You are on page 1of 20

Republic of Iraq

Ministry of higher Education


& Scientific Research
University of Basra
College of Human Education
Department English

A research paper submitted to the department of English


in partial Fulfillment of the requirement for the Bachelor's degree

Done By:

Mulook Hussein

Supervised :

Shahad Hasham Khudher

2020 1441
Dedication
All praise to Allah today we fold the days tiredness between the cover
of this
Humble work,
To the woman with companionate and kind heart
To the man whose name I bear with pride, my beloved father.
Acknowledgment

I would like to thank lecturer . (Shahad) for her extraordinary support in this research
process. I would like to thank him for his continuous advice and encouragement
throughout this difficult project. Thanks are due to head of department of English Assist
Professor. (Mahdi ALasadi ). I would like to thank Many people, like my friends who
contributed to help me to completed this research. I ask Allah to be the reasonable
satisfaction of this research.
Abstract
The research contains three chapters. Section deals with Revenue is an attack of
pain on the person who has hurt or offended someone, beyond the mere ends of the
puncture or reparation needed ( Bate,n.d,p.749. However, were a writer has revenge, he
has zeal ,frustration, intense desire, pride. All the ingredients for a good storyteller recipe
book. Recent comment on Shakespeare's play on vengeance often refers to the dramatic
genre known as a vengeance drama, which in the late Elizabethan or Jacoba period
became widely popular. The Spanish tragedies, a play that helped to formulation the
conventions and to which Shakespeare's adaptions are frequently compared, are the most
remarkable English example of this form The Spanish Tragedy. Section two deals with in
a resentful mood, vengeance on exact retribution for the wrong: she was determined to get
vengeance for the derogatory comment. Formerly, retribution and revenge were
synonymous, but now they express different concepts. Avenge means inflicting
punishment as an act of retributive justice: bringing the criminal to trial to avenge a
murder. Revenge is now defined as inflicting pain to retaliate for real or fictitious wrongs:
the man who libeled him will revenge himself. Section three deals with Antonio, a
Venetian merchant, laments a melancholy he can't explain to his friends. His friend
Bassanio desperately needs money to court Portia, a rich heiress who lives in Belmont
city. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan so that he can fly to Portia 's estate in style. Antonio
agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because all of his own money is invested in
a number of commercial ships still at sea. Antonio proposes that Bassanio secures the loan
from one of the moneylenders of the city and nominates Antonio as the guarantor of the
loan. In Belmont, Portia expresses sadness about the terms of the will of her father, which
stipulates that she must marry the man who chooses one of three caskets correctly.(
Michael.1996.25)
Contents
Dedication……………………………………………………………………..I

