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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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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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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In the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare‚ according to a number of characters‚ there is a prominent aura revolving around the themes of love and hate. It is understandable that during the latter part of the play‚ Shylocks daughter‚ Jessica‚ contradicting her father Shylock‚ is in love with a Christian man named Lorenzo‚ a friend of Bassanio’s‚ whom takes Jessica from her father’s home and escapes to Belmont with her. On the other hand however‚ it is clear that within majority of
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gets down and Dirty in Venice Portia‚ Lady from Belmont‚ always seemed like a sweet girl‚ always behaved the way her father wanted her too. Obviously her father’s death has caused some changes as recently Portia has taken some extreme risks to save her love Bassanio. Bassanio is Portia’s most recent suitor who successfully picked the lead casket and now him and Portia have wed. Soon after they had found their love for each other Bassanio soon left for court in Venice where his best friend Antonio
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work towards their self interests‚ however when a persons self interests don’t coincide with what is considered good‚ it can create a problem. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck‚ the poem "Power" by Corrine Hales‚ and the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare‚ the characters struggle to show empathy and instead choose to promote their own interests‚ which ends up causing problems for them. Lack of empathy will often come back around and hurt you‚ as displayed by Curley‚ the
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The Merchant of Venice‚ supposedly written between 1596 and 1598 is classified as an early Shakespearean comedy and also one of the problem plays. Though It is classified as a comedy‚ it has certain aspects of a romance. The play itself is about what could be called a rival between Christianity and Judaism with parts including women’s rights. The Jewish money lending merchant‚ Shylock seeks a pound of flesh from his fellow Christian‚ Antonio from failing to pay back three thousand ducats. Not only
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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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this false front when alone‚ and that Antonio drops it when with Bassiano and Gratiano. When Antonio is with Bassiano‚ we see different motives for investment. Shylock lends money almost maliciously; he seeks to have people (at least Antonio) at his mercy. Bassiano asks for money due to friendship‚ and Antonio stands for it. They have‚ therefore‚ different motives in all of this. Because Shylock is a Jew and lends money charging interest‚ Antonio feels morally superior towards him. He uses any opportunity
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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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