Analysis of Shylock's Role in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
In this essay, I will be examining one of Shakespeare’s most memorable
and controversial characters, Shylock. Shylock is one of the main
characters in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ He is often seen as a villain
but some argue that he actually a victim. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is
a play that explores revenge, love and prejudice. It follows a Jew
called Shylock and a Christian called Antonio. Antonio borrows three
thousand ducats from Shylock for his close friend Bassanio and makes a
bond that says that in the case of forfeiture, Shylock can take a
pound of flesh from any part of the body he wishes. When all of
Antonio’s ships which carry his fortune are ruined, Shylock demands
his pound of flesh and takes Antonio to court. However, he gets caught
between a battle of the wits and is forced to suffer the ultimate
humiliation.
At the time that ‘The Merchant of Venice’ was written, Jews were
treated with prejudice. They were restricted from many jobs and were
forced to live in ghettos. If they were attacked, they were not
allowed to retaliate which provoked many people to abuse the Jews.
This abuse takes place in Shakespeare’s play. In Act 1 Scene 3,
Shylock tells Antonio, ‘You that did void your rheum upon my beard,
and foot me as you spurn a stranger cur.’ Antonio frequently kicked,
insulted and spat upon Shylock like a stray dog. His reply is that he
is likely ‘to call thee so again, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee
again.’ The audience sympathise with Shylock in this scene and perhaps
feel a bit disgusted at Antonio for asking Shylock for a favour after
persecuting him. Antonio and the other Christian characters also
rarely call Shylock by his name, referring to him simply as ‘Jew.’
Despite all of this abuse, Shylock is extremely proud of his religion.
When Bassanio invites him for dinner, Shylock tells him, ‘I will buy
with you, sell with you…but I will not eat with you.
It was my fault I know I messed up. I mean you don’t just mess with that sort of news I mean did you see JJ Watt did you see Beckham Jr, ughh anyways lets go like now we need to go tell the king what happened. If I don’t tell the king I’ll be on his bad side and I don’t want to do that he got me sideline seats all year and VIP passes for the NFL. Man we need to go like now otherwise I don’t think I’ll ever get to see jerseys so close again in my life, I’ll never get to high five Brady again, okay I need to stop how could I even imagine living without that. Claudius maybe stunned when I tell him about this but it needs to happen
so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead
middle of paper ... ... now go on to comment on one of the rare moments in the play where we see a partly human side to side to Shylock. This is the speech which he makes claiming that Antonio has thwarted for one simple reason that he was a Jew. Shylock might actually have some justification in this statement as we have no evidence that Antonio is any less anti-Semitic than the rest of his fellow Venetians. He then points out that he is as much a human as any other man.
‘villain’; he is a complex mix of both. In the first part of the play,
The very notion of imposing such a brutal penalty seems to us shocking in its severity and absurdity, but, of course, Shylock's reasons for setting it must also be taken into account. It can also be argued that it was Antonio's right to refuse it, and so Shylock's wish to fulfil the terms of the contract cannot be classed as murder. Antonio agreed to it, and he was fully aware of the implications. Antonio asks of Shylock the loan of 3,000 ducats.
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, we observe Hamlet as an incredibly complex and bewildering character that upon first glance, seems to undergo a plethora of predicaments. Upon identification of such obstacles, we begin to wonder about whether his entirely fictitious existence in the play classifies him as sane while the world around him is in a way, insane or vise-versa. In addition, one of the main problems that superficially seems to be at the root of his conflicts is his melancholy. This is a condition that has always identified with him throughout the entire play, even still presenting itself up until the very end of Act V. In conclusion, the cause of his affliction is generally simplistic but drawn-out, serving to impact his actions significantly.
This is shown by 'If it be proved against an alien' (Act 4 Scene 1
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
receives. So it would not be fair to say that he was totally evil as
hate him for he is a Christian” this is not a valid reason to hate
things he has called him and for all the many times he has spat on him
Throughout Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the main character; Hamlet displays his contemplative side and his sexual deviancy wrapped up in his enigmatic character that makes for a thought provoking play with many interesting twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. Hamlet’s creative character allows for the viewer and the characters in the play alike to search deeper into the meaning of Hamlet’s words hoping find something more about Hamlet than meets the eye. As for Hamlet’s sexual deviancy, his dirty jokes and interest in his mother’s sex life are just another loop Shakespeare employs to get the reader engrossed and slightly disgusted in the story. Hamlet’s philosophical and contemplative side involves the reader in Hamlet's quest to find and accept the whole truth however hopeless it is, due to Hamlet’s love of questions that cannot be answered with certainty.
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Shylock has been very badly treated by certain Christians and he
This can be seen in two ways: as a man making a living at one of the
Shylock lends Antonio a sum of money, that Antonio intends to pay back when his merchant ships arrive in Venice, one month before the debt would be forfeited. When Bassarnio arranges the sum of money, Shylock befriends them, only to stand aside and utter to him self, "I hate him for he is a Christian... If I catch him once upon the hip, I will feed my ancient grudge I bear him," Act 1, Scene 3. Shortly after saying, "But ships are but boards, sailors but men... the perils of waters, winds, and rocks...Three thousand ducats; I think I may take his bond." Shylock is setting his trap here. Shylocks terms of the debt are a pound of Antonios flesh from closets his heart if it be forfeited.