Acknowledgment…………………………………………………………………II
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………..… III
Content………………………………………………………………………….IV
Section One
1.1 The definition of Revenge …………………………………………….......... 1
1.2Revenge in literature and Elizabethton ear …………………………………...2
1.3 The Revenge in the writing of Shakespeare ……………………………..........3
Section Two
2.1Plot Summary …………………………………………………………………...5
2.2 Main themes ……………………………………………………………………7
2.3 The Revenge in the play …………………….……………………………........9
Conclusion …………….…………………………………………………………….14
Bibliographical …………………………………………………………………….15
Section One
1.1 The definition of Revenge
In a resentful mood, vengeance on exact retribution for the wrong: she was
determined to get vengeance for the derogatory comment. Formerly, retribution and
revenge were synonymous, but now they express different concepts. Avenge means
inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice: bringing the criminal to trial to
avenge a murder. Revenge is now defined as inflicting pain to retaliate for real or
fictitious wrongs: the man who libeled him will revenge himself. Revenge is defined as
the act of perpetrating a harmful action against a person or group, whether real or
perceived, in response to a grievance. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild
justice" that "offends ... offends the law and puts out the law. "Primitive justice or
retributive justice is often distinguished from forms of justice more formal and refined,
such as distributive justice and divine judgment. Social psychologist Ian Mckee points out
that the desire to maintain power motivates vengeful behavior as a means of managing
impression: "People who are more vengeful tend to be those who are motivated by power
, authority and the desire for status. (Strelan, Weick & Vasiljevic .2013.4)
A lot of human cultures have encountered vengeful behaviours. Some cultures
promote vengeful conduct, known as a feud. Such communities usually consider
individual and community honor to be of critical importance. Therefore, though
maintaining his reputation, an avenger feels as if he will restore the former state of honor
and justice. According to Michael Ignatieff, "Revenge is a deep moral obligation to
preserve confidence with the dead, to respect their memory by taking up their cause where
they have left off"Honor may thus become an inheritance that passes from generation to
generation. Whenever it is violated, the family or community members concerned may
feel obligated to retaliate against an individual in order to preserve the initial "honor
balance". This was before the actual injury. This cycle of honor will extend by taking the
family members, and then the entire society of the new victim, into the brand-new cycle
of vengeance that could pervade generations. (Strelan, Weick & Vasiljevic .2013.4)
1.2 Revenge in literature and Elizabethton ear.
Revenue is an attack of pain on the person who has hurt or offended someone, beyond
the mere ends of the puncture or reparation needed ( Bate,n.d,p.749. However, were a
writer has revenge, he has zeal ,frustration, intense desire, pride. All the ingredients for a
good storyteller recipe book. The greatest works of the greatest writers, Shakespeare,
Milton,Melrille,deal directly with people who want even an score. Not coincidentally, the
most memorable trek spisods and movies also take revenge as their theme. Anyway,
revenge is an ancient theme, but the plays that have done the most to develop the modern
idea of revenge were written during the Renaissance, particularly the drama of the late
Elizabethton age. (Dutta.2006.8)
Despite the fact that justice was the sole right of the state of Elizabeth, with any
violation of its newly acquired privilege subject to severe punishment, the spirit of
retribution has scarcely diminished since the time of Elizabeth : its nature was still known
as a slayers injury to the nearest kin,and the law sought to be as unyielding as possible in
order to provide fair justice to the laws of, of course, the holder, but typically only in cases
of manslaughter. Furthermore, the accessory who gives the order is guilty as the person
who commits the crime, but there are various fine distinctions. For one, the malice must
continue until the mortal wound is given, although there may have been a feeling of malice
between two individuals who later met and were recorded but quarreled again and killed
one another .(Dutta.2006.8)
Anyway, chief justice Coke, the ultimate authority of Elizabeth law, describes
murder as the act of a man of sound memory and of the age of discretion who unlawfully
kills another in the domain with malice forethought, either stated by the parte or implied by
the statute, so that person injured dies of injury within a year and a day. However, the case
is one of manslaughter, but not murder, as the former malice did not continue. In addition,
personal blood revenge, (Dutta.2006.8)
because it was necessary the result of pretense for malice , was not legal in Elizabethton
England . The only reasonable personal retaliatory action at all was the immediate reaction
to the injury . (Dutta.2006.8)
1.2 The Revenge in the writing of Shakespeare
Recent comment on Shakespeare's play on vengeance often refers to the dramatic
genre known as a vengeance drama, which in the late Elizabethan or Jacoba period became
widely popular. The Spanish tragedies, a play that helped to formulation the conventions
and to which Shakespeare's adaptions are frequently compared, are the most remarkable
English example of this form. The Spanish Tragedy. Critics do not agree on the extent to
which Shakespeare's treatment of revenge adheres to or diverges from the standards
established by Kyd and others. Eleanor Prosser (1971) asserts that Shakespeare scrutinized
the moral and ethical quandaries facing the revenger much more closely than did any of his
predecessors or contemporaries. She argues that his image of vengeance generally reflects
religious and ethical norms, which condemn personal reprisal for wrong; in fact, she claims
that Shakespeare supports the concept that vengeance is a prerogative of heaven.
(Thorndike.1902.7 )
By contrast, Michael Cameron Andrews (1978) claims that Elizabethan and the
