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The merchant of venice characters and realtionship
The merchant of venice how is shylock characterised
The merchant of venice how is shylock characterised
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There are many unique characters in The Merchant of Venice. At first glance the characters Portia and Shylock seem to be completely different. Portia is a young, Christian, female, who inherited a fortune from her father but is bound by his dying wish. Shylock is characterized as a stereotypical Jew who is greedy and unpleasant. When you peel back the layers there are more similarities than meets the eye. Both are rich but each uses their money for a different reason. Both are victims, with or without sympathy. And Portia and Shylock are manipulative to get what they want, even though, in the end, what they want is completely different. Although Portia and Shylock seem to be so unalike, they also share a lot of similarities.
Both Portia and Shylock use their wealth but for very different end results. Portia uses hers to secure happiness for those around her. For example, Portia offers to pay three times the amount Shylock lends to Antonio. She does this to help Bassinio’s friend “Pay him six thousand and deface the bond! Double six thousand and then treble that, Before a friend of this description Shall lose a hair through Bassinio’s fault” (III, ii, 297-300). Shylock, on the other hand, uses his wealth in a revengeful manner. Shylock offers to lend Antonio money and not charge interest but it isn’t out of the goodness of his heart “If you repay me not on such a day, In such a place, such sum or sums as are Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me” (I, iii, 142-147). Incidentally, Portia and Shylock’s wealth are tied together. Antonio’s loan and Shylock’s money freed Portia from the hold her father had on her. She, ...
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...is as cunning as Shylock and, like him she is willing to do whatever it takes to get her way. Shylock is not liked and it’s easier to see him as a manipulative character “An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly apple rotten at the heart. Oh, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!” (I, iii, 97-100). He puts up a show for Antonio by generously offering to lend him money without interest, instead suggesting a flesh bond or basically death. Shylock hatred for Christians has driven him to want to kill Antonio.
In conclusion, the characters in The Merchant of Venice are multi layered. At first glance they seem so unique. However the heroine, Portia and the self-centered Shylock are more alike after closer examination. It is clear that they use their qualities for very different reasons. Portia for the good, Shylock for the bad.
Portia play’s a major role in trying to persuade Shylock to be merciful to Antonio, as the story continues. Basannio, the loyal friend of Antonio also tries to persuade Shylock to show some sympathy towards Antonio, but is not shown.
Committing deceptive deeds not only hurt others, but also the ones who deceive. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic-comedy play about a Christian merchant named Antonio who agrees to a bond that a Jewish moneylender named Shylock, his enemy, creates to help his best friend Bassanio see Portia, an heiress whom he is in love with. Shylock warns Antonio that if he forfeits the bond, by not repaying him three thousand ducats, he must allow him to remove a pound of his flesh. Throughout the play, deceptive behaviour causes the moral values of individuals to decline. First, this is seen through wealth as it pertains to the desire to have what is valuable. Second, moral values decline when people deceive the family members that they encounter. Finally, deceiving others through love leads to a decline of moral values. In the play, The Merchant of Venice, deception, as seen through wealth, family encounters, and love, causes the moral
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.
Unfortunately, Shylock's cunning didn't match up to his greed, as he was bested by a woman, of all things. Yes, folks, that pesky Portia, who was hot for Bassanio's bod (lust, after all, is a type of greed, is it not?), used her wily ways to help destroy the Jew's empire. Bummer. Of course, Shylock really didn't lose it all, since Antonio allowed him to keep the half he was to have been allotted, provided Shylock give it to his unworthy daughter upon his passing from this plane. What a sweetheart.
The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men.
Everyone who reads The Merchant of Venice must bear in mind that it is, like any other literary work, a creation of a skillful writer, rising a case that can be a subject for many interpretations and not necessarily revealing a specific view of its writer, however it aims to convey a certain moral to the readers. Therefore, the character of shylock, being stereotyped or not, with its controversy is a tool manipulated to convey a moral message: when people live in a society that is open to cultural diversity and that values the contributions of all society members – regardless of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, race, life styles, and beliefs – they will be one step closer to living in a civil society. Works Cited 1) Encyclopaedia Britannica, the definition of "Anti-Semitism". 2) E. E. Stoll, Shylock (an essay in Shakespeare Studies, 1927). 3) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock. 4) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock.
