Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’‚ the main characters are Jews‚ a characteristic that makes the comparison of the books easier. However‚ the way the characters are presented has made the two stories have deep and active anti-Semitic notions and messages. Right from the beginning of the play‚ we can see some clear negative stereotypes towards Jews. Barabbas is undoubtedly portrayed as a man who loves money to an extent that he seems addicted to them. In the opening‚ we see a merchant‚ counting his
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they were actually banned from England in 1290‚ and were not allowed back into England several decades after ‘The Merchant of Venice’ had been written. The Elizabethans were ignorant of the Jewish culture. Shakespeare knew that the majority of the population was Christian and had to write something that was somewhat an outrage to the Jews. So he decided to write the Merchant of Venice‚ in which he deliberately included stereotypical prejudice to reflect current society. The play in the earlier part
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fairytale elements in ’The Merchant of Venice’. For example‚ there is the idea of being three different items such as the three caskets‚ three thousand ducats in the bond and the three marriages. There is also the idea of deception‚ which is featured in many fairy tales. An example of this idea is when Jessica betrays her father to elope with Lorenzo. There is also disguise‚ when Portia and Nerissa disguise themselves as male layers to save Antonio from the bond. The idea of Shylock taking a pound of flesh
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friendship‚ and revenge. In the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare‚ we explore the important idea that money cannot represent everything‚ through the bond between Shylock and Antonio‚ Bassanio’s choice of caskets‚ and the sacrifice Antonio makes for his best friend Bassanio. Shakespeare portrays this message to us through the bond between Shylock‚ a Jew‚ and Antonio‚ a Christian. The bond is if Antonio fails to pay 3000 ducats he borrowed‚ Shylock can have a pound of his flesh. During
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romantic-comedy‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ by William Shakespeare‚ shows the deliberate use of deception by the characters. Deception is a tool that is used for many purposes. The purposes can be harmful‚ protective or for personal gain. In The Merchant of Venice‚ Portia‚ Jessica‚ and Shylock are all characters who use deception to carry out their own motives. Shylock‚ the hated Jew‚ makes his living through the practice of usury and uses deception when Antonio asks to borrow money from him. Shylock agrees to
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Gay Marriage: Our Own Merchant of Venice Within America‚ the concept of same-sex marriage has recently been under heavy debate. The growing interest in such has created issues concerning politics‚ society‚ morality‚ religion and civil rights. The conflict itself arises due to an abundance of peoples’ own views on whether same-sex couples should be permitted to enter marriage. The 47% of American people opposed” (Alper‚ Gideon I.‚P.L.) fail to acknowledge that we as human beings have the inalienable
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Glossary—The Merchant of Venice Act I‚ Scene II 1. “By my troth”—a mild oath like “Upon my word” 2. aught—anything 3. surfeit—overindulge 4. superfluity—excess 5. Hare—to run fast 6. “overname them”—say their names over 7. colt—a young‚ or inexperienced person 8. Death’s-head—skull 9. a-cap’ring—dancing 10. pennyworth—a small amount 11. doublet—a close-fitting outer garment‚ with or without sleeves and sometimes having a short skirt‚ worn by men in the
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The Merchant of Venice can be an effective tool for spreading anti-Semitism depending on the type of reader. Since Shakespeare’s play is an “ambiguous” work‚ everyone can have different interpretations depending on their knowledge‚ thoughts and background. In this essay‚ we will answer to the question by analyzing the character of Shylock. Although Shylock takes action only in five scenes of the play‚ he is the cornerstone of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Shylock‚ “referred as ‘the Jew’
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Virtues of Women in Genre Valerie Traub discusses that women of Shakespeare’s time‚ during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras‚ desired four virtues which were ‘obedience‚ chastity‚ silence and piety’ (2001‚ P130). If we relate this idea to ‘Scotland‚ PA’‚ it is clear that Pat does not comply herself to this ideology of women‚ meaning she is not obedient‚ chaste‚ silent and pious. For instance‚ Pat is very outspoken‚ speaking freely what is on her mind. This is evident throughout the film as she continually
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a specific genre. Many of Shakespeare’s plays fit into a genre‚ but some‚ such as The Merchant of Venice‚ fail to conform to one genre. One of Shakespeare’s early plays that is a festive comedy is A Midsummer Night’s Dream‚ which is a great parallel to The Merchant of Venice because both revolve around romantic relationships but each leaves the reader with different feelings at the end. The play staring Shylock the Jew carries dark undertones that eliminate it from being a festive comedy‚ but it
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