enjoy spending time with. In The Merchant of Venice‚ Shakespeare shows the reader; through the characters of Bassanio and Antonio‚ what the true definition of a friendship really is. The definition of friendship from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is ‘the state of being friends’. Antonio and Bassanio have a friendship throughout the play that is similar to this definition and the perceived definition most people have. At the beginning of The Merchant of Venice‚ Bassanio comes to Antonio wanting
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Shylock: Villain or Victim The Merchant Of Venice is the story about a merchant by the name of Antonio who borrows money from a Jewish moneylender by the name of Shylock‚ in order to fund his best friend Bassanio’s romantic ambitions. The majority of the residents of Venice during the time this story was written were Christians‚ just like Antonio. At the same time there was a considerable amount of hatred toward those who were not Christians. Antonio needed money quickly and he had no other choice
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The Merchant of Venice (1596) is one of Shakespeare’s most outstanding comedies. For the past more than 400 years‚ it has been paid close attention to and also highly praised. Many people‚ such as literature critics‚ historians‚ and the scholars who study religion‚ have keen interest in it not just because that this work has special literary power but also because that it reflects several deep conflicts-ethnic conflict and religious conflict. The major plot of this play is related with Antonio and
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Mercy v. Justice Old Testament v. New Testament While the conflict between justice and mercy plays a key role in determining the outcome of The Merchant of Venice‚ this conflict is even more important because it provides a setting for the contrast between the rigid law and rules of the Old Testament and the concepts of mercy and forgiveness as taught by Christ in the New Testament. It is in the climactic trial scene that The Duke‚ hoping Shylock will excuse Antonio’s penalty‚ asks him‚ "How
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The Merchant of Venice "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare is a captivating play about revenge‚ justice‚ deception and friendship. Held within the brutal time of the 16th century‚ the play is about a pronounced character known as Shylock‚ who is a reasonably wealthy Jew‚ lending one of his enemies‚ Antonio‚ three thousand ducats. The play gives you a glance of how bad and unbearable life was for non-Christians‚ especially Jews. Shakespeare does an impeccable job of conveying the
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The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare‚ in the Merchant of Venice‚ portrays Shylock as one vivid character who can be analysed in various ways. Shylock is portrayed as a complex character who defies explanation and who will probably never be fully understood. Rather than a one-dimensional villain viewed through the eyes of the Elizabethan era when the play was written‚ Shylock can also be seen as both an Elizabethan stereotype and a fully drawn human being when the play is viewed through modern
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Shylock – Money-minded/materialistic To a large extent‚ Shylock is a villain because he is money-minded/materialistic. “I would my daughter were dead at my foot‚ and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot‚ and the ducats in her coffin! “(Act 3‚ Sc 1) According to the stated evidence‚ Shylock would rather have his own daughter dead than she run away with his ducats. He shows no concern whatsoever for his daughter who had run away‚ but instead was more concerned about the jewels
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I believe that Bassanio from the play The Merchant of Venice By William Shakespeare is portrayed as a determined‚ loyal and materialistic character throughout the play. Bassanio shows his determined side when he first become accosted with the idea to court Portia‚ he doesn’t let the small problem of not having sufficient funds stand in his way as he uses his determination to drive his convincing argument to Antonio “ but if you please to shoot another arrow that self way…”But part of the reason
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the idea of love that appears in the play’s subplots. Examines how love exists in many forms‚ and looks at how Shakespeare clarifies the importance of romantic vows and the nature of the marital relationship. The sentimental storylines in The Merchant of Venice often get lost amid the play’s more prominent themes. Although the idea of love appears only through the play’s subplots‚ Shakespeare does make the theme prevalent enough to warrant attention. The play demonstrates that love exists in many forms
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distancing himself from others and why he treats them so unjustly. A modern audience would view Shylock in more of a sympathetic way. Shylock is suggested as a evil type of character but it is all because of how he is treated by the citizens in Venice. He wanted to be accepted‚ like how many teenagers secretly want to be a part of
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