Merchant & A Midsummer Nights
analytical Essay
1307 words
Merchant & A Midsummer Nights
A Product of Society?
It is hard to determine whether or not Shakespearean comedy is clearly a product of Elizabethan courtly society. It can be said that the answer to that question is both yes and no. It is apparent in The Merchant of Venice that Shakespeare’s writing was strongly influenced by the society surrounding him while A Midsummer Nights Dream is much less realistic and so original that one might think he came from another time period all together.
In The Merchant of Venice there are countless examples of how Shakespeare’s works were a product of society. One of the main similarities is religion. The official established state religion in Shakespeare’s time was the Church of England, lucidly Protestant.
Everyone was required to attend an Anglican Service once a month. The Anglican service is also called Prayer Service, Prayer Book Service, Common Prayer, or the Lord’s Supper. Although it was not expressly illegal to be of a different religion, it was not exactly legal to practice the faith of ones choice. There were even fines for not conforming to the sanctioned religion; that is, for not going to Protestant services. (Nicoll, 76)
Jewish people were quite rare in England during the Elizabethan time period and they seemed to be looked down upon the most (although it was not considered a lot better to be a Catholic). Shakespeare probably never knew a Jewish person directly, but during his time the Queen’s Jewish doctor was executed for being ‘a spy’. Also, during that time it would have been considered quite normal to force someone to convert to Christianity.
Shakespeare’s Venice had the same mentality about Jewish people. Anti-Semitism was overwhelmingly abundant. Although Shylock was surely a respectable businessman, it did not seem out of the ordinary for Antonio to spit on him and call him a dog whenever it took his fancy. Shylock seems to be the only one who realizes the hypocrisy of the ‘good Christians’ and makes mention of it in his famed speech in Act III:
SHYLOCK… 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? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?
In this essay, the author
- Opines that shakespeare's writing was strongly influenced by the society surrounding him in the merchant of venice, while a midsummer nights dream is less realistic.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's works were a product of society. the official established state religion in shakespeare’s time was the church of england, lucidly protestant.
- Explains that everyone was required to attend an anglican service once a month. although it was not expressly illegal to be of another religion, it wasn't exactly legal to practice the faith of ones choice.
- Explains that jewish people were rare in england during the elizabethan time period and they seemed to be looked down upon the most. shakespeare probably never knew a jewish person directly, but the queen’s jewish doctor was executed for being ‘a spy’.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's venice had the same mentality about jewish people. anti-semitism was abundant. antonio spit on shylock and called him a dog whenever it took his fancy.
- Analyzes how a jew's hands, organs, dimensions, sensing, affections and passions aren't affected by the same food, weapons, and diseases. if you prick us, do we not bleed?
- Analyzes how the people of shakespeare's time would have appreciated having an occasional jewish person around since jews were the only ones able to lend out money for profit. antonio and bassanio seem to have no problem with the idea of borrowing a huge sum from shylock.
- Compares the merchant of venice and the society shakespeare was a part of. queen elizabeth never married simply to maintain her power. portia has all the power in belmont and knows that as soon as she be wed it will be given to whomever the correct-casket-picking man be.
- Analyzes portia's willingness to give up her freedom and the rule she has over belmont simply because she is attracted to bassanio.
- Analyzes how portia's suitors are another aspect of the merchant of venice that shows society’s influence on shakespeare. the english of the time were ‘professionally paranoid’ of anything foreign.
- Analyzes how shakespeare reminds the reader that what is taking place in a midsummer's night dream is not real.
- Analyzes how oberon's prying doesn't stop with titania, his concern for helena and demetrius is worsened by a mistake made by puck.
- Explains that william shakespeare was both a man of his elizabethan society and an incredibly talented playwright. his writing defines his time.