Jacobic public have a universal instinctive wish to see violence repaid with violence,
regardless of moral or religious injunction against personal vengeance — and that
Shakespeare has understood and even occasionally understood this violent situation. This
impulse was sympathetic. In addition the scholars uniformly regard Hamlet and Titus
Andronicus, despite discrepancies in his works on the dramatists ' approach to vengeance,
as the plays closest to the models of vengeance. Like many others.(www.en.wikipedia.org )
The argues that although Shakespeare incorporated the core elements of the
vengeance tragic in his play, Charles and Elaine Hallett (1980) claim that Hamlet broke
new ground; He freely adapted them to make Hamlet's attempt to reconcile his deeds with
the bad implicit in pursuit of revanche easier to explore. Shakespeare‟s complex
characterization of the revancher was the main distinction between Hamlet and his
predecessors. The role of the revenger in inventory in the discussion of Hamlet is also
taken into account by Mark Rose (1971). (Thorndike.1902.7 )
It is suggested that while Hamlet is not against the idea of bloody vengance,
philosophically and esthetically, he finds the traditional form of revenge contrary to his
own image. Revenge is also inappropriate to the nature of the prince for John Kerrigan
(1981). He also argues that Hamlet is convinced that vengeance makes no sense, because,
unlike memory, it cannot restore what was lost. David Scott Kastan (1987) says that
Hamlet tries to persuade himself that vengeance is a way to restorate the past, but that he
finally refuses revenge because of both its futility and the crime that prompted him to
replicate it . Evaluating Hamlet as a version of revenge tragedy, Michael Neill (1983)
similarly points out that the revenger's pursuit of retribution for past wrongs traditionally—
and paradoxically—leads him to imitate the actions of the object of his vengeance.
(Thorndike.1902.7 )
The reciprocal relationship between victims, villains, and revengers is an important
feature of commentary on Shakespeare's other revenge tragedy, Titus Andronicus. Douglas
E. Green (1989), for example, remarks that the avenger in this play becomes a mirror
image of his enemies, for Titus's acts of retribution are as shockingly evil as the deeds that
led to them. Eleanor Prosser contends that Titus is a good man who has been genuinely
wronged, but his extravagant grief leads to madness, and he forfeits our sympathy with the
form of his vengeance on Tamora and her sons. In sharp contrast, Michael Andrews thinks
it probable that Shakespeare's original audience applauded the “grisly propriety” of Titus's
strategy and regarded it not as a heinous crime but a justified act of revenge. Comparing
Titus to other revenge dramas, particularly The Spanish Tragedy, Lawrence N. Danson
(1974) describes it as an anomaly, especially with respect to its rhetoric .
(Thorndike.1902.7 )
Section Two
3.1 Plot Summary
Antonio, a Venetian merchant, laments a melancholy he can't explain to his
friends. His friend Bassanio desperately needs money to court Portia, a rich heiress who
lives in Belmont city. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan so that he can fly to Portia 's estate
in style. Antonio agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because all of his own
money is invested in a number of commercial ships still at sea. Antonio proposes that
Bassanio secures the loan from one of the moneylenders of the city and nominates
Antonio as the guarantor of the loan. In Belmont, Portia expresses sadness about the terms
of the will of her father, which stipulates that she must marry the man who chooses one of
three caskets correctly.( Michael.1996.25)
None of Portia 's new suitors are to her taste, and she and Nerissa, her lady-in-
waiting, fondly recall a visit Bassanio paid a while before. Antonio and Bassanio
approach for a loan at Venice for Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock holds a long-
standing grudge against Antonio, who has become accustomed to berating Shylock and
other Jews for their usury, loaning money at exorbitant interest rates, and crippling their
business by providing interest-free loans. Though Antonio refuses to apologize for his
behaviour, Shylock acts comfortably and offers three thousand ducats without interest to
lend to Bassanio. Shylock adds, however, that Shylock will have the right to a pound of
Antonio's own flesh should the loan go unpaid. Despite warnings from Bassanio, Antonio
agrees. In own household of Shylock, His servant Launcelot agreed to leave Shylock 's
service to work for Bassanio, and Shylock 's daughter Jessica's plans to elope with
Lorenzo 's friend Antonio's. ( Michael.1996.25)
Venice 's streets fill with revelers that night and Jessica escapes with Lorenzo by
dressing up as his page. Bassanio and his friend Gratiano leave for Belmont after a night
of celebration, where Bassanio hopes to win Portia 's back. In Belmont, Portia welcomes
the Prince of Morocco who has come to marry her in an attempt to select the right casket.
The prince studies the inscriptions on the three caskets and selects the one of gold, which
is proving to be a wrong decision. ( Michael.1996.25)Shylock is angry in Venice to
discover that his daughter has run away, but rejoices that Antonio's ships are said to have
been wrecked and that he will be able to assert his debt in the near future. (
Michael.1996.25)
The Prince of Arragon hosts Portia in Belmont, too. He, too, is carefully studying
the caskets, but he picks the silver one, which is also wrong. Bassanio arrives at the estate
of Portia, and they declare their love for each other. Despite Portia 's suggestion that he
wait before selecting, Bassanio chooses the right casket immediately, which is made of
lead. He, too, is carefully studying the caskets, but he picks the silver one, which is also
wrong. Bassanio arrives at the estate of Portia, and they declare their love for each other.
Given Portia 's request to wait until he makes the option, Immediately, Bassanio chooses
the right casket, made of lead. He and Portia rejoice, and Gratiano confesses that Nerissa
has fallen in love. (Course Hero.2018.14)
