Language and Imagery in Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
This scene in Belmont concludes the casket challenge left by Portia's
father, and conveys the love and affection between Bassanio and
Portia. As the scene opens, Portia pleads for Bassanio to delay before
he chooses one of the caskets, as she fears the outcome, especially as
she has already fallen in love with him. She asks him to "tarry" (Line
1), to "pause a day or two" (Line 1), to "forbear awhile" (Line 3),
anything to keep him from possibly choosing the wrong casket. However,
Bassanio is anxious to choose, and compares the suspense, before he
chooses his casket, to living on the rack, a realistic method of
torture at the time. "Let me choose, for as I am, I live upon the
rack" (Line 25). Portia, who uses Bassanio's words and interprets the
metaphor used, then skilfully and intelligently questions this
anticipation and eagerness that Bassanio possesses. "What treason
there is mingled with your love…I fear you speak upon the rack where
men enforced do speak anything" (Line 28). Shakespeare allows both
Bassanio and Portia to cunningly and cleverly question each other's
motives by questioning and expressing words used by the other. And by
doing this, Shakespeare allows the true love between the two to be
demonstrated, as both Portia and Bassanio returns each other's
questions with deep and loving descriptions of their affections. For
example, Bassanio likens his love with treason to snow and fire.
"There may as well be amity and life 'tween snow and fire, as treason
and my love" (Line 31). This imagery reveals how, for Bassanio, love
and treason do not co-exist, simi...
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...s symbol, Portia
claims that Bassanio is to never "part from, lose, or give away" (Line
173). Bassanio then romantically promises that "when this ring parts
from this finger, then parts life from hence: O then be bold to say
Bassanio's dead" (Line 183). Both these promises from both Portia and
Bassanio present the true love they feel, and are used as symbols by
Shakespeare to represent the climax of the love story in the play.
At this point of the play, Shakespeare presents the true love between
Bassanio and Portia, as well as the love that is expressed in Belmont,
the scene of the love story within the play. Shakespeare allows both
Portia and Bassanio to express their linguistic skills using deep and
descriptive imagery expressing their love and heightening the suspense
that the casket challenge brings to the scene.
>>>>>In "The Enormous Radio" and "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas," a question about suffering is raised. When
Response to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice by a Modern Audience Since the time of Shakespeare, The play “Merchant of Venice” has had a dramatic effect on the modern audience today. In the 16th century, Jews were completely disliked, & Jews were not allowed to live in England unless they had converted to Christianity. = == ==
say, “If I can catch once upon the hip I will feed fat the ancient
Shakespearean works are well known for their depth, symbolism and philosophical view upon different aspects of life. Mirroring is one of Shakespeare’s favorite tools. Mirroring is used to emphasize the contrast and show differences between the sides of the society and ways of living of the characters. The Merchant of Venice is no exception. Just like all other plays of Shakespeare it has many of antagonisms and it portrays the most important and hot conflicts that used to be popular at that time just as much as they are now. Exploring this multi dimensional play is exciting, because the more you think about it, the more hints and tints you discover. The play takes place in two main locations – Venice and Belmont. These two places portray two different lifestyles. One of the most important and essential themes of the Merchant of Venice is wealth. Shakespeare has a special view of this subject; he sees love as a form of wealth (Milton 34). Venice represents earning of money, accumulating it, protecting it, fighting for it; and at the same time Belmont demonstrates having money an all other life’s pleasures, this is why life in Belmont is so happy, slow and peaceful, and the whole location is so dreamlike. Being rich and having nothing to worry about is a dream of most people. To my mind, Belmont and Venice present two different sides of wealth.