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- Were Othello and The Merchant of Venice Racist Plays?analytical essayIn 1290, after centuries of persecution of the Jews in England, Edward I declared an Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews from England. Jews were completely expelled until 1657 (Shapiro, 1996). This means that, unlike Catholicism in Othello, the convergence of England to a Jewish state was not a fear in English eyes. However, because there were no Jews in England it is unlikely that most people in England during the time in which Shakespeare wrote Merchant of Venice had even met a Jewish person, Shakespeare included, so all most knew about the Jews came from stereotypes of the time. The misconception that Jewish people had killed Christ, the myth of Jewish ritual murder and blood libel, and other ‘anti-Semitic canards’, defined as “unfounded rumours” in relation to Jewish people (Merriam Webster online), were in circulation during this time (Shapiro, 1996). This is evident in the play, as Shylock demands a blood libel from Antonio for his debt. It is especially evil because Shylock evidently does not care about getting the money; he just really wants to gruesomely murd...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the merchant of venice is a problem play that raises more questions than it answers. it was written between 1596 and 1598.
- Analyzes how the 'anti-semitic canards' of the time were prevalent in shakespeare's merchant of venice.
- Analyzes how the play's title makes shylock the jew seem like a nasty character and right as the audience are introduced to him they see him as corrupt.
- Analyzes how shakespeare wanted to give as many bad qualities to shylock as possible and judaism was just one of them. he needed to have a strong argument to keep his audience from empathizing with the antagonist.
- Analyzes how antonio is so mean to shylock that he becomes a victim, not the perpetrator. shakespeare is making the audience mistrust antonio, like with iago in othello.
- Describes andrews, kenneth r.'s ships, money, and politics in the reign of charles i.
- Explains orkin, martin, "othello and the 'plain face' of racism." shakespeare quarterly summer 1987: 166-88.
- Analyzes how the usury aspect of the play, where shakespeare paints jews as sly people trying to thieve good christians out of their money, is anti-semitic.
- Argues that shakespeare's ill-informed rhetoric is the reason why some stereotypes about jews in othello have yet to be shaken.
- Explains chambers, david, the imperial age of venice, 1380-1580, new york: harcourt brace jovanovich, 1970. coleman, patricia t.
- Explains griffin, eric, lennard, and luckhurst's the drama handbook: a guide to reading plays.
- Explains that shakespeare, william, stanley wells, and gary taylor. "the merchant of venice." the oxford shakespeare: the complete works. 2nd ed.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare may have written shylock's monologue to serve as a reminder to christians of what jews have lost for centuries, respect for lives. the spanish inquisition ended up being one humankind’s biggest mistakes.
- Explains that the inquisition started in spain in 1481 and surpassed the medieval one. conversos, secret jews and new christians were targeted because of their close relations to the jewish community.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's portrayal of jewish characters and their relationship with those of the christian religion shows the result of inferiority caused by the spanish inquisition and its effect on both literature and society.
- States that shakespeare, william, and kenneth myrick, the merchant of venice, new york: new american library, 1965.
- Analyzes how the spanish inquisition was one of the darkest periods in jewish history. shylock represents the treatment of jewish people in his time period.
- Describes lewis, bernard's book, cultures in conflict: christians, muslims, and jews in the age of discovery.
- Explains that spain virtual jewish history tour | jewish virtual library. n.p., n.d.
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In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how shakespeare's 'the merchant of venice' is a play set in italy in the late 16th century. shylock is part of the race that was discriminated against, despised and hated for their religion.
- Analyzes how shylock is a killjoy and he killed his daughter's affections for him.
- Analyzes how shylock's vindictive character is determined to have revenge, and murder the good christian, antonio.
- Analyzes how solanio tells shylock not to lend the money as a friend, but rather as an enemy, and that he will have no difficulty in taking the penalty.
- Analyzes how shakespeare portrays shylock as a cruel, bitter figure. he is an outcast even before the play begins, ridiculed by christians.
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
- Compares the finch family in to kill a mockingbird and martin luther king jr.
