In 'The Merchant of Venice' in Act 1 Scene 3, Shylock is described as being 'the devil' by Antonio. To what extent do you agree that he is the villain in the play?
In 'The Merchant of Venice' in Act 1 Scene 3, Shylock is described as being 'the devil' by Antonio. To what extent do you agree that he is the villain in the play? Shylock's character in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' has long been a controversial subject- more so now than it was when the play was written in the late 16th Century. First performed in 1605, it seemingly conforms to the anti-semitic stereotypes towards Jews and their conduct but, unlike Shakespeare's rival's work ('The Jew of Malta) by Christopher Marlowe, the main Jewish character is attributed not only the negative traits associated with Jews at the time, but also a side that sees to show humanity. Therefore, in this essay, it is my aim to explore whether calling Shylock the villain in the play is justified or not based on his actions and those of the characters surrounding him (to see if there is evidence of provocation), and placing this into the context of Elizabethan England and thus coming to conclusions abut whether views towards the extent of his villainy have remained the same. The one single action in the play which seems most convictive of Shylock is his argument with argument over the lending of 3,000 ducats-and the penalty fixed in case of its late return in Act 3 scene 1. The very notion of imposing such a brutal penalty seems to us shocking in its severity and absurdity, but, of course,
Merchant Of Venice'
Coursework Assignment-'Merchant Of Venice' In this piece of work, I am to discuss whether Portia is a modern woman of the sixteenth century. I am aiming to discuss many of her elements, relating and comparing them with the time in which the play is set. I will be looking at what aspects mark her out as a 'modern' woman and those that mark her out to be a 'renaissance' woman. When William Shakespeare wrote, 'The Merchant of Venice', he included a female character that leads the play dramatically. In most of Shakespeare's plays, the women have little power and intelligence. In The Merchant of Venice, however, Portia is a woman that saves the life of a man with her wit and intelligence. Portia is one of Shakespeare's great heroes, whose beauty, lively intelligence, and quick wit are very well known in the society in which she lives. She is known throughout the world for her beauty and good qualities, and she is able to handle any situation with her great wit. Portia is thought of a perfect woman. This is brought forward to us before she appears, as Bassanio describes her to Antonio and says, 'In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair and, fairer than that word.' Act 1 Scene 1, lines160-170
Merchant Of Venice
How does the modern audience respond to Shylock? The modern audience respond much differently to Shylock than the original audience, because the modern are sympathetic to Jews because of the holocaust and there is less prejudice towards Jews now. Also at the time the play was written and performed there was anti-Semitism and Jews were not allowed to live in England. Although the modern audience may feel sympathetic for Shylock, they will be able to see his greed and love for money, Shylock's first words are "Three thousand ducats-well" in Act 1 Scene 3. As the scene continues Antonio is being rude to Shylock even though he is trying to borrow money from him. This makes the modern audience feel sorry for shylock but the audience of the early 17th century would not have care at all about Shylock in those circumstances. Before Antonio enters in the scene, Bassanio asks Shylock to dine with him. Shylock's reply is that he will not dine with the Christians because they might try to feed him pork, which he is not allowed to eat because of he is a Jew. Shakespeare's audience must have disliked this but the modern audience will think that Shylock is being clever and uses his brain around those he does not trust. In Act 1 Scene 3, Line 104, Shylock starts to talk about how Antonio has been treating him, calling him misbeliever which is considered racist, a dog and how Antonio has
MERCHANT OF VENICE
MERCHANT OF VENICE The Elizabethan audience was mainly white Christian males who were sexist and arrogant. They expected to be highly entertained and not insulted because otherwise no one would go to any of Shakespeare's plays. Even though Shakespeare manages to please the crowd he adds some subtle insults like Antonio being seen as homosexual the audience then were very arrogant and thought Antonio was just being a great friend, He also insults the Christians though jibes at their racist attitudes and arrogance. When we first meet Shylock we think he is obsessed with money because the first thing he says is "three thousand ducats, well" This suggests that he only cares about money. Here Shakespeare is appealing to the Christian audience because he is portraying Shylock as a stereotypical Jew concerned only with money he is willing to lend Antonio money despite all the mean things that Antonio has done to him in the past He says "You called me a misbeliever a cut throat dog and spat on my Jewish gabardine" The audience would think this is amusing. A modern audience however thinks this is sad and mean and feel sorry for him. Shylock's beliefs should not get him mistreated. Shylock is Jewish and most people around him are Christians this means that he gets abused. Antonio also leads money "gratis" so Shylock's business suffers as a result. The Christians would not
Merchant of venice
English Literature Coursework The Merchant of Venice Title/Question: Compare and contrast the two worlds of Venice and Belmont depicted in Shakespear's "The Merchant of Venice". "The Merchant of Venice" is a play written by Shakespeare. It corresponds two very contrasting stories and settings. One of these 'stories' takes place in 16th century Venice and the other from Shakespeare's imagination, Belmont. Both the stories have such different settings in them, which Shakespeare deliberately does. There's 'The Bond Story', which takes place in Venice and then there's 'The Casket Story' which takes place in Belmont. Both have totally different atmospheres and conflicting stories. Each setting forms the backdrop to two very different stories. The two settings have very dissimilar natures. Venice is a trading city with a thriving community. Venice is the centre of International trade making it a wealthy city. Shakespeare makes passing references to the city's features; "Signor Antonio, many a time and oft In the Rialto you have rated me About my monies and my usances" He continues; "Since that the trade and profit of the city Consisteth of all nations. Therefore go. Belmont on the other hand comes from Shakespear's imagination. Belmont is very femininely dominated. It's a wealthy city like Venice. Belmont is a fairy tale world of 'love' and 'romance', which
Merchant of venice
