L I T CHA R T S TM GET LIT TM The Merchant of Venice Author Bio Historical and Literary Context When Written: 1596–8 Where Written: England When Published: 1623 Literary Period: The Renaissance Related Literary Works: Though some describe The Merchant of Venice as a comedy because it ends with the marriage of its heroes Portia and Bassanio‚ it can also be described as a kind of “revenge tragedy.” Typically‚ a revenge tragedy revolves around the quest of its central character to avenge a wrong
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The Merchant of Venice illustrates a clear discrepancy between the moral values of its Christian characters and those of Shylock; at last revealing favor for the mercy‚ generosity‚ love‚ and self-sacrifice of the Christians. Irrespective of the religious hypocrisy displayed by the Christians of the play‚ they ultimately prove the victors‚ while those who disregard the virtues of Christian doctrine suffer highly disagreeable consequences. Shylock‚ a miserly Jew and heartless usurer characterized
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Shylock – Money-minded/materialistic To a large extent‚ Shylock is a villain because he is money-minded/materialistic. “I would my daughter were dead at my foot‚ and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot‚ and the ducats in her coffin! “(Act 3‚ Sc 1) According to the stated evidence‚ Shylock would rather have his own daughter dead than she run away with his ducats. He shows no concern whatsoever for his daughter who had run away‚ but instead was more concerned about the jewels
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A victim is someone who has been singled out for cruelor unfair treatment. A villain is a wicked person or a criminal. Antonio’s counterpart‚ Shylock‚ is the most noteworthy figure in Shakespeare’s comedy‚ The Merchant of Venice. No consensus has been reached on whether Shylock is a tyrannical villain or a tragic victim. Shylock‚ in my opinion‚ is a bloodthirsty villain. In the following paragraphs‚ it will be shown that Shylock is a villain in every sense of the word. Namely‚ he is vengeful‚
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Question 1 Essay question: The Merchant of Venice The outcome of the trial of Shylock versus Antonio doesn’t reach an apt conclusion at the end of the play. In the preceding essay I plan to demonstrate the factors that influenced my decision to object to the verdict that concludes this play. I believe Shylock’s punishment is too harsh in this unjust court of law. It is of most relevance to highlight the fact that Antonio was entirely aware of the penalty that would arise from the bond forfeiting
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Void upon my bread This speech by Shylock evokes the social world in which he lives. For‚ as a Jew‚ Shylock rails in magnified language against Antonio‚ a Venetian who has castigated Shylock for his usury. Also‚ within the setting of this play‚ the Venetians limited Jewish merchants and moneylenders/pawnbrokers‚ making them live in "geti" (plural of "geto"). The guttural pronunciation of this word made it sound like ghetto‚ a word still used today to mark emargination. So‚ Shylock is perceived
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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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The 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
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The Merchant of Venice "Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is still relevant today because it deals with issues which still affect us. Show how two of those issues are discussed in the play." Throughout the play a distinction is made between how things appear on the outside and how they are in reality‚ or on the inside. The issue of appearance versus reality is demonstrated in varied ways‚ mainly by the use of real-life situations. The first representation of this is Shylock’s generosity
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Parent-Child Relationship Between Jessica and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice After reading The Merchant of Venice‚ we should ask ourselves if Shylock‚ who many people perceive as tragedy stricken and victimized‚ is in fact so hard done by after all. When it comes to family matters‚ I believe that Shylock is the ultimate cause behind his awful relationship with Jessica. In this play‚ Shakespeare portrays an old fashioned child-parent relationship in which the child feels inferior to the parent
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