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872 wordsRead More - Shakespeare And Anti-Semitism In The Merchant Of Veniceanalytical essayAnti-Semitism and the desecration of the Jewish population have been in existence for nearly five thousand years. In the Elizabethan era, a question of anti-Semitism invariably arises. In William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, we find that one of the characters is the embodiment and expression of anti-Semitic attitude that is pervasive in Elizabethan society. "Anti-Semitism was an intricate part in Shakespeare's years. Jews were considered vile and scorned upon. Shakespeare presents Judaism as an 'unchangeable trait'" (Bloom 37). Shakespeare's age based their anti-Semitism on religious grounds because the Elizabethans inherited the fiction, fabricated by the early Church, that the Jews murdered Christ and were therefore in league with the devil and were actively working to subvert spread of Christianity. The religious grounds of this anti-Semitism means that if a Jew converted to Christianity, as Shylock is forced to do in The Merchant of Venice, then all will be forgiven as the repentant Jew is embraced by the arms of the all merciful Christian God of love. In fact, some Christian believed--as do some fundamentalist sects today--that the coming of the Kingdom of God was aided by converting the Jews to Christianity. Anti-Semitism in Shakespeare's time is portrayed in his masterpiece The Merchant of Venice.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how anti-semitism and the desecration of the jewish population have been in existence for nearly five thousand years in the elizabethan era.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's anti-semitism shows that not all jews are vile like most people believed in his time.
- Analyzes how antonio recognizes the futility of opposing shylock's passion with reason. antonio lends money freely, in contrast to the miserly and extortionist.
- Analyzes how the labels applied to shylock strip him of his humanity, and his religious identity.
- Analyzes the explicit demeaning of shylock in light of the historical outline that has been observed through the desecration of jews for many years.
- Opines that the progressive abuse of shylock as a usurer, which leads to the reduction of his humanity to demonic form, should fully prepare us for the revelation in the merchant of venice.
- Opines that bassanio was right to caution antonio to suspect 'fair terms and a villain's mind' because the end of act three, scene one reveals shylock'
- Analyzes how shylock is bent on murder from the outset of his bond with antonio. the potential for further financial profit that murdering his business rival would provide is the obvious motivation.
- Analyzes how shylock's bloodlust is supported by the vibrant blood lust that he exhibits through numerous places in the play-text.
- Analyzes how the image of the malignant murderous jew is vividly portrayed by the obvious malicious blood lust of shylock in the play.
- Argues that shakespeare's shylock is the same kind of exaggerated monster that populates earlier dramas, such as the medieval morality plays or the jew of malta.
- Analyzes how shakespeare creates shylock against an historical and cultural backdrop that was intensely hostile to jews.
- Opines that the claim that shakespeare creates shylock within an anti-semitic culture does not impugn the artistry of the drama.
1403 wordsRead More - The Merchant of Venice by Williams Shakespeareanalytical essayThe real villain in The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is not a person, however an entire religion. In the city of Venice, Christianity was the dominant, main religion. Despite being a Christian, the people were corrupt, greedy, and selfish, where the needs of themselves were much more important than the needs of another human being, such as the Jews. Prejudice against Jews existed greatly in the society of Venice, however it existed way before the time period also. The Merchant of Venice was written within a time period (Around 1597) and culture in which prejudice against the Jews were common and pervasive. In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, the real villain portrayed is the entire religion of Christianity where Christians present an evil background as prejudice against the Jews go back to the earliest days of Christianity, also where prejudice against the Jews existed in The Merchant of Venice, and where the Christians lived a corrupt life and society which went against their Christian values.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the real villain in william shakespeare's the merchant of venice is the entire religion of christianity, where prejudice against the jews was common and pervasive.
- Explains that jewish persecutions go back centuries to the crucifixion of jesus christ. christians began havocing and causing trouble at different jewish services and synagogues.
- Analyzes how shakespeare portrays the merchant of venice as making jews seem like the "evil" ones, but it is the christians that abused the jews both physically and mentally.
- Analyzes how the passage reiterates the fact that both christians and jews are human beings.
- Explains that the bible is the sacred collection of texts from different authors in which the christians are required to live by and have a lifestyle according to it. they committed adultery, stole from the jews, and sexual sins against the guidelines in the bible.
- Analyzes how in william shakespeare's the merchant of venice, the real villain is the entire religion of christianity where prejudice against the jews goes back to the earliest days.
891 wordsRead More