William Shakespeare'sThe Merchant Of Venice
“The Merchant of Venice” written in the 16th century in 1596 and
originally a comedy. The play is about Antonio who lends money to his
friend, Bassanio, because he wants to marry a rich heiress, Portia.
Although Antonio’s money is tied up in his ships, Bassanio still
allows him to borrow some on his behalf. Portia cannot choose her own
husband. In his will, her father requires suitors to choose one of
three caskets, whoever chooses the right one wins Portia. Bassanio and
Antonio borrow money off Shylock, a rich moneylender and also a Jew.
Shylock who hates Antonio and Christians, agrees to lend money to
them. If Antonio fails to pay, he demands a pound of his flesh. When
Antonio doesn’t give Shylock his money because his ships are reported
wrecked, Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio and Gratiano go to court to
witness Shylock finally demanding his judgement. Meanwhile, Shylocks
daughter, Jessica has eloped with a Christian named Lorenzo.
Antonio is a generous and kind person towards his friends. He borrowed
money to his friends Bassanio without interest. He is also a racist
towards Shylock; Antonio never uses his name when he is talking about
him. When Antonio had to give a pound of flesh to Shylock, he
declares:
I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
Tomorrow to my bloody creditor.
When Bassanio needed to borrow money off Shylock, Antonio whispered
that Shylock was:
A villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at heart
Antonio is also dignified towards death, when he was in the Dukes
palace; Antonio tells Portia:
I do beseech the court
To give the judgement
Antonio also persuades Bassanio to give the ring Portia gave him to
the judge because the judge helped Antonio during the court case,
Bassanio wanted to give 2 things to the judge to remember him by, the
judge chose Bassanio’s gloves and the ring, Bassanio refused to give
the judge the ring, but Antonio said the judge deserved the ring:
still a common view of Jews is for them to be penny pinching, both in
In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the character Othello is portrayed as a fairly good man. By some, he may be known as a bad person but he has become greatly beneficial to the growth of Venice and the state of Cyprus. Othello is a good man even if he committed murder to his wife because he is a great war general and contributed to Cyprus in time of need.
fair flesh" (I, iii, l. 143-4). It is easy to feel sorry for a widower
William Shakespeare's The Tempest “The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance” In act five, scene one, I believe that the lines; “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance“ are pivotal to the text, because the outcome of Prospero’s decision determines how the play concludes. There are many subtle hints in the text which could suggest why Prospero makes the decision that he does. First, we must question the nature of forgiveness in ’The Tempest‘.
Racial barriers are often used as a means to manipulate a member of a minority group. in The tragedy, Othello, was written by William Shakespeare(1564-1616) an English poet and playwright, who is often contemplated as the greatest writer in the English Language. The story begins with Othello, a black general in the Venetian army who secretly marries Desdemona, a white woman. Early on, Othello promotes Michael Cassio as his lieutenant over Iago, fostering mass jealousy. Desperate to get even with Othello, Iago creates elaborate plans to ruin his marriage with Desdemona. Iago’s effective manipulation skills lead Othello to take his wife's life and then his own. Iago is successfully able to deceive Othello because of their many differences, mainly racial, and Iago's understanding of how manipulation works.
It is clear that the race of Othello is a factor in his downfall. A
black general is the hero. This would have been at a time when much of
In the comedy, The Merchant of Venice, the roles and responsibilities of women is a significant social issue proposed by Shakespeare. This theme is communicated by the only three female characters in the play: Nerissa, Portia and Jessica. For example, in Act 4 during the trial between Antonio and Shylock, Portia and Nerissa disguise themselves as Balthasar and Bellario to free their friend. However, Jessica also plays a minor role in portraying the independence of Jewish women in a Christian and Elizabethan society, by successfully betraying her father, Shylock. These characters portray Shakespeare’s overall opinion on women, as well as a modern audience’s view on Elizabethan society in many significant ways by accentuating themes, ideas and contextual links in the form of the play itself.
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, is a comedy play about the love exploits of several Italian characters, told in an objective third-person point of view. The play is set in Venice, Italy during the Renaissance. The protagonist, Antonio, is a merchant of Venice who is affluent, well-respected, and sociable. The title supports the supposition that Antonio is the protagonist because it is termed The Merchant of Venice, indicating the story of the merchant. Antonio's best friend, Bassanio, is an impecunious romantic who borrows money on Antonio's credit to court the woman he loves. Since Bassanio is in a perpetual state of indebtedness he requires money to appear affluent enough to marry Portia, the beautiful maiden from Belmont. The central antagonist is Shylock, a Jewish money lender who gives Bassanio the desired funds on Antonio's credit, but on one unusual condition. Instead of his usual rate of interest if the debt is not repaid in three months, Shylock desires to take one pound of flesh off Antonio's body. Antonio's ships (his bond) are due to return before the contract expires so Antonio agrees to the contract which is legally signed under Venetian law.
as famous as "TO BE OR NOT TO BE" or other classical pieces in his
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.
A significant moment in Othello demonstrates the theme of binaries questioned in many of Shakespeare's works. Addressing the Duke and senators, Othello says:
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is one of his most controversial plays for a variety of reasons. Written in sixteenth-century England, where anti-Semitism was common and the presence of Jews was not, the play poses many questions concerning racial, religious and human difference. The play is especially tricky to examine in today’s society, as its anti-Semitic themes and language can be uncomfortable to face in a world post-Holocaust. Additionally, the depiction of the relationship between Jews and Christians, which has always been an ambivalent one, adds a very interesting albeit difficult dimension to this play. Ultimately, through dramatic plot and distinctive characters, The Merchant of Venice explores what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be Christian. A closer analysis of these opposing groups unearths inconsistencies between what the characters preach versus what they practice, as well as their problematic notions of justice, mercy and love.
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
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.