Shakespeare's Presentation of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice
In the Merchant of Venice, Shylock is continually involved in the bond
plot. This plot is probably the most intense story-line in this
Shakespeare play. Bassanio borrows money from Shylock in Antonio's
name in order to impress Portia, however after a tragic incident
involving all of Antonio's ships crashing; the money has failed to be
returned. According to their bargain Antonio must now give Shylock a
pound of his flesh. Shakespeare uses Shylock is this play in order to
provoke feelings of sympathy but also of hatred towards the villain in
this play- the Jew.
However you can't help but feel compassion for his situation as he is
always going to be treated as a miscreant. Shylock is demonstrated as
an Elizabethan caricature of a Jew and is therefore treated as one. He
has a hatred of Christians and lends money out of interest (this is
something that Elizabethans had unacceptable views on). Shylock in
this play does suffer wrongs and has some valid points on Christian
failings but he will always be seen as the rogue because of his
constant greed and hatred towards Antonio- one of the most popular
members of the play because of his generosity and affection.
In Act 1 Scene 3 we meet Shylock for the first time, throughout the
play there are times when we feel understanding for Shylock, however
this is not one of them. The most obvious observation of this scene is
the hatred of Antonio and dislike of Shylock. Shylock summarises his
approach to Christians when he explains what he will do with
Christians and what he won't ('I will buy with you…I will not eat with
you')....
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...we not bleed?' However, essentially audience compassion is turned
away from Shylock by his hatred of Antonio, to the extent of murder
and the ruthless pursuit of profit. The Elizabethan audience would
have seen him as a stereotypical monster of greed and in the
nineteenth century there was a tradition of presenting him as a
villain, followed by another tradition of Shylock as a noble victim.
Shakespeare is, however, more balanced and subtle than any of these.
Shakespeare uses situations to provoke feelings of condolence towards
Shylock because he is the victim of Christian hate (which proves to be
very non-Christian). Nevertheless Shylock will always be the villain
of the play as he is in contrast to Antonio and surely no victim would
seek death of any fellow human being or care only for his money and
not his daughter.
still a common view of Jews is for them to be penny pinching, both in
say, “If I can catch once upon the hip I will feed fat the ancient
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "Shylock is a two dimensional villain who does not deserve our
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout "The Merchant of Venice" Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader.
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
this aspect of him as soon as he enters the play with his first words
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
During this scene, when Antonio and Shylock appear before the court and Shylock is asked to bestow mercy upon Antonio, it is apparent that he cannot do so. He is so overwhelmed with negative emotion around Antonio, that his quote is a actually an elongated explanation of why he cannot put his visceral reaction to him aside and calmly explain or justify his hatred. The closest he comes to doing so is by personifying his rage into a "mistress of passion" who can toy with an individual's likes and dislikes. He is unable to analyze his emotional state any more that others are able to analyze their negative emotional reactions to certain animals or musical tones. His quote does express a range...
The Theme of Prejudice in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, there are two main characters. themes, prejudice, and loyalty. Prejudice is the more evident theme.
torture at the time. "Let me choose, for as I am, I live upon the
It is evident in both plays by William Shakespeare that ambition and pride seem to be the
things he has called him and for all the many times he has spat on him
at the end of the 16th century was overtaken by England which was at a
Sympathizing with Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare creates an atmosphere. throughout the play, which causes the audience to sympathize with Shylock. Shakespeare uses key events, and dialogue to influence the story.
William Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot.