Shylock of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
The Jews have unfairly endured extreme persecution for thousands of
years, because of their strong beliefs. The Jews lost their own
country to the Romans, and had to move out. They have not had an
official country until recently, and had to settle down in tight-knit
communities, in foreign countries. Their racial prejudice towards them
was caused by their intelligence, hard work and success in business in
conjunction with their hate for keeping up their customs and religion.
Another reason for their loathing is because they can be used as a
scapegoat. They are a convenient group to single out and blame for
troubles. Hitler, like many totalitarian dictators before him, needed
to divert blame for his nation’s problems by ascribing them to an
innocent victim. He randomly selected the Jews as his scapegoat and
launched a massive campaign against them to alienate them from
mainstream German society. He succeeded in his efforts, and as a
result, the overwhelming majority of Germans came to hate Jews.
Two thousand years ago, the Jews lived in a country now called Israel.
Unfortunately for them, the Romans had succeeded to take over their
land. The Romans let the Jews have religious freedom at first, but
later tried to abolish the Jewish faith and country, in a process
called ‘Diaspora’. This led to Jewish communities living all over the
world. Their hatred towards them can be understood, because of their
differences to the Christian faith.
Today, there is still quite a lot of racial hatred towards the Jews.
One example is the Palestinians. They live in a country next to Israel,
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...aracter, and
that is what makes him an interesting character. He is so complex; he
is both a victim and a villain, depending on the circumstances. My
conclusion is that Shylock cannot be given a label of ‘victim’ or
‘villain’; he is a complex mix of both. In the first part of the play,
i.e. before the court scene, he is more of a victim than a villain.
But as the plot unfolds and his plan comes to action, he is more of a
villain. There is no definite answer, and the whole victim and villain
argument is open to interpretation.
One thing is for sure, Shakespeare did not want us to think he was a
victim in any of this. In Shakespeare’s time, Jews were considered
lower class and mediocre, and probably this was the view Shakespeare
had. It is only through modern, anti-racist eyes, are we able to see
his victimisation.
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as on the of the best playwrights and poets to have ever existed. “It is a widely speculated topic that William Shakespeare did not write the poems and that up to about 50 other poets could have writen them.”("Shakespeare facts: Read," 2011) “William Shakespeare is the second most quoted writer in the english language.” ("Shakespeare facts: Read," 2011) It is widely speculated that the true Shakespeare is actually Edward De Vere. I firmlybelieve Shakespeare was not the true playwright because of his lack of education, lack of upper class etiquette, and the different penmanship over time.
In Susan Pharr's "The Common Elements of Oppression", she defines "the other" as the outcast of society, the ones who stand up for what they believe in, no matter how `against the grain' it may be, the ones who try the hardest to earn acceptance, yet never receive it. In Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice", Shylock, the `villain' is portrayed as the other simply because of his faith, because he is Jewish in a predominantly Christian society.
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Shylock is a Jew in the play "The merchant of Venice". He has a daughter called Jessica and he is in many ways a victim of anti-Semitism. Shakespeare brings across Shylock as a Jew using many different devices. For example he uses anti-Semitism to show that Shylock is meant to be portrayed as an isolated character. Anti-Semitism was based on religious grounds back then, they held the belief that Jews murdered Christ and were therefore in the league of the devil, this is why the Christians in the play and the directors of the play are vengeful towards Shylock.
villain. The book is also taken over by sin and retribution (crime and punishment). All the
...t meet Shakespeare's demands the chances are slim. He must be a paradox: amoral and god fearing.
receives. So it would not be fair to say that he was totally evil as
of the play as he is in contrast to Antonio and surely no victim would
of why he hates Antonio is because he is a Christian. (I. iii. 43) This to the
The plot, characters, and relationships present in William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice all revolve around the concept of money; a theme that is strongly linked to the religious dichotomies explored throughout the comedy. At the beginning of the play, Antonio and Bassanio 's money-rooted relationship is introduced. Bassanio asks Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats. Antonio agrees to take out a loan for his friend, even though Bassanio had previously borrowed money and had not yet returned it. Antonio’s willingness to help out his seemingly untrustworthy friend, demonstrates his belief that friendship is more imperative than money. As a Christian, Antonio is following the expected trend; he is valuing life over stuff. Another
Shakespeare’s Personality. Ed. Norman N. Holland, Sidney Homan, and Bernard J. Paris. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. 116. - 134.
The Character of Shylock in Merchant of Venice Few characters created by Shakespeare embodies pure evil like the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. He is a malignant, vengeful character, consumed with venomous malice1; a picture of callous, unmitigated villainy, deaf to every appeal of humanity2. Shylock is the antagonist opposite the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist; who must defend himself against the "devil" Shylock. The evil he represents is one of the reasons Shakespeare chose to characterize Shylock as a Jew, as Jews of his time were seen as the children of the Devil, the crucifiers of Christ and stubborn rejecters of God's wisdom and Christianity.
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.
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice The play begins in Venice where the wealthy merchant Antonio is talking to his young friends about the reasons for the depression. Antonio claims not to understand himself his sad nature. Bassanio arrives with the news that he wishes to court a wealthy, beautiful heiress named Portia. In order to present himself to Portia he wants to borrow 3000 ducats.
flesh and blood, hates him so much that she robs him and runs away to