The Merchant Of Venice
Do you consider Shylock to be a victim or villain in the Merchant if Venice? Shylock is one of Shakespeare's most complex characters due to the dual-nature of his personality. in 'The Merchant of Venice' Shakespeare explores the tension between christians and Jews and the issues of anti-semitism. Shylock is a victim of racial abuse,such as being spat on by Christians. However, at certain stages throughout the play, the audience witness equally horrific behavior towards Antonio, especially when Shylock tries to take Antonio's life. My initial impression of Shylock is one that he constantly pities himself. Shylock also comes across as arrogant and enjoys other people's misfortune. "Three thousand ducats well.." Shakespeare uses the technic of repetition to create a sarcastic tone with Shylock. the audience could also interpret the use of repetition as Shylock being smug and enjoying the fact Antonio, a Christian, has come to Shylock, a Jew, for help. Shylock refuses to socialize with Antonio and Bassanio "I will not with you". Shylock also takes offense when Bassanio politely invites Shylock to dine with them, "Yes to smell pork". Shylock seems to twist invitation into a racist taunt. This shows that Shylock is quick to feel that he is being victimized because of his Jewish beliefs. Personally when Shylock says "I hate him for he is Christian; But more for that in low
The Merchant of Venice.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Antonio is considered the hero in the story and he is himself the merchant of Venice. He lends money to his beloved friend Bassanio, as Bassanio intends to woo the fair maid that is Portia. Antonio borrows money from the money lending Jew, Shylock (who is often tormented in the play) and the two are stuck is a fierce battle in which we get an insight into their characters. During this essay one will discuss the characteristics of both characters and discuss whether Antonio is the hero and Shylock the villain and to what extent. The two authoritative, influential characters have similar statuses in the book, as they are both rich, businessmen and are opposite characters (ie rivals, good versus evil). Antonio is a Christian and is considered the hero, but a quantity of evidence suggests that he has another side to him, which is not in a heroic manner. Shylock is often treated unfairly and is considered a villain, he is a Jew and faces much discrimination from the Christian, the audience are biased so naturally dislike like him because of the fact that he is a Jew, even though he can be seen as honest. During the play he is treated badly and ultimately portrayed erroneously. In Shakespearean times Jews were hated, as there were rumours that they killed Christian babies in cold-blood and drank their blood. At the start of the story we feel Antonio has a
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice Introduction For my English Coursework I am going to be looking at William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. To begin with I will be examining Laurence Oliver and Bob Peck portrayals of Shylock, for this I will be mostly focusing on Act 3 scene 1. I will then be analysing other aspects of the play such as language and staging. I will finish with a conclusion and my views on the play. Shylock I think that the role of Shylock remains a popular one with modern actors because Shylock's character can be open to interpretation. He can be played as a greedy, merciless old miser or a persecuted, bitter old loner. The actor playing Shylock can add his own style and personality to the role. He could dress Shylock in different ways to change his image or he could change the way Shylock speaks to change the audience's view of him. I will be looking at the Bob Peck and Laurence Oliver portrayals of the play, I will be focusing on Act 3 scene 1. Bob Peck In this portrayal of the play Shylock is a strong, blood thirsty character, I think this because as Tubal tells him about his daughter he isn't even concerned. This gives the impression of a cold hearted man. He however breaks down when he is told about his turquoise. This shows that he seems to care more about a ring than his daughter. To emphasis Shylocks sourness he says everything with a cringed face.
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice Nicola Woolfries "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare is a famous play in which there are numerous struggles over money. Shylock is the main character in this play. The play is set in Venice, and is about a rich merchant Antonio, who tries to borrow funds for his friend Bassanio. He approached Shylock, a Jewish moneylender and an enemy of his. Antonio is positive he can repay Shylock, but disaster hits his business dealings and he is unable to repay his debt. Shylock has been promised "a pound of flesh" if the debt was not repaid, so he appeals to the court. In a desperate attempt to save Antonio, Bassanios new wife adopts the disguise of a lawyer and manages to convince Shylock not to take his "pound of flesh". Shylock eventually has to convert to Christianity as part of the settlement. I felt that Shylock was a complex character who was a hero, and a victim, and a villain. This may seem to be an unusual opinion but in the play there is evidence to support this. For me, Shylock had all the qualities, which make a villain. Shakespeare presented him as a very cruel and hardhearted individual. Perhaps the best example of this can be seen in the way in which he treated his daughter Jessica. Jessica was around twenty years of age but Shylock refused to let her leave the house in case she met any Christians; "Clamber
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. In William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice', there are times when Shylock, undoubtedly the antagonist of this play, is abhorred immensely by the audience, and yet at other times he may become a tragic victim of racism and prejudices. Perceptions of Shylock in the twenty first century differ greatly from the negative anti-Semitic views of the Elizabethans. In this essay I will be exploring if Shylock is a villain or a victim. The Romans allowed Jews living in Israel religious freedom. Later, Diaspora (dispersion of Jews) occurred because the Romans wanted Christianity to be a dominant religion. Due to the Diaspora, Jews moved to several different countries with different religions and still practised their teachings and cultures. They were mistrusted and thought to be calculating. English Jews were banished and were not authorised to enter the country until Oliver Cromwell's rule. On the Elizabethan stage Jews were portrayed as villainous, green-eyed money lenders with red wigs and bulky, hooked shaped noses. Jews were demanded to wear red hats in public at all times during the seventeenth century, so that they could be distinguished easily. If they did not wear the red hats, Jews could become eligible to the death penalty. A ghetto was made for Jews to live in for their own safety. All Jews had to pay for the Christian
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
Focussing on the court scene, discuss the ways in which prejudice is demonstrates in Act 1V scene 1 and the manor in which Elizabethan and Contemporary audiences respond to this piece of theatre. In the 'Merchant of Venice,' the name of the play refers to Antonio, who is really a secondary character throughout the play. The real centre of the play is Shylock, where Shakespeare placed his fundamental theme of racism. There is recurrent prejudice throughout the play, and an interesting factor of this play is the manor in which Elizabethan audiences would have responded to the text, in comparison to today's audience. They would have laughed at Shylock, even during the 'mercy' speech, even though Shakespeare had definitely shown compassion towards the Jewish faith. He wrote the 'mercy' speech, in which Shakespeare shows a way in which he could relate himself to the 'outcast faiths' of the time that few poets at the time could. The duke is clearly prejudiced against Shylock in several ways, referring to him as an 'evil soul,' 'unfeeling man,' 'harsh Jew,' 'inexecrable dog,' and several other insults, in which Shylock does not respond these insults in any drastic way. However, during the court scene, we witness him drastically trying to kill Antonio, by demanding a pound of flesh by the law. This, in front of Elizabethan audiences, would be seen as unacceptable and evil. Antonio
The Merchant of Venice - Critical Evaluation.
