More handpicked essays just for you.
Critical analysis of The Merchant of Venice
Explain the play merchant of venice written by william shakespeare for preparation of board of 2019
Critical analysis of The Merchant of Venice
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Way Shylock is Presented in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is about the conflict between a Jew and a
Christian. This is not between one Jew and one Christian but between
Shylock, who stands as a representative of the Jewish tribe, and
between groups of Christians who greatly outnumber the Jew. The
conflict between Jews and Christians is a historical one. The
Christians hated the Jews because they made money from usury; this was
completely against the Christian beliefs of that time. However, this
hate was not one-sided as the Jews also hated the Christians because
the Christians treated them very badly; the Jews were "alien" to the
Venetian society and thus were treated as a second class race. This is
not exactly what the whole play is about, the play also involves
Antonio and his best friend, Bassanio as he goes to meet Portia his
future wife. Thus we can see that this play arouses many issues such
as prejudice, racism, law and the nature of love and friendship.
The first time we meet Shylock is in Act 1, Scene 3. Shylocks first
words are "three thousand ducats". From this we can see that
Shakespeare has already presented Shylocks character as a miser with a
callous and materialistic mind, as his first words are regarding his
money. As Bassanio goes over the facts of the "bond", Shylock answers
him in a way that repeats what has just been said and adding, "well"
at the end. This is as if he is mocking Bassanio, by repeating the
same blunt phrases, to express his narrow range of ideas. As he
doesn't say much this gives the effect that he is a miser with his
words and his "ducats". When Bassani...
... middle of paper ...
... only reason why he really wanted the bond was to get an upper hand on
the Christians. I think Shylock had been forced to act in this way as
he was suppressed by the Christians.
However Elizabethan play-goers would have seen Shylock as the ultimate
villain, as he dealt with usury. They must have thought that Shylock
deserved everything he got. The Christians of that time also believed
that the Jews ate the flesh of Christians, so for them Shylock was the
villain of the play, robbing most of the comedy from the play. From
this we can see why he was so abused by the Christians and called
"villain", "dog" and "wolf". However, nowadays people may see Shylock
as someone forced to act in such as way from all the pressure he is
put under. We can see that Shylock just wants to lead a life away from
Christians who hate him.
power and status that he has established over the years. This demonstrates that an evil person
thinks that he just merely works under them and he always has to no matter what
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 second assumption is that Shylock does not deserve our sympathy as he is not. superficial, what he has done has outweighed all senses of morality. In this, we agree to a certain extent only. Pertaining to the first assumption, Shylock is not one-sided. superficial villain but has actually two sides: one of a comic villain.
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
'If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If
receives. So it would not be fair to say that he was totally evil as
actions, "I am as like to call thee so again, To spit on thee again,
mistreated under Shylock’s care to go as so far as to run away from him. It
Shylock is no more greedy than Bassanio begging for money or Lorenzo accepting Jessica’s gifts. Shylock is a loving father who wants the best for his only daughter. This love is expressed by his distress after he finds she has left him and through Shylock’s concern about Christian husbands during the courtroom scene in Act 5 Scene 1. Although Shylock showcases benevolent characteristics, like any individual he possesses faults. Shylock occasionally has moments of great acrimony in which he expresses his displeasment in the society. A strong proclamation of Shylock’s displeasment with his environment is when Shylock cries, “what 's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes?”
The first scene I'm going to look at is Act one, Scene three; this is
more a villain or a victim. In the course of this essay I will explore
did this through Shylock. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock tells of how he is
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.
Shylock must have known before hand that he stood. very little chance of winning the case, for the reason being of his. social status. But he also gets punishment due to his religion. beliefs.