The couples agree on a twin union. Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a token of love,
and makes him swear he will not part with it under any circumstances. They are followed,
by Lorenzo and Jessica, suddenly. However, the celebration is cut short by the news that
Antonio has indeed lost his boat, and that he has forfeited Shylock 's pledge. Immediately,
Bassanio and Gratiano fly to Venice to try to save Antonio 's life. Portia informs Nerissa
after they depart, that they are going to go to Venice dressed as guys. Shylock refuses the
numerous pleas to save Antonio 's life, and the matter is called upon to be resolved by a
judge. The duke of Venice, who presides over the court, reveals he's sent for a legal
expert, who turns out to be Portia posing as a young lawyer. Portia begs Shylock to show
mercy but he remains inflexible and reasonably maintains that the pound of flesh is his.
Shylock refuses the numerous pleas to save Antonio 's life, and the matter is called upon
to be resolved by a judge. (Course Hero.2018.14)
The duke of Venice, who presides over the court, reveals he's sent for a legal
expert, who turns out to be Portia posing as a young lawyer. Portia seeks mercy from
Shylock, But he remains inflexible, and rightly insists that his pound of flesh is his.
Bassanio is offering twice the money due to Shylock but Shylock is insisting on collecting
the bond as it is written. Portia reviews the contract and states that Shylock is entitled to
the merchant's flesh if it is considered legally binding. (Course Hero.2018.14)
Shylock praises her wisdom with ecstasy, but as he is about to collect his due,
Portia reminds him that he must do so without causing Antonio to bleed, as the contract
does not entitle him to any bloodShylock, trapped by this argument, desperately offers to
take the money from Bassanio instead, but Portia insists that Shylock take his bond as
specified, or nothing at all. Portia tells Shylock that he is guilty of plotting against a
Venetian citizen's life , which means that half of his property must be handed over to the
court, and the other half to Antonio. The duke spares the life of Shylock, and takes a fine
instead of the land of Shylock. ( COPE.2007.37)
Antonio also forgets his half of the property of Shylock on two conditions: first,
Shylock must convert to Christianity, and second, after his death, he must give Lorenzo
and Jessica the entirety of his estate. Shylock accepts, and leaves. Bassanio, who doesn't
see through Portia's disguise, showers thanks to the young law clerk, and is eventually
pressured to give Portia the ring he promised he would never part with. Gratiano lends his
ring to Nerissa, who is disguised as the clerk of Portia. The two women return to Belmont,
where under the moonlight they find Lorenzo and Jessica pledging their love one to
another. As Bassanio and Gratiano return the next day, they are accused by their wives of
giving other women their rings unfaithfully. Before the trickery goes too far, ]
Nevertheless, Portia reveals that she was once a law clerk and that both she and Nerissa
reconciled with their husbands. Lorenzo and Jessica are pleased to learn from Shylock
about their inheritance, and the joyful news arrives that Antonio's ships actually safely
made it back. The group is celebrating her good fortune. ( COPE.2007.37)
3.3 Main themes
Prejudice Shylock seeks vengeance on Antonio as a sign of all the wrongs
which Christians have committed on him and his people. The desire for vengeance of
Shylock often represents his prejudice towards Christians, but that prejudice is a reaction
to his prejudice. Antonio was personally responsible for all of his misdeeds, calling
Shylock a dog and spitting on him. Antonio 's friend Lorenzo also lures and marries
Shylock's only child away from home — making him a Christian at the same time. In a
wider context, Shylock is confined to lending money as a career, since all businesses are
effectively closed to him; he lives in the crowded Venice such prejudices generate the
rage that causes him to lash out against Christians, particularly Antonio; this in effect
leads the Christians to act on their own prejudices, robbing him of his wealth and forcing
him to convert to Christianity. Such acts show how racism produces a process of
reciprocal animosity which is fruitless. ( Jonathan.1993.45)
Mercy At court Portia posing as a legal scholar named Balthazar pleads with
Shylock to show mercy to Antonio, to rise above his contract letter and to be the best man
given the wrongsMoney free, for she loves the joy of Bassanio more than gold. She then
tricks Bassanio into giving her alter ego his wedding ring-not because of the intrinsic
worth of the ring, but as a wedding ringIts loyalty check. Gold , silver and jewels are
valuable only For the feelings behind those things, these characters. ( Jonathan.1993.45)
Worth Much of The Merchant of Venice's plot hinges on money and who has it, but the
real driver of the action is the emotional importance put on different items. Bassanio and
Antonio are pursuing Shylock 's loan because Bassanio loves Portia and Antonio trusts
Bassanio enough to put his life on the line to help him win it. ( Jonathan.1993.45)
Disguise It's part of Venetian life, as the town's citizens are described as
"maskers" who walk around the town wearing masks as part of their revelries and
celebrations. When Jessica flees from the house of her father, she does so dressed up as a
child. Portia and Nerissa are dressed as young men so that they can be seen in court and
then test their husbands. We allegiance to them. It is worth recalling that it was illegal for
women to act on the stage at William Shakespeare's time; boys or young men played
female roles. Thus disguise was an important part of the play. The audience understood
that, and ShakespeareIn his dialog on this knowledge, as when Lorenzo and Jessica
addressed her humiliation at being dressed "in the beautiful garnish of a child," as Lorenzo
put it. The crowd, realizing Jessica was a kid anyway, considered this kind of humorous
banter. Also, because people were expected to play their roles, Shakespeare frequently
masqueraded the supposedly female characters as boys or people — which was of course
quite convincing.( Jonathan.199345)

