Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
In my opinion I think that Shylock is a villain in the 'Merchant of
Venice' because he is portrayed as a ruthless money-lender. The plot
of the 'Merchant of Venice' is centred on Shylock, a Jewish money
lender who is trying to survive in a country, which despises him, and
alienates him from society. He has made a bond with Bassanio and
Antonio that if his ships do not come back then he would take a pound
of his flesh due to the debt of 3000 ducats. Shylock becomes obsessed
with obtaining Antonio's pound of flesh that he tries anything to get
it. In the sixteenth century Christians didn't treat Jews the same
because they hated the traditional profession of Jews which was
lending money to gain a profit, this is shown in the way William
Shakespeare portrays Shylock. We also see different relationships and
struggles between the other characters in the play.
In 16th century Venice there was great opposition between Christians
and Jews. The centre of Venice was made up of mostly a Christian
population and the Jews were situated outside the perimeters in
ghettos. This shows that Jews were somewhat alienated from Venetian
society and from all Christian society. Jews were seen as inferior to
Christians and they were not allowed to own any type of land. Jews
were also singled out by them having to wear specially colour hats to
distinguish them from the rest of the Venetians. In years before, Jews
were persecuted because of their religion and to years leading up to
when Shakespeare wrote the 'Merchant of Venice' they were still being
prejudice to Jews. These persecutions took place because of the
Christians belief that the Jews were involved in the death of Jesus
Christ. Shakespeare might of added this character to the play because
he might of wanted to show the Christians that Jews still suffer the
same as them and that they have feelings too. Shakespeare might of
also put the character Shylock into the 'Merchant of Venice' because
This comes to show that Antonio now realized that Gods power was not absolute, that there were things that the power of God cannot fix. This can be fortified by the fact that Antonio wonders whether the power in Ultima’s magic was greater than that of the priest back on page 99. After all the events that have occurred, you better believe that Antonio was one curious child with tons of questions. Questions that could not be answered, questions not even the great Ultima knew the answers.
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice An ogre is according to the Collins Dictionary “a monstrous or cruel being” but more significantly as “something or someone who eats human flesh.” Is this how Shylock is portrayed in the play or is he a simple human being, a species capable of showing emotions and feelings such as vulnerability and love. Certainly, Shylock is presented to the audience in so powerful a way that even though he only appears in five scenes, many consider him the central character. Throughout the play Shylock appears to be the butt of all the jokes and many critics see his status in the play as the tragic hero.
‘villain’; he is a complex mix of both. In the first part of the play,
Othello's going to war as "Another of his fathom they have none/ To lead their
fair flesh" (I, iii, l. 143-4). It is easy to feel sorry for a widower
He questions whether he belongs to his mother’s family, the Lunas, who live as farmers, or his father’s family, the Márezes, who freely wander the land. His care for his family demonstrates his maturity at attempting to always do the best he can for everyone. Although his parents each want him to follow their families’ paths, they remain absent from Antonio’s true journey of understanding his own thoughts and beliefs, leaving him “frightened to be alone” (Anaya 7); the lack of parental support through his personal conflict leads him to have trouble knowing how to address his confusion, but it also causes Antonio to develop an independence that most people do not possess. He sees hope for finding answers from the moment he meets Ultima when he “knew she held the secret of [his] destiny” (Anaya 13). She chooses him and sends him to save as she helps lead him on his path. Through assisting her, he gains new experiences that contradict his traditional Christian teachings, which encourage him to be open-minded and bold as he challenges everything he believes. The Belly of the Whale demonstrates Antonio’s heroism by highlighting his courage to discover answers to his questions, even after he finds “only silence” (Anaya 233) at his first communion, as he realizes that he cannot find the peace in God that he
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout "The Merchant of Venice" Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader.
At the opening of the play three characters are on stage, Antonio, Salerio, and Solanio. Through the dialogue, Salerio informs the audience of Antonio's ships: "Your mind is tossing on the ocean/There where your argosies [ i.e., great merchant ships] with portly [i.e., stately] sail (I.i. 8-9). While in the same scene Solanio helps the audience establish that Antonio has no major love interest: "Why then you are in love," to which Antonio replies, "Fie, fie!" (I.i. 46-47). Through their conversations, the two have given the audience a basis for the play: that Antonio is a merchant and that he is not concerned about being in love.
Don Pedro: "...I will in the interim undertake one of Hercules' labours, which is, to bring Signior Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection th' one with th' other. I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not but to fashion it if you three will but minister such assistance as I shall give you direction.
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
Antonio that he will take a pound of flesh if the money is not repaid
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
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.
flesh and blood, hates him so much that she robs him and runs away to
It is evident in both plays by William Shakespeare that ambition and pride seem to be the