morals. These morals revolved around the superiority of followers of Christianity to followers of other religions‚ particularly Judaism. Works such as the Merchant of Venice may seem to today’s audience as anti-Semitic while extolling Christian virtues‚ or at least the perceived virtues of what it meant to be Christian. In the Merchant of Venice‚ the Christian virtue of mercy as a “divine” quality seems to be upheld for the pleasure of an Elizabethan audience. However‚ it seems that Shakespeare may
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Historical Context The historical context of The Merchant of Venice turns‚ for the most part‚ on one question: the status of Jews in Shakespeare’s England. Jews had lived in England throughout the Middle Ages; they were treated then as property of the King‚ and were permitted to stay in England‚ over the protests of the Church‚ only by his "good graces." In fact‚ English kings allowed the Jews to remain in England largely for financial reasons: practicing trades‚ particularly money-lending‚ that
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Wheadon 1 English 3205 Dr. Lois Sherlow Matthew Wheadon Oct. 23‚ 2012 Justice and Mercy in The Merchant of Venice In the court room scene of The Merchant of Venice‚ justice is handed back and forth between the Christians and Shylock‚ unlike mercy. Shylock is unable to feel any remorse for Antonio and the Christians because of the hate he has for them. Stubbornness and hatred can cause misfortune; the morally superior have a right to justice. As the trial scene begins‚ the Duke speaks
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Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice It is my strong belief that the play‚ "The Merchant of Venice"‚ should be taught in classes. If this play was banned from schools it would most certainly be a form of censorship. While minors rights are somewhat limited when it comes to this right‚ I think that even Minors should not be censored from this writing. The play teaches us about prejudice‚ and why it is wrong. People would see how everyone was hurt at one time or another by a prejudice
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Talley British Literature Theme paper for Merchant of Venice October 29‚ 2014 A theme is an underlying idea the author hopes to communicate in his/her story. Sometimes a theme is also another way an author can leave a message for his or her readers to think about. In the Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare added themes of prejudice‚ love versus greed‚ and mercy versus revenge and justice. Prejudice was one of the key themes in this story. The Merchant of Venice shows the religious discrimination between
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of The Merchant of Venice’ is apparently fanciful but in reality exactingly structured.</b></center> <br> <br>"The Merchant of Venice is a fairy tale. There is no more reality in Shylock’s bond and the Lord of Belmont’s will than in Jack and the Beanstalk." <br>H. Granville-Barker‚ in Prefaces to Shakespeare. <br> <br>This is one way of looking at the play‚ reading it or enjoying the performance. But it can be a contradiction to our actual feelings about this complex play. The Merchant of Venice’
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The Three Caskets Three caskets; one of gold‚ one of silver‚ and one of lead. Three caskets are set before many suitors who all would like to take Portia of Belmont’s hand in marriage. But Portia’s father’s will states that each suitor who wishes to take Portia’s hand in marriage‚ must choose one of the three caskets and the one who chooses the correct casket may have the fair Portia’s hand in holy matrimony. This trial‚ designed by Portia’s late father‚ allows him to screen through his daughter
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and emotionally compelling plays‚ sonnets‚ and poetry. Two of his finest pieces of work‚ Othello and The Merchant of Venice feature dynamic characters‚ and insights into the chivalry and the xenophobic disposition of the English people at the time. Throughout these two stories‚ three primary female characters emerge‚ Desdemona from Othello‚ and Portia and Jessica from The Merchant of Venice. The female leads in each of these stories share many things in common such as their devotion to their mate
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Written sometime between 1596 to 1598‚ The Merchant Of Venice is classified as both and early Shakespearean comedy and as one of the Shakespeare’s problem plays. Scene 1 introduces one of the major plot points as well as several key characters. When Antonio‚ Solanio and Salarino enter at the beginning of the play‚ they are in the middle of the discussion about why Antonio is so sad. This “Sadness” of which Antonio claims not to know source of‚ becomes clear when he reveals to Bassanio that all of
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The Merchant of Venice‚ Act 2 Watch the film version of Act 2 and answer these questions: Scene 1 Morocco is the first suitor to try his luck. What is he told before he is to choose? Scene 2: Lancelot Gobbo‚ the clown‚ wants to leave Shylock’s service‚ why? His father brings a present to his son’s master. Why is prose used? What does Gratiano want form Bassanio? Scene 3: Describe what happens. What does Jessica feel about the situation? Scene 4: A group of masqued men are on their
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