Shylock: A Stage History of Anti-Semitism Part of what makes the works of William Shakespeare so significantly transcendental is that his plays are able to flourish through ever-changing societies. Over the course of nearly 400 years‚ his plays have remained some of the most beloved in literature because of their ability to speak to audiences of every age‚ race‚ ethnicity‚ class‚ and gender. By looking at the performance history of a specific play‚ or a specific character in that play‚ we become
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the storyline. In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock is presented as the most developed character. Shakespeare purposely creates both an antagonist and protagonist in Shylock‚ by creating a change in view for the reader throughout the play. He can be viewed as a hated Jew that is often referred to as a villain‚ a devil‚ and a money obsessed freak‚ but a sudden change of personality tends to always occur. We first see Shylock as a person who chooses everything over money‚ but later we
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Although Shylock is viewed by Christians in the play as a cruel man‚ Shylock is a victim because he is mistreated‚ betrayed and his possessions‚ culture and dignity are taken away from him‚ all because he is a Jew. Shylock is a victim of the play because he is mistreated. Shylock is being abused by Christians but mostly Antonio. Shylock says‚ “You call me misbeliever‚ cut-throat dog‚ / And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine‚ / And all for use of that which is mine own.” (1.3.107-109). Shylock shows through
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interpretation of Shylock oscillates throughout the play. We must also recognize that Shylock has most likely become a villain as a result of being unfairly victimized for having Jewish heritage. During the sixteenth century‚ when the play was written‚ mistreatment towards Jews was common; especially in Venice as it was an anti-sematic city. Jewish people were stereotyped as greedy‚ deceitful individuals who were seen as outcasts in society. The Christian community therefore mistreated Shylock‚ for being
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completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play‚ Bassanio‚ Antonio’s friend‚ needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock‚ a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening‚ there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo‚ a Christian. Later on
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Othello vs. Othello Throughout Hollywood history‚ many screen adaptations of famous books and novels have strayed away from its original. In almost every movie based on a literary work‚ there are always major differences. Whether it is in the story plot‚ character‚ or even its setting‚ spotting the differences is always easy to find. However‚ when it comes to Shakespeare the movies are rarely changed. In most movies‚ they are not only true to the plot‚ but even true to the dialogue. In perhaps
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July 28 1601 Today‚ Antonio and Bassanio borrowed money from me‚ three thousand ducats. The merchant Antonio is so certain that his ships will come back. It’s like nothing will come on his ships way‚ ships are just boards and sailors are just men. Anything could come on his ships way like thieves‚ storms‚ winds and rocks. After a long debate with myself I decided that I’ll lend them money. The merchant‚ Antonio and I decided to make a bond just for fun. He thinks proud and high
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the play Othello‚ Iago uses certain steps to help him in his plan to manipulate Othello to go against his wife Desdemona and his co-worker‚ Cassio. These steps help him greatly in his plan to deploy Othello against Cassio and Desdemona. Iago plays upon Othello ’s own fears and reinforces those fears with lies and hints to help him with his plan. First‚ Iago lies to Othello and makes him believe that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. The next step Iago takes to manipulate Othello is when
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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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one that is portraying various peoples lives throughout Venice and Belmont. During the course of the play there is a concentration of thoughts and emotions towards the character Shylock‚ a Jewish usurer‚ this is the very character that we shall be concentrating the question in the title on. In most scenes the character Shylock has to deal with a lot of racial discrimination‚ which has at modern times become unacceptable to most people. Elizabethan society was largely anti-Semitic and as such the audience
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