Themes in The Merchant of Venice This resource is designed as a reference guide for teachers. We have listed the major themes and motifs within The Merchant of Venice and provided examples of scenes where you can study them. Themes Prejudice and social injustice Revenge‚ justice and forgiveness Money and love Motifs (Recurring elements and patterns of imagery in The Merchant of Venice which support the play’s themes) Gold/ducats‚ jewels and caskets The law Rings Music Registered charity no. 212481
Free The Merchant of Venice Portia Shylock
In Shakespeare’s play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ the character of Shylock proves‚ ultimately‚ to be a victim of himself. Shylock brings about his own demise through his own deeds and misdeeds. Shylock begins to cause his own misfortune when Antonio approaches him for a loan to aid Bassanio in courting Portia. At first‚ Shylock is wary to lend Antonio the money. "I am debating of my present store...I cannot instantly raise up the gross of full three thousand ducats...Tubal...will furnish me (13)"
Free The Merchant of Venice Shylock Portia
In the Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare illustrates his feelings towards Jews in 17th century England through the use of a commonly known stereotype during the time‚ the racial tension between Jews and Christians. Shylock is the focal point of the play‚ and acts as the traditional stereotype of the Jew in Elizabethan times. The merchant of venice is often seen as an anti-semitic work due to the stereotypical portrayal of the jewish character shylock. Some would argue that the most inevitable interpretation
Premium Antisemitism Judaism Jews
Money versus Love/Human Relationships Which is more important to you in life‚ money or love? Both are important and necessary parts of life‚ but which one brings more of the other? In the The Merchant Of Venice it seems that money is the more important thing in several places within the play‚ money is mentioned before a person as well as love itself. This is a consistent pattern throughout the play with the majority of the characters but this is highlighted within the lines of Shylock The Jew
Free The Merchant of Venice Shylock Portia
(Lawrence&Lee 51). Society often victimizes individuals who have a value system or a personal sense of morality that does not conform with its own. William Shakespeare‚ Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee expertly articulate this concept within The Merchant of Venice and Inherit the Wind. Bertram Cates and Shylock experience multiple forms of persecution in each of their towns. The fact that both characters undergo a tangible penalty highlights the similarities as well as the differences between the two
Premium Sociology Morality English-language films
One of the most central issues in ’The Merchant of Venice’ is that of the antagonism between the Jews and the Christians. The unconscious‚ inborn dislike of cultures which jeopardise our way of life. Ever since people have left their homelands to settle in other places there has been conflict between different cultures. So‚ in the play‚ Antonio‚ Bassanio‚ Gratiano and many more of the Christians feel resentment towards Shylock the ’alien’. This is partly because of the trap that he has led Antonio
Free The Merchant of Venice Shylock
similarities between Ser Giovanni’s Il Pecorone and William Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice are blatantly obvious. The stories seem to be essentially the same with few differences between them. It appears that Shakespeare just added dialogue to an existing tale‚ not having created the plot himself. This simply is not the case. While there are many recognizable similarities between Il Pecorone and A Merchant of Venice there are significant differences between Shakespeare’s character of Bassanio
Free The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare Shylock
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
Premium Gender Woman Gender role
The common topic I chose between both‚ To Kill a Mockingbird and The Merchant of Venice is racism. In Harper Lee’s novel‚ the time setting was in the early 1930’s‚ and at this time‚ African Americans were discriminated against by white people. Tom Robinson‚ a black man‚ is a victim of racism in the novel‚ because he is falsely charged with raping Mayella Ewell‚ a white woman. Atticus Finch‚ knows that Tom is innocent‚ and therefore tries to defend him‚ but no one in the jury sides with him. Atticus
Premium To Kill a Mockingbird Racism Black people
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice with reference to a range of critical reading. Both plays were written in the 1590 ’s‚ the same period at which the duke visited london and made the statement that features in the title of this essay. the duke also so observed trade was an integral cog in the working machine that was london. But this was not only exclusive to london. If we also look back at venice during this time it was represented by shakespere as excotic
Free The Merchant of Venice Shylock Portia