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However, he puts the picture of Portia in the least expected casket; this would be the lead casket.
The effect of iambic pentameter is so that the lines flow well and they do not have to rhyme for this
to happen. However even though it scared me, I was not surprised; every night we had to be in our
rooms by 8:00 sharp for fear of running into the monster. We first hear of this abuse in Act One
Scene Three during Shylock’s speech during discussion with Antonio and Bassanio. Shakespeare was
integral in challenging the subservient role. This shows that she wants to rebel against her father and
wants to get away from him as soon as possible. Their food is basically inedible, their lodgings are
cramped, and some of the teachers are cruel. But equally it could just be the conflict raised about
how he treats her and how much pain she feels to make her do this. Shylock was enraged, not
because of his daughter's departure, but because of his gold and jewels. Keep on browsing if you are
OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies. Portia accepts this, she then turns to Antonio to
ask him if he has anything to say. He plans to marry, Portia so he will be able to pay large debts of to
Antonio, as in marrying Portia he will receive a large sum of money which is important. Additional
materials, such as the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your writing easier are
also offered here. The Christian characters certainly view the matter this way. Biology
CourseworkTo determine if the distribution of flora across Ellerbec. He is depicted as vengeful,
greedy, full of hatred towards Christians, and one who values material wealth over family. Portia,
who Bassanio had successfully wooed, arrives disguised as a lawyer and manages to find a series of
loopholes in the bond which leaves Shylock set to lose all his possessions and his life. Even though it
is quite tricky, people nowadays are still interested in all of Shakespeare’s plays. The Duke now
realises that there is no way that he can legally save his friend's life, but, he states that 'upon his
power' he may dismiss the court unless Bellario, a famous lawyer whom he has called to the court to
ask him of his opinion, can attend the hearing. This can be seen as very spiteful of Jessica and
immature behaviour leading to Shylock's devastation as he now knows she has no respect for him
just like Bassanio and Antonio. In truth I think that the play gave a worse portrayal of the Christian's
because they ended up being the most evil through taking away everything that Shylock had and
making him become Christian. In this play attitudes and actions of the characters have main effects.
However as the scene progresses we can start to see the reason for Shylock’s hatred: the years of
abuse he and other members of the Jewish faith had suffered at the hand of the native Christian
Venetians. Also he has to put up with being harshly treated by the Venetian Christians just for being
a 'Jew'. They spit on him, call him a dog and finally take half of his money and force him to convert.
The third and most important characteristic is her ethical and fair way of dealing with everything.
She successfully finds a loophole in the bond on exploits it to the fullest extent, overthrowing
Shylock in a spectacular fashion devastatingly deflating his ego and gaining genuine heroine status.
In the south-western states of the Holy Roman Empire alone, it is estimated that more than 300
separate witch trials resulted in the execution of 2,500 people between 1570 and 1630, almost all
women - in itself not surprising as church authorities and priests were all male. In a conversation
with Gratiano, Antonio expresses his feelings metaphorically describing the world as: “A stage where
every man must play a part, and mine a sad one.” He feels his part is to play the role of a depressed
character. His determination is shown when he decides to court Portia despite not having sufficient
funds.
Upload Read for free FAQ and support Language (EN) Sign in Skip carousel Carousel Previous
Carousel Next What is Scribd. The effect of iambic pentameter is so that the lines flow well and they
do not have to rhyme for this to happen. Imagine a girl growing up around the turn of the nineteenth
century. Bassanio’s loyalty is evident when he leaves his newlywed wife to help his friend Antonio
in his time of need. The speech is significant in that it summons a range of emotional reactions to
Shylock. When we see Shylock in Act III, scene 1, he seems more hurt by the fact that his daughter
sold a ring that was given to him by his dead wife before they were married than he is by the loss of
the ring’s monetary value. Which means for Jessica she hasn't been able to have the kind loving
words given to her by her mother but the cruel words given by her father who thinks he is treating
her like this for the best. Sage (1974) stated that motivation is 'The internal mechanisms and external
stimuli which arouse and direct our behaviour'. Even when using the other law regarding the spilling
of one drop of blood, she was trying to prevent Shylock from becoming a killer, while saving
Antonio's life, a mercy for all of them. So overall I think in some cases there is a real sense of
sympathising with Shylock, but his demanding revenge proves he is a villain. Also as I have
mentioned before, his malicious behavior can be traced back to various events in his life, and he is
not seeking revenge without solid evidence, and it is Antonio that hides from his responsibilities
regarding the broken bond. He is often generous to his friends, especially Bassanio when he helps
him out with a loan. The Duke reads the letter and in the meantime Shylock sharpens his knife on the
sole of his shoe. At second look, the audience understands with Shylock and disdainfully shuns the
hypocritical Christians. This is the scene where she again undoubtedly proves her heroine quality.
