The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Key Quotations Act One Scene One 1) Antonio- In sooth‚ I know not why I am so sad. 2) Salerio- Your mind is tossing on the ocean 3) Antonio- I hold the world but as the world‚ Grationo; a stage where every man must play his part and mine a sad one. 4) Bassanio- Grationo speaks an infinite deal of nothing. 5) Antonio- My purse‚ my person‚ my extremist means‚ lie all unlocked to your occasions. Scene Two 1) Portia- The brain may devise laws for
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A Serving of Injustice with a Side of Revenge: The Merchant of Venice During the Venetian era in which The Merchant of Venice takes place‚ the law is heavily depended on among society. Within the law‚ it is asserted that justice must be shown impartially to both parties and that the outcome will be a just balance for the good of society. Within this play 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
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ACT I - SCENE I : PLOT DEVELOPMENT The play opens in Venice. Where the title character‚ Antonio - the merchant of Venice‚ resides. He is a successful man‚ but is melancholy and weary for reasons he can’t explain‚ not even to his compatriots Salarnio and Salanio. They feel that his depression is from the stresses and worries that sprout from the shipping business‚ but his worries come not from these or love. The three are then met by Bassanio‚ Lorenzo‚ and Gratiano. Salarnio and Salanio
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Historical Context The historical context of The Merchant of Venice turns‚ for the most part‚ on one question: the status of Jews in Shakespeare’s England. Jews had lived in England throughout the Middle Ages; they were treated then as property of the King‚ and were permitted to stay in England‚ over the protests of the Church‚ only by his "good graces." In fact‚ English kings allowed the Jews to remain in England largely for financial reasons: practicing trades‚ particularly money-lending‚ that
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The Merchant of Venice Written task 1 How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? The Merchant of Venice was written by Shakespeare and printed for the first time around the sixteen hundreds‚ just after a revolutionary play that depicted the main character as a great villain and Jew‚ The Jew of Malta‚ by Christopher Marlow. Shakespeare’s inclusion of a Jewish character in his play was not usual‚ and until today it is discussed whether he was trying to show an anti-Semitic opinion
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The Merchant of Venice‚ Act 2 Watch the film version of Act 2 and answer these questions: Scene 1 Morocco is the first suitor to try his luck. What is he told before he is to choose? Scene 2: Lancelot Gobbo‚ the clown‚ wants to leave Shylock’s service‚ why? His father brings a present to his son’s master. Why is prose used? What does Gratiano want form Bassanio? Scene 3: Describe what happens. What does Jessica feel about the situation? Scene 4: A group of masqued men are on their
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A Discussion Guide for Educators A Publication of the Anti-Defamation League Anti- Semitism and The Merchant of Venice: A Discussion Guide for Educators Barbara Balser‚ National Chair Abraham H. Foxman‚ National Director Kenneth Jacobson‚ Deputy National Director Caryl M. Stern‚ Senior Associate National Director/ Chief Operating Officer Marshall S. Levin‚ Senior Associate National Director/ Director‚ National Development Michael Salberg‚ Associate National Director/ Director‚ International Affairs
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William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice contains many examples that insult Jews because they were the minority in London in Shakespeare’s time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times‚ Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of London’s population at the time was anti-Semitic because there were very few Jews living there. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice supports anti-Semitism actions and thoughts and therefore
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Written sometime between 1596 to 1598‚ The Merchant Of Venice is classified as both and early Shakespearean comedy and as one of the Shakespeare’s problem plays. Scene 1 introduces one of the major plot points as well as several key characters. When Antonio‚ Solanio and Salarino enter at the beginning of the play‚ they are in the middle of the discussion about why Antonio is so sad. This “Sadness” of which Antonio claims not to know source of‚ becomes clear when he reveals to Bassanio that all of
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tragedies‚ while others are more ambiguous. The Merchant of Venice is a play that falls under the latter type‚ and it has been hotly contested whether this literary work should be classified a comedy or a tragedy. However‚ since the majority of the characters received a happy ending‚ the abundance of comic relief scenes and characters‚ and lightheartedness of the plot relative to other Shakespearean works leads me to conclude that The Merchant of Venice is indeed a comedy. One of the
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