2.2 The Revenge in the Novel


If a Christian is wrong with a Jew, what is his Vengeance of humility? If a
Jew is wrong with Christian, what would his misery be by Christian example Why
Revenge. I'm going to execute the villainy you teach me, and it will go tough but I'm
going to improve the instruction. The audience is introduced to Shylock a Jew in
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. As a result of the deal, Antonio agrees either to
refund the ducats within three months, or to provide Shylock with a pound of his flesh
from whatever part Shylock likes. Although Antonio initially finds the contract
unthreatening, it soon presents a problem and becomes a way for Shylock to carry out his
revenge. Cashier in Venice. (Alaeddin.2015.34)
One of the key focal points throughout the play is the contract that is created
between Antonio and Shylock, in the name of Bassanio who is the great friend of Antonio
and in need of the ducats. As a result of the deal, Antonio agrees either to refund the
ducats within three months, or to provide Shylock with a pound of his flesh from whatever
part Shylock likes. Although Antonio initially finds the contract unthreatening, it soon
presents a problem and becomes a way for Shylock to carry out his revenge. Despite,
Shylock's discourse in Act III , Scene I, the conflict between Antonio and Shylock is used
as a way for Shylock to justify himself to others by comparing Jews to Christians. As a
consequence, Shylocks rationale for justifying his vengeance will signify a sense of
understanding about his need to collect what Antonio is indebted to him. When Shylock
comes in, Scene I and crosses paths with Salerio and Solanio, the speech is presented.
Sorry about their good friend Antonio, Salerio and Solanio ask Shylock about the pound
of flesh. (Alaeddin.2015.34)
The following speech by Shylock denotes his lack of sympathy with Antonio's
current situation and how he now has to provide Shylock with a pound of flesh. Along
with that, the speech provides further understanding of Antonio and other Christians'
deep-rooted history of Shylock's mistreatment. Shylock 's talk about his past.
Mistreatment by others, stirring resentment in Shylock and (Alaeddin.2015.34)fueling his
need to seek vengeance. Overall, mistreatment of Shylocks by others produces a persona
abused and mistreated by others. Shylock being portrayed as a victim helps to grasp his
need for revenge. Aside from being depicted as a victim, Shylock gives the connotation
that there is no distinction between Christians and Jews, and that both are equal as human
beings. He does this comparison order to add further to the justification that he is just as a
person of Christian faith in his every right to revenge. (Alaeddin.2015.34)
If I can catch him once upon the hip, Although the Antonio-Shylock dispute is a
big part of the play, it can be viewed as reflecting the larger conflict between Jews and
Christians. The dispute between those of Christian faith and Jewish faith is common in
The Venice Merchant. In the speech in which Lancelot discusses with himself whether to
serve Shylock a Jewish man or to serve Bassanio a Christian man, such prejudice by
Christians can be seen. The very devil incarnation is the need for Lancelot to choose
between whom to serve, can be related to the struggle to do the right thing and stay with
Shylock or accept the Jew 's notion of prejudice. Shylock being referred to as "the Jew
who is the very incarnation of the devil" means the overall prejudice which Christians
suffer from Jews. The fact that Jews are continually insulted in the play by the Christian
characters helps to give a sense of sympathy for the character of Shylock.( Elyse.2013.12)
Additionally, Shylock may also establish a sense of justification in his need to justify his
vengeance after having suffered injustice and been oppressed by others. Despite having
lost his servant and his money, Shylock is just a Christian who has every right to feel and
keep bitterness in him. ( Elyse.2013.12)
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him ( Elyse.2013. 46)
Shylock describes the reasons he hates Antonio in an aside during the third scene
of the play when Bassanio and Antonio approach Shylock for the loan, and ends with this
description of revenge. His use of "old" reflects a tradition of anti-Semitism in Europe that
is much older than he and Antonio, and "feed fat" is an example of the base, animal
vocabulary that characterizes Shylock as grotesque and monstering. This aside sets the
key motive Shylock has for the play, which is vengeance on Antonio as a sign of
vengeance on a culture that has wronged him and his ancestors.( Skinwood .2017.19)