What was the impact of the First World War on the Police and Policing in Gr. It is one of the
memorable lines as it is the first line from Shylock’s pivotal speech based on revenge. 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! (Shakespeare 52). Let him look to his bond: a workshop approach to
Shakespeare, St Clair Press, (1991). Shylock expresses his hatred and resentment of Antonio in his
speech as all of his feelings which he had to suppress over the years now have burst to the surface.
An Exploration of the character Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Two characters in the play who
have a tense relationship are Shylock and Antonio. Portia's casket dilemma raises questions of racial
discrimination, when she rejects both the Spanish and Moroccan suitors, purely on racial grounds.
Portia emphasises the irony in this further by saying. Also pilgrims can realize how lucky they are,
with good health and not take it for. The superficiality is mostly around the appearance as the three
caskets are gold, silver and lead. There is some controversy to whether Mary Magdalene is an
Apostle, but according to Mark, she is not counted in the final twelve. Some human relationships do
indeed matter to Shylock more than money. So it is amazing that Shakespeare composed such a great
speech expressing the common humanity of Jews and Christians. We also learn at the start of the
play when Antonio lends Bassanio the money, he breaks his own rules.
I think Shakespeare never was an anti-Semite, although “The Merchant of Venice” is an anti-Semitic
play. However, Antonio puts two conditions on his offer, firstly, that Shylock must become a
Christian and, secondly, that he must make a will leaving all that he owns to Jessica and Lorenzo.
However as the scene progresses we can start to see the reason for Shylock’s hatred: the years of
abuse he and other members of the Jewish faith had suffered. So the audiences views on him at this
point are unsure and they just want to see whether he takes Antonio's pound of flesh to decide for
themselves. Overall, Bassanio’s character is complex, showing different sides of his personality
throughout the play. This suggests Shakespeare's intention was not to promote anti-Semitism, but
rather to highlight the issue of religious discrimination and its questionable rationale. While we
understand his motivation, we cannot excuse the endless maintenance of such villainy. He breaks his
rules as Antonio disapproves morally of the lending of money for interest; however as a mark of
affection to Bassanio he is willing to do this just for him. The fact they call Shylock a 'dog' and spits
on him is seen to be hilarious. Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions;
fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the
same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is. He gets annoyed
by the way he is mistreated by the Venetian Christians, mainly Antonio. Trotsky seemed like the
obvious successor, and consequently he became inactive. If you wish to use one, you should not
make a selection at random. Shakespeare's prevailing idea seems to be that true reality requires
looking beyond the surface, “All that glisters in not gold” (2.7.65), which is also true of anti-
Semitism, that external appearances or labelling of Jews can be equally misleading. Shakespeare's
works are renowned for allowing multiple readings of the same text, depending on the readers'
perspective or director's interpretation. I believe that if one takes the time to analyze the situation
thoroughly without showing favor for either sides, you will realize that Shylock has not made any
unfair demands towards Antonio. An orphan, she has no family or friends, no wealth or position.
But from a modern day audiences perspective this type of play would have been seen as a tragic
comedy. So part of what the play reveals is how some Christians are bad men, as are some Jews.
Instead of promoting anti-Semitic ideology Shakespeare instead provides “through the lens of
Shylock's character, a glimpse at the universal human condition” of prejudice and persecution.
Despite facing the obstacle of insufficient funds, he does not allow it to deter him. We could even
say Shylock is a bit naive and unsure on how he should raise his daughter without his wife to help
him. The benefits from going on pilgrimage vary from person to person. It is best to think things over
carefully before putting words on paper. Because I see when Shylock was right in what he did but
when he did something wrong it was very bad. Collectively, they help us to understand in detail
about the characters, Also, I will be describing many other features from the play such as the key
speeches by Portia and Shylock, setting and characterisation. Therefore, while the play exhibits
strong anti-Semitic content through the juxtaposition of the Christian and Jewish characters, it is
designed to focus on the irrationalness of racial and religious intolerance. He has clearly, to a modern
audience, been victimised. He explains that she carries a sin for both her father and mother because
they did not change their religion. So these two most famous speeches are based around the main
theme.
