between villain and victim becomes blurred. Victims are usually characterised in the way that they are persecuted for circumstances‚ which are beyond their control for example their appearance. In plays and novels‚ the victim is sometimes a character included to highlight the prejudices and pre-conceptions of the social climate in which the play or novel was written. In the Merchant of Venice’ it can be argued that Shylocks character undergoes a metamorphosis from villain to victim. However‚ in this
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Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor and merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind‚ generous‚ honest and confident‚ and is loved and revered by all the Christians who know him. Even Portia‚ who sees Antonio as a rival for her husband’s affections‚ reveres his character and appreciates — with reservations — his willingness to die for Bassanio. Antonio manifests his
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Conflicts in "Merchant of Venice" occur as a result of four major life themes: love‚ money‚ prejudice and disguise. Shylock‚ the Jewish moneylender is usually‚ and somewhat unjustly‚ held responsible for many of these conflicts. Though Shylock’s behaviour is‚ in many ways‚ evil‚and should by no means be exonerated‚ the conflicts he does cause are most often merely his vengeful attempt to respond to the prejudices he has experience caused by his religion. In the time of Shakespeare‚ prejudices were
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The Merchant of Venice - of Shylock Shylock was mistreated by Christians in particularly Antonio before they entered into their bond. It is understandable that this would be‚ because Jews were mistreated by the Christians and that’s just the way it was during those times. The Jews were segregated and forced to live in a ghetto and were abused by the Christians. It is know wonder that when Shylock was presented with an opportunity to reciprocate‚ he would. However‚ Shylock also did his fair
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In The Merchant of Venice how does Shakespeare present both Shylock as both victim and villain? Throughout the play‚ ‘The Merchant of Venice’‚ Shylock reveals many personalities; therefore making him such an emotionally complex and detailed character that shows elements of being both a victim and villain; and to come to my decision to whether Shylock is either of the two‚ other characters language towards him and his reactions will perceive different ideas from different era’s in time to determine
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Shylock as Villian in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice the antagonist of the play is Shylock. Shylock is a wealthy Jewish moneylender. Shylock is probably the most memorable character in the play because of Shakespeare’s excellent characterization of him. Shylock is the antagonist in the play because he stands in the way of love‚ but this does not necessarily make him the villain of the play. Shylock can be seen as both the
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In Shakespeare ’s The Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock is a Jew who struggles to adjust to a Christian society that belittles him. Antonio is a devout Christian. Shylock’s relationship with Antonio reveals that he is biased against Christians‚ and in this way both Shylock and Antonio exhibit similarities in how each perceive "the other." Both Shylock and Antonio are racially biased and they both put down each other. Shylock claims to be victimized by Christians; however‚ he exploits Christians in business
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and ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Shakespeare and Jane Austen both present strong feeling of love‚ revenge‚ hatred and friendship. They are two different types of stories‚ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a novel and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play so therefore they both have different ways of presenting strong feelings but they do have some similarities. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ strong feelings are presented by: 1. The Narrator 2. Letters 3. Dialogue Whereas in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ strong feelings
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English 101-210 Final Draft Battle of the Directors The Merchant of Venice‚ also known as “The Jew of Venice” is a drama play originally written by William Shakespeare in 1598. The major conflict occurs when a man named Antonio (Venetian merchant) fails to pay off a loan to a greedy Jewish money loaner known as Shylock who demands a pound of flesh from Antonio in return. Antonio and his friends take a journey through friendship‚ love‚ and hatred in an attempt to free him of his pound of flesh
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In Shakespeare’s edgy and suspenseful play‚ “The Merchant of Venice”‚ the character of Shylock may evoke complex feelings within the reader. Shylock is clearly a villain in the sense that he takes repeatedly takes advantage of people in vulnerable economic situations and makes a handsome living in this way. He is not an inherently likeable character throughout “The Merchant of Venice” by Shakespeare; he avoids friendships‚ he is cranky‚ and he is steadfast in his beliefs to the point of being rigid
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