Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
William Shakespeare
LITERARY TERMS
• Allusion *Malapropism
• Aside *Metaphor
• Comic Relief *Pun
• Double Entendre(pun) *Soliloquy
• Foreshadowing *Theme
• Internal Rhyme
• Irony-Dramatic, Structural, Verbal
BACKGROUND
• The play was written about 1596.
☑Appeared in the register for first time in
1598 perhaps to prevent copyright issues.
☑Falls into the second period of
Shakespeare’s writings, with Romeo and
Juliet and Midsummer Night’s Dream.
☑A play that shows the extremes of anti-
semitism during Shakespeare’s time.
The Characters-In groups
Other examples:
*husbands protestations they would sacrifice
their wives to save Antonio
*having rings enticed away
*Gratiano’s description of the Clerk
*Parting of Shylock and Jessica before elopement
*Bassiano’s choice of caskets
*Shylock’s insistence on the very words of the
bond
NEMESIS
• When we feel that the punishment of a
character is peculiarly suited to his
crimes, it is a form of retributive justice
called Nemesis.
CONTRASTS WITH
Silver
Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves
Lead
Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath
Unusual aspects of the Trial
• Trial is irregular for the following reasons:
– The Duke, who is the judge, openly shows
sympathy with the prisoner before the trial begins.
– Interested spectators, Gratiano and Bassanio, are
allowed to interfere during proceedings.
– The shedding of blood is a necessary part of the
payment of the penalty, and its being forbidden is a
legal and logical absurdity.
– A case in court is concerned with the direct charge
only. The judge dragging in another charge, that
Shylock has broken the law against aliens, is
completely contrary to legal procedure.
Anti-Jewish Prejudice
• Showed Christians with an un-Christlike
bigotry and intolerance (Antonio and
Portia)