If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”. In late 1923, when Trotsky needed to be
at his most active, he became ill with a malaria-like disease. Portia, who Bassanio had successfully
wooed, arrives disguised as a lawyer and manages to find a series of loopholes in the bond which
leaves Shylock set to lose all his possessions and his life. So it is amazing that Shakespeare composed
such a great speech expressing the common humanity of Jews and Christians. Others go to have the
opportunity to worship freely with other believers, a feeling of belonging, being 'allowed' to worship.
As well as this, she uses symbolism when setting the scene in the red room, in order to portray Jane's
feelings and mood to the reader. During the second world war it was really hard attempting to
survive if you were a Jew, as Hitler was in control and he had a major dislike towards them. When
his daughter Jessica eloped with her Christian lover Lorenzo, she took some of his jewels and gold.
Although religion at the moment is much better then it was back then, racism is becoming a much
bigger issue in the world. Antonio, a merchant who is willing to do anything for his beloved friend,
Bassanio, such as getting a pound of his flesh cut off and agreeing to a loan, just so that his friend
can marry the Princess of Belmont. At second look, the audience understands with Shylock and
disdainfully shuns the hypocritical Christians. Shylock is shocked by Portia's words, but he is not
defeated, he offers to accept triple the original amount, which was offered to him earlier. Such as the
love of a friend which is explored through Antonio and Bassanio, These two friends are extremely
close and Antonio would just about give his live or do anything for Bassanio. Shakespeare didn't
write his plays in a particular way to make it difficult or to be clever. Tennessee Williams wrote in a
letter that It (Streetcar) is a tragedy with. The early Church believed that the Jews murdered Christ
and were therefore in relationship with the Devil. But equally it could just be the conflict raised
about how he treats her and how much pain she feels to make her do this. A sense of belonging is
one of the many things gained. This hatred causes Shylocks to go in search of revenge rather than to
be merciful to Antonio. This focus on her riches highlights his materialistic nature, overshadowing
her numerous other admirable qualities such as intelligence. It has been estimated that during the
period of 1500 to 1700 around nine million 'witches' were burnt at the stake throughout the
European continent. Shakespeare achieves in making the audience to discover controversial matters.
Shylock sees that he has been cornered, and asks permission to leave the court. Shylock is the one
who suggests the unusual bond of a pound of flesh if Antonio does not repay the money Shylock
lent to him. It was accepted in those days that women should marry, were not allowed in courtrooms
and so on. This is the scene where she again undoubtedly proves her heroine quality. Her great
reasoning and negotiating powers allowed her to understand that Shylock wanted to use the law, so
she would use it too, to get a good outcome for all. Shakespeare setting of his characteristic powers
and intuitions lead to a humanized Shylock. Critics have long debated why he offers Shylock a
rational motive for his actions given that “certainly, his audience did not expect it”. He was portrayed
as greedy, vengeful, and full of hatred.
Collectively, they help us to understand in detail about the characters, Also, I will be describing
many other features from the play such as the key speeches by Portia and Shylock, setting and
characterisation. Antonio is often sad and depressed; the cause of the sadness is not known but it is
often said it is because he. You cannot be better employ'd, Bassanio, than to live still, and write mine
epitaph.'. Given her intelligence and fair-minded approach, there is every reason to believe she would
achieve a fair resolution for everyone. However at the end Shylock’s promise to behave as badly as
Venetians, and, moreover, to “better the instruction,” casts him in a less sympathetic light. However
as the scene progresses we can start to see the reason for Shylock’s hatred: the years of abuse he and
other members of the Jewish faith had suffered at the hand of the native Christian Venetians. So
from this point of view, you can see that this situation is in Shylock’s favor, as he is not the one who
has broken the bond. Others argue that Shylock does not have a single pleasant characteristic.
