comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare blends serious issues and values with light comedic elements in this rather complex play. The two main plots are the comedy about Portia and her marriage to Bassanio and the tragedy about Antonio‚ the merchant and Shylock‚ the Jew. BACKGROUND A brief synopsis of the play will help to clarify the ensuing details for those who are unfamiliar with The Merchant of Venice. The comedy revolves around one of Shakespeare’s strongest female characters‚ Portia. This plot deals
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is short of money because all his wealth is invested in his fleet‚ which is currently at sea. He goes to a Jewish money lender‚ Shylock‚ who hates Antonio because of Antonio’s anti-semitic behaviour towards him. Shylock nevertheless agrees to make the short-term loan‚ but‚ in a moment of dark humour‚ he makes a condition - the loan must be repaid in three months or Shylock will exact a pound of flesh from Antonio. Antonio agrees‚ confident that his ships will return in time. Because of the terms
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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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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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Antonio has lost a ship. Shylock comes on the scene and Salanio and Salarino ask of news among the merchants. Shylock can only talk of his daughter’s betrayal. They express the opinion that she is very different from her father and it was time for Jessica to leave. They then question Shylock directly about the news of Antonio’s ship. Shylock states that he will need to remember his bond. Salanio and Salarino ask what good Antonio’s flesh will do Shylock to which Shylock answers it will serve the
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Villainised Shylock Shrewd businessman/moneylender – cruel/ruthless Theme of loyalty predominates the scene Feel a sense of sympathy for Shylock due to treatment received Denigrate – to make someone feel inferior Vindictive – Revengeful Camouflage – hide Shylock is cunning and wise – will be able to trick them Sly Shylock is very wise in the way he tricks Antonio ‘A merry sport’ – Dramatic irony – that isn’t a happy transaction Unrealistic request for a clause Shylock is deceitful/
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character.” Shylock is a main character and succumbs to the tragic flaws he possesses. This play introduces Shylock‚ a Jew fighting against Christian society. Although Shylock is depicted in the play as the villain‚ there are moments that show his vulnerability. A tragic hero is a man who is prosperous in the early stages of the play‚ but is defeated by his own flaw. His hamartia (or tragic flaw) is what consumes him and is the pit of his downfall. In The Merchant of Venice‚ Shylock possesses all
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I. INTRODUCTION: A. Is Shylock a man "more sinned against than sinning‚” or does he take his revenge too far in the pursuit of his pound of flesh? B. The wrongs against Shylock climax in the courtroom scene. He has lost his ducats‚ daughter‚ and now his religion. C. Thesis: The absolute epitome of selfishness can be described from within Shylock’s character; that selfishness is what prevents any would-be sympathizers from being able to fully commit themselves to Shylock’s case. II. BODY PARAGRAPH
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