The Merchant of Venice Critical Evaluation By Scott Stewart The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is a play that demonstrates the triumph of love and friendship over greed. Greed and revenge were the main elements in a lethal compound of disaster for Shylock the Jew. Shylock was far-and-away the most interesting character in the play, because during it I hated him, liked him and felt pity for him. Throughout the play he always had a sense of greed about him, whether it was at the Rialto charging high interest rates or whether it was when he was always putting the well being of his money before that of his daughter. An example of this greed is shown just after Jessica had eloped with Lorenzo and Tubal was sent to look for them in Genoa & Frankfort by Shylock. When Tubal said that he could not find them, Shylock remarked "I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear, and the ducats in her coffin." But it was the revenge that cost Shylock so dearly. At the trial he scorned an offer from Bassanio of three times the original loan because he wanted to kill Antonio so much for all that he had done to him. And in the end he was left cursing when all that he had ever loved was removed from him. Love played a very important part in the play with six of the main characters in the play eventually paring off with each other. First of all Bassanio went
The Merchant of Venice - Shylock, Victim or Villain?
Kate Whitley The Merchant of Venice Shylock, Victim or Villain? Over the past few weeks we have been reading the Merchant of Venice. It is about a man called Shylock who is a Jew (which changes everyone's opinion of him straight away because no Christians liked Jews); he is also a money lender. Also Antonio (who is a Christian, so there for he isn't evil in any way as far as the audience is concerned) is a money lender who charges no interest so Antonio puts Shylock out of business and out of pocket. So as you can imagine they were arch enemies. But is Shylock a victim or a Villain? Well that is matter of opinion. In the start of the play Shylock comes across as a villain because when Bassanio needs 3000 ducats to win over Portia, a wealthy heiress of Belmont he turns to Antonio, who is his best friend but he can't give him the money he needs because all his money is at sea. So he goes around to Shylock and asks for money, but its not that simple, Shylock says he will lend him the money without any interest but if he doesn't pay him the money back within 3 months then Shylock is entitled to 1lb of Antonio's flesh. Antonio stupidly agrees to this and signs a contract of his agreement. Now Shylock isn't so much a villain, he is seen more as a man with a sick and twisted mind. What normal person would want 1lb of human flesh just for the sake of revenge? In the middle of the
MERCHANT OF VENICE
Merchant of Venice - Shylock: Villain or Victim In the play Merchant of Venice, there is always a lot of controversy about whether Shylock is a victim or a villain. The definition of victim is a person who dies or suffers as a result of voluntarily undertaking some enterprise or pursuit. Meaning someone who dies or suffers as a result of his or her own actions is still a victim. In accordance with the definition, in my opinion Shylock is a victim. When we first start to read the play, as a Jew Shylock is put at a huge disadvantage. 400 years ago when Shakespeare wrote the play, racism was commonplace. Shylock was written to be hated! As a result the audience and characters were prejudice towards Shylock as he tells us in Act 1 Scene 3 "Signor Antonio, many a time...........thus much moneys'?" You could say he was a victim of society's discrimination and bigotry. He was indeed a victim as he was looked down on and had to under go hardships put on him by the community. Antonio was one those citizens in the community who tormented Shylock. Antonio constantly insulting Shylock as shown in Act 1 Scene 3 "I am as like to call thee so again...........Exact the penalty" Shylock simply replies saying he would have Antonio's friendship and forgive him for what he has done "Why look you...........This is kind I offer" But Antonio still rejects Shylock for he is a Jew,
Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice" was written by William Shakespeare almost certainly between 1596 and 1598 and was first performed at The Theater, London, in 1597. The play is classed as one of the sixteen comedy plays but it is also a "problem" play due to the tragic elements woven throughout the intricate plot. It was performed in front of a xenophobic, Elizabethan audience who were not particularly well educated or literate but they understood the complexities of the issues being raised in the play and would have been less sympathetic towards Shylock than a modern day audience. The play concludes with a harmonious ending but throughout the plot, reoccurring themes of sadness and tragedy are included. This is why "The Merchant of Venice" falls into one of the more difficult comedy plays. The play is set in Venice, an ancient civic republic and not a nation ruled by a King or Queen. Venice fascinated the Elizabethans, as it was commercially hospitable to people from all parts of the world e.g. Greeks, Jews and Protestants. The city was also a trading centre of great importance; Venice itself was a Catholic city and was politically independent. A place of great beauty, luxury and extremely artistic, it is the perfect setting for "The Merchant of Venice". The play centres on two main characters, Antonio, an extremely wealthy merchant and Shylock, a very wealthy Jew. In Venice, your