Shakespeare relies on prevalent anti-Jewish discourses, to believably establish Shylock to the
audience as “wolvish, bloody, starved and ravenous” (4.1.38). By choosing Venice as the scene of
the play, Shakespeare sought to portray a society which by all accounts was one of the most liberal
and multicultural of its time; a place were merchants from Asia and Europe transacted business
together and a city full of mixed races and religions. In fact, Shakespeare was an exceedingly
unusual writer for his time to provide Shylock with some form of motive, seeming to rise above the
anti-Semitism of his time. The benefits from going on pilgrimage vary from person to person. O, my
daughter!” With these words, he apparently values his money at least as much as his daughter,
suggesting that his greed outweighs his love. Antonio speaks to Bassanio to try and console him,
concluding with a wry joke about the matter. Shylock, who is gratified with this judgement,
compares Portia to 'Daniel' who, in the Apocrypha, was instructed by God to give a verdict against
two 'elders' who had tried to rape the celibate lady Susanna. But I felt sympathy for him when he
was ripped away from his religion and was forced to convert to Christianity. Gratiano jeers at
Shylock even further, and yet again Shylock asks for the money, but Portia reminds us that Shylock
had refused the money earlier, so now, 'he shall have merely justice, and his bond.' At this, Shylock
attempts to leave the court, yet Portia calls him back stating 'the law hath yet another hold on you.'.
The superficiality is mostly around the appearance as the three caskets are gold, silver and lead. Hath
not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with
the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by
the same winter and summer, as a Christian is. Bronte uses all of these methods, as well as a number
of scenes containing juxtaposition, and the overall structure of her writing style, consistently
throughout the book, as she follows Jane through her life. Critics have long debated why he offers
Shylock a rational motive for his actions given that “certainly, his audience did not expect it”.
Shakespeare setting of his characteristic powers and intuitions lead to a humanized Shylock. The
question of how do we get motivated is a question that many theorists may ask and investigate in
great detail. They are designed to showcase your understanding of major characters, themes, and
details from this work as a whole. The strong moral complexities of the plays themes are far greater
than simple anti-Semitic sentiments allow for. Because I see when Shylock was right in what he did
but when he did something wrong it was very bad. Trotsky's inactiveness resulted in people thinking
Stalin was better than him. Again this might be hard for Shylock, him seeing his only child ignores
his way and beliefs, but on the other side this may only be because she has been so poorly treated by
shylock. One, is her sense of loyalty and duty, she was totally to be trusted as someone who would
not go back on her word. She is the “lady richly left” who Bassanio tries to woo, and is the reason he
asks for money from Antonio, who borrows from Shylock and the bond is forged. The Christian
characters certainly view the matter this way.
This statement by Gratiano has a double meaning, firstly, that he feels Shylock should have been
punished by death and, secondly, that he will be baptised into the Christian faith. They spit on him,
call him a dog and finally take half of his money and force him to convert. He also fully agrees with
all of Portia’s statements and interpretations, despite the fact that she is also a Christian, and seemed
to particularly enjoy her statements regarding the fulfillment of his bond with Antonio. So if looked
at subjectively, Portia is the most influential character of the play, and since she is not perceived as a
villain, that would give her the prime hero credentials. But Jessica retaliates “I shall be saved by my
husband. For example later in the play Jessica is offended by Lancelot’s comment “sins are passed
down to their children”. Portia would outline the consequences for the company and the workers,
such a losing their jobs if the rise was pursued at the high level. Each outline begins with context and
a prompt, followed by a thesis statement related to the work, and offers a basic sketch of how an
analytical paper could be structured to argue that thesis. Another type explored is the love shared
between father and child. Among all the other themes in The Merchant of Venice, Anti-Semitism is
the most notable and controversial. Bassanio also knows he has to be nice to Shylock to get this
money although he hates 'Jews' and wants to spit on him and call him names but is more desperate to
receive the loan than to make Shylock miserable. However if a Jew was to covert from the Jewish
race to the Christian one Elizabethans thought they would be cured. Portia then feels that she may
have found a way to save Antonio's life, she asks Shylock. Were Shakespeare intending to write a
solely anti-Semitic play, it makes no sense that he would create Christian heroes who poses such
dislikeable characteristics and a Jew who demands the audiences' sympathy because of the injustices
he has suffered. However, at the end of the plot Shylock neither gets his pound of flesh or his three
thousand ducats back. The message being put across in this play is simple, a wrong plus a wrong
never undoes a write. Assess William Caxtons contribution to the English Language. In particular, I
concentrated on Portia's emotional reactions to events. The unconscious, inborn dislike of cultures
which jeopardise our way of life. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance
they receive from those with power and influence in. Biology CourseworkTo determine if the
distribution of flora across Ellerbec. For example, people nowadays in Venice don’t exactly marry
who their parents tell them to. The question of how do we get motivated is a question that many
theorists may ask and investigate in great detail. The central theme revolves around usury and
centers on the relationship between Antonio, a Christian merchant from Venice, and Shylock, a
wealthy Jewish. A series of arguments with them heightened by Trotsky's 'The Lessons of. In my
essay I intend to show that, while the above may be true, Shylock had been driven to this state by
years of prejudice and abuse. Jane's personal changes and experiences, at each stage in her life, and
those of her fellow characters, are powerfully communicated to the reader. He agrees to conform
with Antonio's conditions saying. Discuss the presentation of the Christians in 'The Merchant of
Venice'. What was the impact of the First World War on the Police and Policing in Gr.