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
Stereotypes are a fixed image of all members of a culture, group, or race usually based on limited and inaccurate information resulted from the minimal contact with this stereotyped groups. stereotypes have many forms; people are stereotyped according to their religion, race, ethnicity, age, gender, coulor, or national origins. This kind of intolerance is focused on the easily observable characteristics of groups of people. In general, stereotypes reduce individuals to a rigid and inflexible image that doesn't account for the multi-dimensional nature of human beings. One example of stereotypes is the categorization of the Jews in Elizabethan era. In fact, Elizabethan era was an age of prejudice, discrimination, and religious persecution particularly against minorities. Jewish people were one of those minorities who was suffering and struggling for survival. This racist attitude was rife not only in England but also across Europe. "Christians tended to see the Jews as an alien people whose repudiation of the Christ had condemned them to a perpetual migration. Jews were denied citizenship and its rights in much of Europe and forced to wear distinctive clothing to identify themselves in public (the yellow star, or badges of shame). There were forced expulsions of the Jews from several regions across Europe." (1). Jews were even believed to worship the devil.
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
The impeccable style and craft of Shakespeare’s writing has always been looked upon with great respect, and it continues to serve as an inspiration to writers and thinkers today even as it did when it was being first performed in London. Shakespeare’s modern audience, however, is far less diverse than the one for which he originally wrote. Due to the antiquity of his language, Shakespeare’s modern readership consists mostly of students and intellectuals, whereas in Shakespeare’s own time, his plays were performed in playhouses packed with everyone from royalty to peasants. Because of this, Shakespeare was forced to write on many different levels, the most sophisticated of which appealed to his more elite audience members, while the more straightforward and often more crude of which appealed to his less educated viewers, and the most universal of which still appeals to us.
things he has called him and for all the many times he has spat on him
In the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, there is a concept of otherness throughout the play. Many characters had roles in which they were examples of the outsiders, that occurred during the time the play was written. If not all but in most plays by William Shakespeare, there is always a character who is categorized as the outsider. However, The Merchant of Venice took the concept into a deeper level, instead of depicting differences in social class as otherness, the play included race and religion, instead of social class. These beliefs shaped not only the way the play was written, but how the characters treated certain individuals in the play and how the personality of each character
Each prisoner had a transformative moment throughout their time at Sobibor that would push them to their ultimate decision to escape. Usually such moments represented a realization that death was almost certain if they were to stay, others, that letting the world know was necessary. But the common thread through them all was that to live was an act of defiance.
Torture is the process of inflicting pain upon other people in order to force them to say something against their own will. The word “torture” comes from the Latin word “torquere,” which means to twist. Torture can not only be psychologically but mentally painful. Before the Enlightenment, it was perfectly legal to torture individuals but nowadays, it is illegal to torture anyone under any circumstances. In this essay, I will demonstrate why torture should never acceptable, not matter the condition.
lives to God. If it was God’s plan for us to suffer then we must obey
The use of figurative language and imagery in the two sonnets “How do I love thee” by Elizabeth Browning, and “Shall I compare Thee to a summer’s day” by William Shakespeare, convey complex emotions pertaining to love. The way that Shakespeare describes his feelings toward his significant other, suggests that he desires for the love he shares with his possible mistress to transcend death and last eternally. Mrs. Browning’s use of figurative language is more apparent, as she describes the various ways that she loves this particular person, expressing the extent of her intense unconditional love. Shakespeare uses personification of the Sun, during a summer’s day, to determine whether a summer’s day actually captures the essence of this individual that he loves so dearly. Shakespeare’s sonnet asks a question that he answers when he writes this person into an existence that will last for an eternity, which a limited summers day cannot. Shakespeare’s use of imagery and figurative language is more effective.
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice contains many themes and elements that are considered timeless or universal. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defines a timeless or universal element as a “representation of men in all ages and all times.” A universal element is relevant to the life of every human being – it is universal. The first major theme that plays an important role in the play is the Christians’ prejudice against the Jews. A second important theme is the attitude toward money. Perhaps the most important theme of the play is the love between people. This love can occur between the same sex, or the opposite sex, platonic or romantic. In Merchant of Venice, the three timeless elements are prejudice, money, and love.