The Character of Shylock in William Shakespeare's Othello William Shakespeare was born in 1564, in the small town of Stratford.
He wrote many plays, including the revered Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth,
Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, Hamlet and, of course, The Merchant
of Venice. He died in 1616, aged 52.
This essay aims to take a look at Shylock as a character, to decide
whether he is a victim or a villain. A vital gauge in the proceedings
is the contrast between the reactions of audiences from Elizabethan
days to recent years. The latter audience would have taunted Shylock,
purely because of the fact his character is a Jew. In the sixteenth
century, England was a Christian country, and all children would most
certainly be baptised soon after they were born. They would also be
taught the essentials of the Christian faith at a very early age.
Attendance at Church was compulsory; if you failed to go without a
good medical reason you would be fined. Before the plot even starts,
the audience condemns Shylock because he is a Jew. During the
sixteenth in England the Christians subsequently despised Jews, and
any other religion or paranormal existence that they did not
understand. Jews were often forbidden to own land or engage in trade
in England, so the only occupation open to them was money lending,
which they exploited to maximum potential. There was also a great
opposition between Christians and Jews in Venice, where Christians
again prevailed, because they made up the majority of the population.
Jews were portrayed as inferior, and marginalized, because of t...
... middle of paper ...
...ch further, making him a
complex character whose sufferings at the hands of racists motivate
his anger and subsequent bitterness towards Christians.
While Shakespeare gives no definitive portrayal of Shylock's
character, he does make important suggestions in support and in denial
of this antagonist. His profile of the Jew leads to new levels unknown
by any of the audiences at the time, an angle of persecution, a
perception questioning the integrity of Christian's prejudicing a
minority, in this case Jews
Having said that, it is my belief that Shylock is not the victim of
the play; he is the villain. The facts are that although he was mocked
and scorned, the real reason that he was hated was no that he was a
Jew, rather a merciless beast who overcharged his loans and cheated
poor people out of hard-earned money.
and his series of new wives gave people a negative view on him as a
Othello in William Shakespeare's Play Most of the characters in "Othello" perceive Othello as unclean and
his public perception, it wasn’t hard for other people to accept the relationship between him and
Debra Winger had stated once that “Most bad behaviour comes from insecurity”, this could not hold anymore truth in Shakespeare’s “Othello” as the story progresses only due to the insecurities of the characters. For starters, Othello is the protagonist so we get to see his internal conflicts about societal standards and judgement on display. Meanwhile, Iago’s vulnerabilities as a villain are only showed during his monologues as he is hinted to having a superiority complex against Othello, and a complete reverse of Iago, Cassio’s issues are visible from the readers perspective and the characters as his reputation is slandered and used against him. These are all prime examples of how insecurity was used as a primary plot device to advance the
In the play Othello, there are many jealous and selfish characters. Each of the characters at one point or another let their jealousy take over. It seems like they all have these plots and plans on how to hurt another character in the play either physically or emotionally, as an act of selfishness, so that they can feel better about themselves. One main character who seems extremely jealous in this play is Iago. Infact, probably the most jealous. Many bad things happen because of Iago. The first bad thing that Iago did, was tell Barbantio (Desdamona's father) that Desdemona has married Othello, the Moore. Iago was mad at Othello, because Cassio had made Othello a higher position and not Iago. Iago thought that he was the one who qualified for the position as general, not Othello. Iago was jealous because of this, so he decided to tell Barbantio about Desdemona and Othello. This was bad, because Barbantio did not know yet, and something like that should have been said by his own daughter, not someone who was not part of the family. The way Iago went about telling him was also bad. He called to his house in the middle of the night. He yelled it to Barbantio from downstairs into his window in a rude manner. " quote from Othello here." He wanted Barbantio to be upset about what had happened, and most of all, he wanted Barbantio to be mad at Othello and do something bad to him.
In everyones life there is always the one person who you think you can trust, and later come to find that they have been playing you all along. This is the exact case for Othello. Iago, whom Othello thought was a person he could trust, betrayed him in many horrific ways.As you read the famous Shakespearian play, Othello, the Moor of VeniceI, you come to realise pretty quickly that Iago is the evil charecter in this play. The readers do not actually get to see a good side of Iago, if there is any, because he is constantly using and playing people. Readers will also come to learn that no matter how evil Iago may be perceived as that he is very much a coward, using other people to do most of his dirty work for him.
“I asked her to wear something revealing, so she showed up in a prophet's toga.”(CITE) Jarod Kintz’s words are an example of miscommunication, or failure to comprehend meaning. In this case, it is implied that one person misunderstood the message of another, but incomprehension also applies to problems other than falsely interpreted requests. Incomprehension can occur when people misinterpret another’s words or intentions, or when a person misreads situations or events. The outcome described in Kintz’s quote is unexpected and unintended, but there are instances of incomprehension that have consequences of greater severity. Perhaps a classic tragedy with a high body count falls under these parameters.
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
William Shakespeare masterfully crafted Othello, the Moor of Venice as an Aristotelian tragedy play. The main protagonist of the play, Othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero and used Aristotle’s principles to create Othello. William Shakespeare attempted to create an Aristotelian tragedy play with a tragic hero and succeeded in Othello, the Moor of Venice by weaving in pity and fear into each line and action. The power of pity and fear creates the upmost tragic situation and follows in accordance of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Othello makes the ultimate act as a tragic hero by killing himself at the end of the play. “Othello, more than any play in the canon, has a fascinating and contentious performance and reception history,”
The Character of Shylock in Merchant of Venice Few characters created by Shakespeare embodies pure evil like the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. He is a malignant, vengeful character, consumed with venomous malice1; a picture of callous, unmitigated villainy, deaf to every appeal of humanity2. Shylock is the antagonist opposite the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist; who must defend himself against the "devil" Shylock. The evil he represents is one of the reasons Shakespeare chose to characterize Shylock as a Jew, as Jews of his time were seen as the children of the Devil, the crucifiers of Christ and stubborn rejecters of God's wisdom and Christianity.
Sympathizing With Shylock At The End Of Act 4 in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but Shakespeare has purposely portrayed Shylock as a stereotypical Jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Shylock has been written to be very inflated and exaggerated. Even when Shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first words are “Three thousand ducats,” Act 1, Scene 3.
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
Shakespeare's use of timeless themes make his works relevant to the modern reader. His two plays "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello" deal with the seeking of revenge and forbidden love. In "The Merchant of Venice," Shylock, the main character, is a Jew who loans money and charges interest. Shylock has an enemy named Antonio who also loans money to people, but without interest. Iago is a character in "Othello" who has been passed over for a position as Othello's right hand man. He feels that he deserves the position not the person who received it, Cassio. Both of these characters want revenge from the people whom they perceive as having done them wrong and will stop at nothing to have their way. In other words, Shylock and Iago are similar in that they want revenge. However, there are also many differences in each character that demonstrate that they are in many ways polar opposites.
It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but Shakespeare has purposely portrayed Shylock as a stereotypical Jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Shylock has been written to be very inflated and exaggerated. Even when Shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first words are “Three thousand ducats,” Act 1, Scene 3.