By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. Also there
is a love between characters and possessions, for example you could say Shylock loves his money. It
is not dead as people still believe that showing mercy to others is still worthy of praise and should be
respected. Homosexual Etymology: The History, Terminology and Movements of Gay and Les. He
has made me a Christian.” This dialogue supports the idea that Jessica aimed since the beginning to
betray her father and symbolically leaving the Jewish faith. She told us daily she was protecting us
but every night I felt more trapped than ever. She is the “lady richly left” who Bassanio tries to woo,
and is the reason he asks for money from Antonio, who borrows from Shylock and the bond is
forged. The Apostles name's were Simon Peter, Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, John
his brother, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the publican who changed his name from Levi to
indicate a new life, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite and Judas. Portia is
also in some way oppressed by her dead father, he would not let her chose her own husband, he had
denied her “the right of voluntary choosing,” but luckily the man she loved chose the right casket an
won the right to marry her. It seems that Shylock has the best lines. “The Merchant of Venice” may
portray anti-Semitic characters and attitudes, but the play effectively criticizes those attitudes.
Shylock is a money-lending Jew, and for these two reasons he is very much disliked and hated by
most in the plot. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance they receive
from those with power and influence in. For example, people nowadays in Venice don’t exactly
marry who their parents tell them to. At the end off the day hopefully Jessica will end up happily
married same as other two Christian ladies Portia and Nerrisa. All alone in the world, she seems
doomed to a life of failure. The opening line of her speech is: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d.”
Portia is saying here that you cannot force mercy on anyone; mercy has to come deep down from the
person’s heart. He hated them so much that throughout the period of time he was in control and had
maximum power over them he killed between 5-11 million Jews. In the play, 'The Merchant of
Venice, (Shakespeare, 1596-1597), Portia is a vital and important character, because she was involved
in all the decisive actions and without her, matters would never have turned out so well in the end.
Hence, Shakespeare depicts Jews as those who value material wealth over family. He offers to take
the money on loan, keeping it in confidence for Lorenzo, a Christian who recently ran away with
Shylock's daughter, Jessica. In particular, I concentrated on Portia's emotional reactions to events.
Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies. A code generator that
automatically writes programmes to implement. So from this point of view, you can see that this
situation is in Shylock’s favor, as he is not the one who has broken the bond. So Shylock had
dropped all charges, Antonio’s life was spared but Shylock had to leave his religion and convert to
Christianity. My Perception of Portias Portrayal in the Merchant of Venice. Shylock informs the
Duke about what will happen if he denies him 'the due and forfeit of his bond'. Nevertheless,
Elizabethan England, who had expelled Jews in the Middle Ages, frequently portrayed Jews as evil,
deceptive usurers and these stereotypical caricatures of Jews was seen as comical to English
audiences. Also there is the romantic love explored by Shakespeare. Gratiano jeers at Shylock even
further, and yet again Shylock asks for the money, but Portia reminds us that Shylock had refused the
money earlier, so now, 'he shall have merely justice, and his bond.' At this, Shylock attempts to leave
the court, yet Portia calls him back stating 'the law hath yet another hold on you.'.