3) Shylock is crafty and pretentious. To exact his revenge‚ he tricks Antonio to sign a bond in return for the loan of 3000 ducats to help Bassanio. He uses words like a bond signed “in a merry sport” and “This is kind I offer.” He agrees not to charge interest but prefers a pound of Antonio’s flesh if Antonio is not able to repay the loan. He pretends that he is not serious about the pound of flesh by saying: “If he should break his day‚ what should I gain By the exaction of his forfeiture
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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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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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Narrator: The Merchant of Venice is set in 16th century Italy. Venice‚ a city of canals‚ at that time was a famous cultural and trading centre. Antonio is a leading merchant in the city. The scene opens on a street in Venice. (Enter Antonio‚ Salerio and Solanio from left side of stage. They walk up to the centre) Antonio: Truly‚ I don’t know why I’m feeling sad; It’s tiresome; you say you’re tired of it too. But I have no idea why I started feeling this way. And this sadness makes me lose
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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 from Antonio’s
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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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Lord Lyttelton finds Shakespeare a dramatic genius par excellence. “He (Shakespeare) painted all chara cters‚ from kings down to peasants with equal truth and equal force”. “The Merchant Of Venice” shows that he is an astonishing artist and his deep insight into the human heart is par excellence. “The Merchant Of Venice” is famous‚ not only for the beauty of the language but also for the beauty of characterization. Shylock‚ the Jew is one of the inconceivable masterpieces of Shakespeare’s characterization
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Shakespeare’s plays‚ critics often crave categorizing each play into 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
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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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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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