The villainy you teach me I will execute,


and it shall go hard but I will better
the instruction. ( Elyse.2013. 70)
In the final line of the popular Shylock's "Doesn't a Jewish eye? "Speech,
Shylock describes the nature of revenge as a cycle of interminable intensification. He
shows that he understands that killing Antonio would be a greater crime than the offenses
Antonio committed against him, but he prefers it that way. Shylock validates his desire for
revenge in this line at the same time, explaining that he's just a villain because Antonio
and his friends taught him to be that way through their cruelty, and condemns it,
explaining how he'd enjoy a greater punishment for Antonio. .( Skinwood .2017.19)
Thou shalt have more justice
than thou desir‟st ( Elyse.2013. 73)
Just before Portia, disguised as Balthazar, delivers her verdict during the trial scene, she
tells Shylock that he will have more justice than he wants. For punishment the term "more
vengeance" stands in. That line gives out the decision of Portia as the penalty for Shylock
attempting to obtain his loan terms, or vengeance for trying to kill Antonio. Portia acts out
of a desire for vengeance against those who harm her family, like Shylock, showing that
the mentality permeates the story. .( Skinwood .2017.19)

How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a


Christian, But more for that in low simplicity He lends out
money gratis and brings down The rate of usance here with
us in Venice. If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will
feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our sacred
nation, and he rails, Even there where merchants most do
congregate, On me, my bargains and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls “interest.” Cursèd be my tribe If I forgive
him! ( Elyse.2013. 74)
Shylock, explains Antonio's enmity. As a Christian, he has a prejudice towards
Antonio and hates him even more for Antonio 's practice of lending money without
interest, damaging the usury business of Shylock. Shylock wants revenge for years of
mistreatment of Antonio. Antonio hates Jewish faith people, and always speaks badly
about the merchant deals with Shylock. Readers may note Shylock's irony in hating
Antonio for his Christianity but seeking revenge because Antonio discriminates against
his Judaism. Clearly, the fire of revenge is sparking hatred and religious division. .(
Skinwood .2017.19)
“If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. And if
you wrong us, shall we not revenge? Why, revenge. The
villainy you teach me I will execute—and it shall go hard
but I will better the instruction.” ( Elyse.2013. 75)
This part of Shylock 's speech from the Shakespearean play Merchant of Venice
in the late16th century appears almost prophetic for the way it portrays our world today,
so much so that it could have been written last week. We can see from the earliest records
that there has been some sort of class division in every society, and time, if anything, has
only strengthened the division There are three basic aspects to Shylock's above-mentioned
expression, one of which is racism or class separation, the next-being only person, and the
third main part-revenge. I maintain that vengeance is a man-made social construct that
emerges out of anger, like biases. ( Skinwood .2017)We 're seeing frustration at this point
in the play with some of the main characters involved. Bassanio asks for a loan from his
friend Antonio, a Venetian shipping merchant, to move back to Portia 's estate in style.
Antonio agrees, but grumbles he can't make the loan himself because all his money is
invested in ships at sea. .( Skinwood .2017.19)
We see that Portia wants the right casket to be picked by Bassanio, thus winning
her hand in marriage and not the other suitors seeking her hand to get forced to marry her.
It is here that Shylock comes in. Antonio says Bassanio will apply for a loan from Shylock,
a Jewish moneylender. (Bloom.2007.25)

