The Treatment of Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Introduction. The play I have been studying is called "The Merchant Of Venice". This play was written in the early 1590's, and was first performed in 1596. William Shakespeare wrote "The Merchant Of Venice". There are many possible influences that inspired William Shakespeare to write "The Merchant of Venice". There are four strands to the story, which are; The caskets; the winning of Portia hand in marriage. The elopement; Jessica and Lorenzo The rings; a love test The bond; Shylock and the pound of flesh The four strands in the play are not any of Shakespeare's own inventions or ideas. The bond between shylock and Antonio was based on an Italian story "Il Pecorone" (the idiot). The Italian story could have influenced Shakespeare in the writing of his play. What also influenced Shakespeare in his writing is the hugely successful play called "Jew of Malta" which was written by Christopher Marlow, in which a stereotypical wicked Jew performed all kinds of outrage. I also think that DR Lopez (Jewish doctor) who had been executed for theoretically trying to poison Queen Elizabeth. There has always been hatred of Jews since the Romans took over their country, which was Israel. At first the Romans allowed then their religious freedom but later tried to crush the Jewish faith and culture. This persecution led many Jews to seek new lives in other countries. This process is also known as the Diaspora, which was the Scattering of the Jews. Jews have always been known as intelligent and hardworking businessmen. These qualities in Jewish pe... ... middle of paper ... ...nt ideas from a lot of different people, which is a good thing. In the 1590's the people never thought they were being racist it was a normal thing to not treat the Jewish community in a correct manner. The following quote give me a reason why I think William Shakespeare was not racist: "...I am a Jew. Hath not Jew eyes? Hath not Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If u tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die?..." Act 3 scene 1 lines 46-52 In my opinion William Shakespeare wanted Christians to realise that Jews were also human and should be treated like one too.
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.
The Christian vision of Human Sexuality compared to many religions is seen as quite restrictive. Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism do not put near as much effort in restricting human sexuality as Christians do. Particularly in Hinduism, sex is seen as a good thing and is even celebrated. Even more, some Hindu’s practice the teachings of the Kama Sutra “which provides the details of erotic method…presenting the particulars of various types of positions, caresses, and embraces” (LoPresti 25). These views of sexuality in Hinduism are significantly different to the views of Christianity. “How would you characterize the Christian vision of human sexuality, as relatively positive and affirming or more cautious and restrictive?” (LoPresti 137)
Christianity has its challenges. It places demands on us that set us apart from the rest of our world. The bible calls us a peculiar people, who navigate the challenge of living IN the world, without being OF the world. When we say ‘no’ to temptations that are enjoyed by the masses, we are labeled as self-righteous snobs, religious weirdoes, or worse. But we persevere, and we press toward that invisible line the Apostle Paul drew in the sands of time…for the high calling in Christ Jesus.
What being Christian means is being nice and respectful of others, not drinking and not over-indulging into sensations. O’Connor wants to paint a picture of Christianity to the audience
say, “If I can catch once upon the hip I will feed fat the ancient
In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the power that Iago has over Emilia in their relationship helps manifest the unfairness of gender roles thus, leading to a distortion of the worth of women. The power that Iago has over Emilia hurts Emilia’s self-confidence. The distortion of the worth of women ultimately leads to misunderstandings in Emilia’s view of relationships.
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "Shylock is a two dimensional villain who does not deserve our
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 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.
In this essay I will try to discover is Shylock a villain or a victim, in the William Shakespeare play “The Merchant of Venice”
Shylock Deserves Sympathy Shylock is indeed a complex character and has the dimension of pain-he has suffered, still suffers and is one of a people who have suffered over centuries. However, to what extent should Shylock suffer and does he deserve our sympathy or hostility. Although anti-Semitism is totally unacceptable today, it was quite normal in Shakespeare's time. However, as he has done with other villains, Shakespeare actually plays around with his audience's preconceptions and makes Shylock an interesting, complex and sometimes likable character.
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.
In this essay I will try to discover is Shylock a villain or a victim, in the William Shakespeare play “A Merchant of Venice”