The Merchant of Venice is a play that deals with an assortment of issues that range from politics to racial views of the Jewish people. An embodiment of these two issues can be best attributed to the character of Shylock. In a 2004 production of The Merchant of Venice, by Michael Radford, we see the character of Shylock is portrayed in a different light than that of Shakespeare's 1594 villainous Jew. Both productions pose a series of questions in comparison. An understanding of the era that these plays were written in and the audience’s perception of the production attribute greatly to a true analysis. Another aspect of these productions asks who Shylock was to Shakespeare and who he has developed into for Al Pacino and Michael Radford.
I would love to write a critical essay about the role of Portia in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, hailing her as one of Shakespeare's greatest contributions to the society of the sane; however, I find this impossible after studying the text. At first, I hung on her every word and was amazed at her wit, but later I found her to be just another Shakespearean psycho. Basically, I understood Portia to be nothing less than an obedient daughter obeying the whims of her dead, over-protective father. She speaks in terms of respect about the coffinritual, and the reader believes her to be sincere. Later as her character
Discrimination is a resounding theme in The Merchant of Venice (Meyers). All of the characters are affected by inequality. This inequity is evidenced clearly in Shylock, the Jewish usurer. He is treated with scorn and derision by all the characters. Shylock’s misfortunes stem not from poor attributes or even a poor background; it stems from the fact he is Jewish, and what is more, he is impenitent of that distinction. If he had been more daunted by Christian influence, he might have been forgiven, as Jessica is subjectively exonerated. He is not contrite and it is believed that his appalling birth cannot be absolved (Bonnell).
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the role of women is quite significant. Although there are only three women throughout the play, Jessica, Nerissa, and Portia, all play a role that affects the outcome of the play. Portia, Jessica, and Nerissa are all very significant characters from this time period. The three women display characteristics of bravery, independence, and intelligence.
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 daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot.
Shakespeare's use of timeless themes make his works relevant to the modern reader. His two plays "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello" deal with the seeking of revenge and forbidden love. In "The Merchant of Venice," Shylock, the main character, is a Jew who loans money and charges interest. Shylock has an enemy named Antonio who also loans money to people, but without interest. Iago is a character in "Othello" who has been passed over for a position as Othello's right hand man. He feels that he deserves the position not the person who received it, Cassio. Both of these characters want revenge from the people whom they perceive as having done them wrong and will stop at nothing to have their way. In other words, Shylock and Iago are similar in that they want revenge. However, there are also many differences in each character that demonstrate that they are in many ways polar opposites.
This is where Shakespeare first introduces the devil inside Shylock. Had Antonio been a Jew, there would not have been a payment for flesh. Shylock’s hatred propels the story from start to finish. His hatred causes him to lose his daughter, drives Portia to use her money and wit to save Antonio, and why he ends up losing everything. While Shylock speaks with Salerio and Solanio, he demonstrates his frustration with the Christian people.
During the discussion of the bond, Shylock says to Antonio “ I would be friends with you and have your love” and “this kindness will I show”. He pretends to be Antonio’s friend, but he has an ulterior motive, which is to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh from whatever part of his body he pleases. The underlying meaning is to kill him, and thus, although Shylock seems good-hearted, he is in truth, harbouring deceit. Shylock is manipulative and crafty as he tries to put up a show to deceive Antonio. He sounds generous about offering the three thousand ducats without “usance for my moneys”, thus winning Antonio’s trust. This was done to divert Antonio’s attention from his actual intentions. However, Shylock proposes a flesh bond as a “merry sport”, in substitution for not charging interest. The bond, although an unusual forfeit, is a serious matter, because Antonio may be killed from accepting its terms and conditions. Shylock is a brilliant strategist, and even the perceptive businessman, Antonio, has fallen for it. Shylock is a vindictive and unforgiving man, whose hatred for Christians has driven him to want to kill Antonio. We know that Shylock has suffered emotionally and physically because of how Antonio has kicked, spat and rated him many a times. Thus he deserves some of our pity, as taking revenge on your enemy is only natural.
At the end of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock has been both a victim and a villain. He is a victim of his religion, and a victim of his greed and overwhelming need for revenge. Shylock is definitely the most villainous character in the play, and only a few elements can show him as a victim overall, even then, his victimisation only seems to be a consequence of his own actions. His daughter running away, because of her treatment, and apparent lack of love. The taking of his assets, because he would show no mercy towards Antonio. The final conclusion must be that Shylock is unreasonable, spiteful, heinous, greedy - and a villain.