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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Original Text | Modern Text | | Enter ANTONIO‚ SALARINO‚ and SOLANIO | ANTONIO‚ SALARINO‚ and SOLANIO enter. | 5 | ANTONIOIn sooth‚ I know not why I am so sad.It wearies me; you say it wearies you.But how I caught it‚ found it‚ or came by it‚What stuff ’tis made of‚ whereof it is born‚I am to learn.And such a want-wit sadness makes of me‚That I have much ado to know myself. | ANTONIOTo be honest‚ I don’t know why I’m so sad. I’m tired of it‚ and you say you’re tired of it too. But I have
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Prejudice is a significant theme in The Merchant of Venice. This is expresses at various occasions throughout the novel. One of the most significant examples of prejudice in this novel is the Anti-Semitic views of the Christian citizens in Venice. A second act of prejudice in The Merchant of Venice occurs when the Prince of Morocco arrives in Venice. The third example‚ though more subtle‚ is the prejudice towards the Prince of Arragon. These three examples fall in to two major categories‚ racial
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To what extent is the play a microcosm of the Elizabethan Era? In Elizabethan England‚ many of the general public were anti – Semitic and driven by extreme dislike of other religions other than Christianity. This anti – Semitic sensitivity has lasted since the early ages‚ dating back to 1300 B.C. when the Jews were expelled from Egypt at the end of the nineteenth Dynasty.. Jews were accused of exploiting Christians and they were actually banned from England in 1290‚ and were not allowed back
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Shylock and Antonio resent and dislike one another. Firstly‚ Shylock hates Antonio because he is a Christian; secondly‚ because Antonio is a Christian and therefore not allowed to charge interest‚ Antonio undercuts Shylock’s business by lending money without charging interest. The fact that Shylock does loan money and charges interest is another reason for Antonio not to like him. As a businessman‚ Antonio must resent Shylock’s ability to earn extra money by charging interest. We know that Shylock
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are not always what they seem. People may appear to be one way but turn out to be an entirely different. The 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
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Character Study of Shylock and our feelings for him as the play progresses 1) He is seen as a mercenary money-lender approached by Bassanio for the loan of 3000 ducats with Antonio as the guarantor. The money is to finance Bassanio on his trip to Belmont to woo Portia whom he is in love with. He keeps debating on whether he should lend the money. Even when Antonio is a “good” man meaning he is financially sound‚ yet his money is invested in goods which are in ships overseas. Therefore‚ his ventures
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in The Merchant of Venice and Stories from Rwanda William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Phillip Gourevitch’s We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda are very similar in the fact that both address the value of human life. In The Merchant of Venice‚ one of the main characters is intent on murdering a man for money. In Stories from Rwanda‚ people are killed mainly because of their appearances. Throughout both works‚ The Merchant of Venice
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of Shylock I had not read the _Merchant of Venice_ before this class. All of my familiarity with the play was based on hearsay‚ and for some reason I got the idea in my heads that it was a tragedy. I thought that Shylock_did_ receive a pound of flesh from Antonio‚ but that it was just skin removed from his back. This gruesome image was what I was waiting for during my entire reading of the play. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. Also‚ I found out ’Comedy’ means ’Happy
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most from it. They were convicted of heresy‚ and often killed because of their beliefs. Such is the kind of racial discrimination toward Shylock‚ the Jewish character in "The Merchant of Venice." Some believe that the character as a greedy‚ coldhearted villain‚ which is not the case. In Shakespeare’s play‚ "The Merchant of Venice‚" Shylock was a victim of years’ struggle against discrimination toward his religion. One of the most persistent charges against Shylock was that he was cruel and bloodthirsty
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