Throughout the play‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare cultivates the idea of “Shylock the Jew” being both a villain and a victim each depending on the reader’s interpretation of the play. 16th century Venice was largely Roman Catholic and Christian. I think in correctly interpreting the play‚ we have to take a look at what influences Shakespeare may have had in devising Shylock’s character. In 16th century Europe‚ there was a massive revolt called the Reformation led by Saxon Monk named
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Germany in 1935 as ‘cowardly and malicious’ when ‘properly understood’‚ a line that undermines both the intelligence and self-esteem of local people upon reading (in that they did not read enough into the play)‚ and the true meaning of The Merchant of Venice. Upon saying that the deeper meaning is that Shylock is cowardly and malicious‚ they are mistaking the shallow‚ surface meaning for a deeper one. As Harold Bloom commented in 1999‚ ‘It would have been better for the Jewish people had Shakespeare
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tragic heroes is paradoxically vulnerable‚ dependent on women’s confirmation and approval’ (2001‚ P134-35). This is especially true in relation to Mac as everything that he does is under the influence and control of Pat. In relation to ‘The Merchant of Venice’‚ Bassanio is looking for approval through Portia’s deceased father and his lottery. Though Portia is represented in the production as an intelligent‚ witty and beautiful woman‚ she is dependent on man’s approval‚ more specifically her deceased
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murder will not be hid long: William Shakespeare‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ II‚ 2‚ 73. Per. 2 student:____________________________ Per. 5 student:____________________________ 106 The Devil can cite Scripture for his Purpose: William Shakespeare‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ I‚ 3‚ 93. Per. 2 student:____________________________ Per. 5 student:____________________________ p. 106 Oh God‚ he speaks only of his horse: William Shakespeare‚ The Merchant of Venice‚ I‚ 2‚ 36. Bradbury ’s quotation is not quite correct;
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able to share her power and wit‚ Portia must become a man. The idea that women are inferior and second-rate to men was a common idea shared by most‚ if not all‚ of the Shakespearean cohort. Even so‚ in Portia is the one who come out on top in Merchant of Venice. When Antonio is arrested and Bassanio and Portia must come back to save him from death‚ Portia is the one with the plan. Not only was she clever enough dress up as a man and fool the entire courtroom‚ but she also is able to find where her
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Common Features of a Shakespeare Comedy What makes a Shakespeare comedy identifiable if the genre is not distinct from the Shakespeare tragedies and histories? This is an ongoing area of debate‚ but many believe that the comedies share certain characteristics‚ as described below: * Comedy through language: Shakespeare communicated his comedy through language and his comedy plays are peppered with clever word play‚ metaphors and insults. 1. Love: The theme of love is prevalent in every
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disorders that lead them to commit such obscenities. In support of my stand that Money is indeed the root of all evil is the case in the Merchant of Venice where the main characters act like monsters due to their love of money. Shylock rejoices when Antonio’s ships are rumored to be wrecked at sea‚ as he intends to get back at Antonio for making him and other merchants suffer in the past. Even after being offered twice as much money by Bassanio‚ he refuses as his main goal is to get back at Antonio
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Shakespeares - Othello Othello takes place in Venice (in northern Italy) and Cyprus (an island in the eastern Mediterranean about forty miles south of present-day Turkey). The time is between 1489 and 1571. 3 Facts on Shakespeare: One of Shakespeare’s relatives on his mother’s side‚ William Arden‚ was arrested for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I‚ imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed. Almost four hundred years after Shakespeare’s death there are 157 million pages referring to
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of the world there has been discrimination that has caused authors to write about it and show the world how their city and country is discriminated. Throughout both plays “Othello” and “The merchant of Venice” they face many obstacles including racial and religious discrimination. In “The merchant of Venice”‚ Antonio‚ a wealthy man‚ discriminates Shylock who lends them money. To compare‚ In “Othello”‚ Iago who serves for Othello does not like him because he didn’t get the promotion he thought he
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And I can tell you that the papers that reckon as ten bezants do not weight one” (Silkroad Foundation‚ 2017). However‚ the effect was positive because with the paper currency being introduced‚ it meant that there was less burden on the travelling merchants carrying clunky gold and silver. The effect was that it became much easier to engage in economic transactions and trade processes because the paper currency was more efficient and easy to
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