Shylock has a haughty grudge against Antonio, Whoever has made it a regular
show of haranguing over Antonio 's Jews would not consider apologizing for his
behaviour, but Shylock agrees and offers to lend Bassanio no interest money. Shylock
adds, however, that he would be entitled to a pound of Antonio's own flesh as guarantor
should the loan go unpaid. The greatest hope of Shylock comes true when he learns that
Antonio's ships have sunk, losing his opportunity to repay the debt. (Bloom.2007.25)

The matter is brought before a Venetian court, where Shylock makes his case
and is almost given an unchallenged win. He suddenly runs into a masked young law
clerk Portia) who is sent in defense of Antonio. All by the letter of the law and using the
same techniques as Shylock does, Portia not only reverses the decision, but also forces
Shylock into a position where he is forced not only to surrender half of his wealth, Yet
convert to Christianity too. Shylock is forced into this position because he's being blinded
by this social construction called revenge — retribution he believes Antonio 's actions
owe him. A social construct is, by lexical definition,: a social structure, phenomenon, or
concept created and formed by society; a conception of an person, community, or idea
'constructed' through cultural or social practice. Would it alter the meaning of the play if
Shylock 's questions remained the same while he was any other ethnicity and Antonio was
not a Christian? In the end, no, it wouldn't. Now how does that apply to the world today?
As we are led to believe, all human beings are created equal. (Bloom.2007.25)
Conclusion
As a result, In a resentful mood, vengeance on exact retribution for the wrong: she
was determined to get vengeance for the derogatory comment. Formerly, retribution and
revenge were synonymous, but now they express different concepts. Avenge means
inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice: bringing the criminal to trial to
avenge a murder. Revenge is now defined as inflicting pain to retaliate for real or
fictitious wrongs: the man who libeled him will revenge himself. Revenge is defined as
the act of perpetrating a harmful action against a person or group, whether real or
perceived, in response to a grievance. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild
justice" that "offends ... offends the law and puts out the law. "Primitive justice or
retributive justice is often distinguished from forms of justice more formal and refined,
such as distributive justice and divine judgment. If a Christian is wrong with a Jew, what
is his Vengeance of humility? If a Jew is wrong with Christian, what would his misery be
by Christian example Why Revenge. I'm going to execute the villainy you teach me, and it
will go tough but I'm going to improve the instruction. The audience is introduced to
Shylock a Jew in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. As a result of the deal, Antonio
agrees either to refund the ducats within three months, or to provide Shylock with a pound
of his flesh from whatever part Shylock likes. Although Antonio initially finds the
contract unthreatening, it soon presents a problem and becomes a way for Shylock to
carry out his revenge. Cashier in Venice. (Alaeddin.2015.34)
Bibliographical
-Alaeddin , N.(2015). Shakespeare‟s Shylock, the Everlasting Character of all Times. Art
University, Tehran, Iran.
- Bloom, H.(2007) .Heims, Neil (ed.). The Merchant of Venice. New York: Infobase.
ISBN 978-0-7910-9576-8..Pp25
- COPE.W. P.(2007) . A TEACHER‟S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSICS EDITION
OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE‟S THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. University of
Georgia.Pp37
- Elyse. M.(2013) . Revenge in The Merchant of Venice. April 15.Pp12-46-70-73-74-74
- Dutta. Sibaprasad (May .2006)). Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy..Pp8
- Jonathan. S. (1993) .THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by “William ShakespearePp45
- Michael. S. (1996). "Chapter 5: Doubling Cross Gender Disguise: The Merchant of
Venice." Gender in Play on the Shakespearean Stage: Boy Heroines and Female Pages.
Pp25
- Marcus, L. (2006) The Merchant of Venice. New York: W. W. Norton & Company,
Inc.,.Print.Pp23
- Stabile.A.M(2010). Merchant of Venice Analysisl. Literary Interpretation 8
December.Pp11
- Strelan. P.. Weick Mario and Vasiljevic Milica(2013) . Power and revenge. University
of Adelaide. Pp4
- Skinwood. M. (2017). Prejudice and Revenge in Shakespeare‟s „Merchant of Venice‟.
January 4,.Pp19
- Thorndike. A. H (1902). "The Relations of Hamlet to Contemporary Revenge Plays."
Modern Language Association. 17.2 . Print.URLwww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

You might also like