lending‚ that
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Shakespeare is likely the world ’s most famous playwright. He is considered a genius for his skill with words‚ his understanding of people and of human nature‚ and his sense of what really pleases an audience. In Shakespeare ’s play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare uses his great skill in writing to make a character appear as if he is both a villain and a victim. A victim can be defined as an unfortunate person who suffers from a destructive action or through the dishonesty of others. Although Shylock
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The Merchant of Venice is a comedy written by Shakespeare‚ but it is arguable that it can also be called a tragedy. A dictionary meaning of a tragedy is‚ “a drama or similar work‚ in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character.” Shylock is a main character and succumbs to the tragic flaws he possesses. This play introduces Shylock‚ a Jew fighting against Christian society. Although Shylock is depicted in the
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Written sometime between 1596 to 1598‚ The Merchant Of Venice is classified as both and early Shakespearean comedy and as one of the Shakespeare’s problem plays. Scene 1 introduces one of the major plot points as well as several key characters. When Antonio‚ Solanio and Salarino enter at the beginning of the play‚ they are in the middle of the discussion about why Antonio is so sad. This “Sadness” of which Antonio claims not to know source of‚ becomes clear when he reveals to Bassanio that all of
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William 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 Shylock’s
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Themes in the Merchant of Venice Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women‚ who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination‚ now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play‚ ‘The Merchant of Venice’‚ women are expressed as
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