Paper The Merchant and the Jew: Examining the bond between Shylock and Antonio in The Merchant of Venice In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice‚ the use of oaths and exchange often help to forge personal bonds. For instance‚ Bassanio’s marriage to Portia is based off of both characters’ oaths to honor the instructions of Portia’s dead father; the exchange of wedding rings further seals their bond. Similarly‚ the bond between Shylock and Antonio is first formed when both characters pledge to
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In the merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare‚ a Christian named Antonio asks to borrow money from the Jewish money-lender shylock. Bassanio is the Christian that asks Antonio to borrow the money from shylock so he could marry the fair‚ rich‚ maiden Portia. Jews were treated with racial discrimination by the Christians‚ simply because of their religion. In Shakespearean Venice the jews were forced to live in the “ghetto” part of Venice. They were also forced to wear a red hat whenever
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and Shylock. In the novel Of Mice and Men‚ the character Curley puts his self interests of proving his masculinity before feeling empathetic for his wife. Since Curley is a smaller
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solve a problem were important to the text as a whole. In the text‚ “The Merchant of Venice‚” written and performed by Shakespeare‚ Antonio‚ the merchant‚ borrows money from Shylock‚ a Jewish moneylender‚ to send his friend Bassanio overseas to woo and marry Portia. However‚ failing to pay back the money in time‚ Shylock takes Antonio to court demanding a pound of his flesh in payment. Portia‚ one of the main characters‚ disguised as a lawyer‚ attempts (and succeeds) to rescue Antonio using the
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bread This speech by Shylock evokes the social world in which he lives. For‚ as a Jew‚ Shylock rails in magnified language against Antonio‚ a Venetian who has castigated Shylock for his usury. Also‚ within the setting of this play‚ the Venetians limited Jewish merchants and moneylenders/pawnbrokers‚ making them live in "geti" (plural of "geto"). The guttural pronunciation of this word made it sound like ghetto‚ a word still used today to mark emargination. So‚ Shylock is perceived as inferior
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of a commonly known stereotype during the time‚ the racial tension between Jews and Christians. Shylock is the focal point of the play‚ and acts as the traditional stereotype of the Jew in Elizabethan times. The merchant of venice is often seen as an anti-semitic work due to the stereotypical portrayal of the jewish character shylock. Some would argue that the most inevitable interpretation of shylock as a miserly wretch who care for nothing but his money is shakespeare expressing now – unfashionable
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lender called Shylock. In this essay I will discuss the nature of these themes and the main characters involved. I also intend to consider the different kinds of love and hate which are conveyed throughout the play. Initially I will write about the theme of love‚ the first aspect of this being love for a friend. We see this most clearly when Bassanio asked to borrow money from Antonio. As most of his money was caught up in his ships at sea‚ Antonio decided to ask for a loan from Shylock‚ despite the
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lies a court case between two parties‚ Antonio and Shylock‚ where justice must be served to abide by the laws and to the contracted agreement made between them. A legal agreement in which a pound of Antonio’s flesh is demanded as payment in regards to a money loan given out by Shylock that was not paid back. The court case serves as a principle of justice for the good of society but unrevealed personal retribution is seen within the character of Shylock. The court case in a whole is a representation
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readers have in mind about the previous acts and scenes increases tension because the readers know about the bond which is detained between Antonio and Shylock. “The pound of flesh which I demand of him.”(4.1.100) Fear is heightened after entering into the trial scene because readers can see how determined Shylock is to receive his pound of flesh. Shylock is persisting to retrieve his bond from Antonio. Shylock’s assurance to get the flesh from Antonio makes him seem more evil than readers expected from
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American society today‚ it is wrong to persecute someone for their religious beliefs‚ as we are all created equal. This sentiment was‚ indeed‚ not the case in the 1500’s. Although the events that surround Shylock are interpreted as very tragic in today’s society‚ in the eyes of the audience‚ Shylock is a greedy Jew who has it out for a man who has done nothing wrong. The Merchant of Venice is about a popular rich man who‚ through a turn of unfortunate events‚ finds himself bankrupt and due to lose his
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