Merchant of Venice Is Shylock Introduced as a Sympathetic Character in Act 1 Scene 3? On the surface Shylock seems to be the villain in the play. However Sylvan Barnet said "The Merchant of Venice shows the broad outline of a comedy" and he also said that "The villain in the comedy must be entirely villainous, or rather comically villainous, he cannot for one moment gain the audience sympathy". Shylock is a likable character and a character the audience can sympathise with but sympathy or the lack of it largely rests in the hands of the audience. This essay will consider whether or not the audience gains sympathy for Shylock in act 1 scene 3, bringing into consideration, historical context, differing audiences, the language used, and differing viewpoints. It will refer to other points in the play as well as other Shakespearean plays as well as Shakespeare's possible feelings and opinions which would have had implications on Shylock's character and the characters in the play. Society can have a large influence on how an audience receives a character. Elizabethan society was one in which Anti-Semitism was a trend. It would have been near impossible for an audience to find an audience in support of Shylock because the history of Jews in England brought prejudice and discrimination against them. England was a Christian country and Christians believed that Jews murdered
Merchant of Venice
Merchant of Venice! Act 1 Scene 3: consider the meeting between Antonio and Shylock and show how language and delivery combine to indicate the relationship between these two characters. Does Shakespeare prepare us for the struggle that will develop between them later in the play? Bassanio, a gentle nobleman with financial difficulties wishes to compete and woo a girl named Portia; a wealthy heiress from Belmont. Unfortunately, he does not have any money, so he seeks for help from his very good and trustworthy friend Antonio (the Merchant of Venice) to help him carry out such a task. Antonio agrees, but, because all his assets are tied up at sea, he will have to use his recognitions and praise from other businessmen in Venice to get the money for his friend. Antonio and Bassanio go to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender and an enemy of Antonio. Shylock agrees to lend them 3000 ducats, but only if Antonio will sign a bond. The bond will consist of Shylock taking a pound of Antonio's flesh; the flesh would be of Shylocks choice. In a nut shell, Act 1 Scene 3 of the play, 'The Merchant of Venice' is focused on the relationship between the Merchant of Venice Antonio and a Jewish money-lender Shylock. Before the meeting of Shylock and Antonio, the audience already have an idea of some of the conflicts going on between them. They expect Antonio and Shylock to have differences
Merchant of Venice
Essay Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is the story of a man who wishes to wed a woman, in order o do so he needs to borrow money from his good friend. The play is that of an anti-semitic one. The play is an anti-semitic one because the Jews are looked upon as evil and untrustworthy. For the entire play the Jew is never meant to look as a good person, and he is abused by almost everyone in the play. When the Jew does have his sympathetic lines, they were actually meant to be comedic. Only because of his religion is he discriminated against, people of this time would have found this amusing. Through the way that Jews are looked upon as the racist ones, Jewish people are only care of wealth; which makes them materialistic, Jewish people can suddenly turn Christian overnight, abuse should not cause hate from the Jews, the Jew suffers great loss in the end. The Jews in the story are looked upon as the racist ones. Shylock, the villain in the story, is depicted as the one being racist at some points. When he does Shakespeare makes it look as though he doesn't have the right to be racist, for he is a mere Jew. He is equal to a dog in this story from a Christian's point of view. He makes the audience feel sorrow for Antonio, the merchant, for having to borrow money from someone beneath him by saying it was done as a last resort, so that
Merchant of Venice
The Two Settings of Belmont and Venice Seem Worlds Apart. Is This True? The city of Venice is introduced to the audience at the very beginning of the play. The opening scene begins in the middle of a conversation taking place between 3 successful venetians, walking through the streets of Venice. This immediately associates Venice with a sense of dynamism and action, as the audience is abruptly thrown into the world and surroundings of Venice. In contrast, Belmont is introduced to the audience through hearsay, a passing comment between characters; 'In Belmont, is a lady richly left'. The fact that Belmont is first learned about through characters who have little to do with it conveys an aura of celebrity around it and, in association, around its inhabitant, the character of Portia. The situation of Portia is consistent with the theme of celebrity and fantasy around Belmont. When broken down to its main aspects, the story of Portia mirrors that of many fairy tales. She is described as a beautiful and desirable woman, "she is fair, and - fairer than that word - of wondrous virtues", who lives in relative isolation, in a grand estate far from the setting of the rest of the play, where she waits for a suitable man to pass her father's test and win her love. The theme of celebrity is emphasized by the significance of the character of Portia's father. Whilst he is said to have died
MERCHANT OF VENICE
The Merchant of Venice: A Justice not Justified The Merchant of Venice was a comedy written by William Shakespeare. Antonio, a merchant of Venice was a venerable businessman. He was a wealthy man and offered his friends the loan of money, without interest. Antonio became bound to Shylock when he agreed for his good friend Bassanio to use him as security to borrow money from Shylock. Shylock was a Jewish usurer who lives in Venice. He believed in charging interest and hated Antonio who did not. Portia was a wealthy heiress who is confined by her father's will of the caskets. She was the one whom Bassanio married after he chose the correct lead casket that contained her portrait. Shylock insisted on collecting a pound of Antonio's flesh when Antonio was unable to repay the money he owed to Shylock through Bassanio. At the end of the play Shylock faced an extremely difficult time and he was not treated at all fairly. The relationship between Antonio and Shylock had a lot to do why Shylock was so insistent on taking Antonio's flesh. Shylock was a Jewish merchant who lived in a world where the Jewish religion was regarded as evil. The people of Venice including Antonio, had ridiculed him, they called him a dog, and spat on him, all this simply because he was a Jew. That gave Shylock a very good reason for hating Christians. He was considered an alien in Venice and yet had to