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The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare
In Act 4 scene 1 Shylock has brought Antonio to court to receive
payment of his bond. Antonio’s ships have sunk and been raided by
pirates and his wealth along with it. In Antonio’s bond with Shylock
it was agreed that if the bond couldn’t be paid, then a pound of
Antonio’s flesh was to be forfeit. Shylock is angry about many
misfortunes in his life, which include the loss of his daughter to a
Christian, this is a real embarrassment and a painful experience
because of strong racial prejudice and hatred between the religious
groups at the time. Also for losing his daughter, Shylock is enraged
as he loved her very much and whilst leaving, Jessica (Shylocks
daughter) stole many precious jewels and money from Shylock somewhat ‘
delving the knife further into the wound’ as such. So when Shylock
enters the court he knows Antonio will not have his money, for Tubal
has told him about the merchants ships, but this is irrelevant as
Shylock is not interested in money, but revenge on the ‘Christian’ for
all the trouble Christians in general have inflicted in his life. This
scenes importance is tremendous as this is really the climax of the
play. Antonio is almost certain to die for the loan he bestowed his
friend and also it looks set for the Jew Shylock to triumph in the
court in terms of revenge rather than money though. Winning this case
would also be a triumph for Shylock as it will be his comeback to all
the pain and ridicule he has suffered as being a Jew.
So far we have seen Shylock in different lights so to speak. Shylock
has been the victim and villain. This is surprising as in Elizabethan...
... middle of paper ...
...s and it give you an
insight into how people handle judging and tragedy. The contrast of
this plot with the others is large. Shakespeare has used this plot as
his serious plot with a message amongst other plots such as the
romance between Bassanio and Portia, the forbidden love of Jessica and
Lorenzo, the loyalty of true friends Antonio and Bassanio, the comedy
of Bassanio and the ring and the treachery of Jessica to her father
Shylock. Which all add something different to the play along with
their own messages. I think Shylock was a man driven by years of
mistreatment and abuse. I believe it was not his fault entirely that
he became so unforgiving and vengeful but rather the Christians that
taunted him. But in the end he tried as hard as he could to be
unmerciful and ended up as what he hated most and thus a just end.
knight, in exactly one year, he will return and have an opportunity to deliver his
at last of asserting his self-respect in some way. Therefore he whacked the old nigger
William Shakespeare was a Stratford Grammar School boy, who was a member of the Church of England, similar to just about everyone else in Stratford. However, due to some events that occurred in the Shakespeare family home, there is some evidence that could prove that the family may have had some Roman Catholic connections. When William Shakespeare was 10 years old, legal issues and debt took a toll on his family’s life. Shakespeare’s father’s stopped attending alderman meetings which resulted in the removal of his name to become an alderman, and he was also forced to sell his beautiful home. The cause of this crisis is unknown, however the records can be used to throw together the idea that there were peculiar religious events going on (Fox). Due to these mishaps, William Shakespeare’s religion is a bit of a mystery. The play, Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, which happened to be a time when religious conflicts were a big deal (Alsaif). The protagonist in the story, Hamlet, is a character who seems to make his choices through his religious beliefs. Hamlet is a very indecisive person, but his thoughts on religion tend to persuade him. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to show the flaws in all religions. Hamlet does his best to follow the rules of Christianity, but he often questions the morality involved. Although Shakespeare belonged to the Church of England, he didn’t find any particular religion to be perfect.
like a hero. When he came back a year later, he realised that if he
he tried his best to ignore the pressure and to choose what would be best for
There exists a kind of person who can be called by no other name than by “Magnificent Bastard”. They are masters of deception, bloody brilliant, unstoppable in achieving their goals even when it means grinding others into the dust, and yet they have such a flair, such a charming disposition, that they are often admired by even those who are wronged by them. Iago in Shakespeare’s play Othello is one such character. The audience may love or hate him, but either way they must admit that he commands the spot-light. In spite of this, the reason why Iago acts as he does is shrouded in mystery. Even when directly speaking to the audience about his motivations, Iago is not always truthful. In reality, while Iago derives great pleasure from manipulating others, his driving motivation throughout the entire play is his own jealousy; from being unrecognized for his greatness, to an impossible love for Desdemona, and of the virtuous characters all around him.
The transition of royalty from King Hamlet to King Claudius seemed smooth, but the tension within the royal family created some complications. Almost all of Denmark gave their loyalty to a new king without any suspicion as to how the previous ruler died. Although Denmark’s citizens are unaware of the fratricide, this fickle faithfulness exemplifies the social and moral decay of Denmark. Most of Denmark’s subjects act upon their own selfish interests and lack any conviction. Shakespeare uses Polonius, formerly a loyal servant to King Hamlet, as a microcosm of Denmark’s oblivious and hypocritical society as a whole. The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court and the father of Laertes and Ophelia, Polonius has good intentions, but he tends to be somewhat conniving and underhanded. He frequently leaps to the wrong conclusions, and his speeches are comically pompous and long-winded. He is completely incapable of figuring out what Hamlet is up to. Looking to stay on Claudius’s favorable side, Polonius pleases the new king’s demands and even puts his own children’s reputation and lives in jeopardy. Because of his meddling in Prince Hamlet’s business, Polonius ends up dying on his own account.
confessed his love for Tita and promised to be true to her, from then on
Do the males in Hamlet’s society feel that women are inferior to them? It certainly seems that way, but is it possible that the males behave in this manner due to their own self-loathing? Hamlet by Shakespeare is considered to one the most tragic plays ever written. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has one of the worst mothers. She knowingly marries her husband’s murderer, Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. In one of the most convoluted plots in literature, Hamlet is on a mission to avenge his father’s murder, punish Gertrude, and rid himself of Ophelia, whom he has driven to madness. In the end, Hamlet’s intense need for revenge is his ultimate downfall. Even though Hamlet seems to be the victim, in some ways, he is actually the villain because of the ways that he treats his mother, Gertrude, and Ophelia. The women meet their fate due to their lack of independence. After a closer examination, there is evidence to show that the women's actions, or lack thereof, are the reasons behind their demise. In particular, three factors come into play in terms of a Feminist standpoint. First, upon closer examination of the text, it becomes apparent that women lack wise decision-making in matters of love. Secondly, women's feeble minds deter them to make shrewd decisions, as they are immature and weak. Finally, a male-dominated society affects the females’ decision making ability because they are being controlled by the men around them. Therefore, an obvious focus for the audience in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet is the prince’s indecisiveness; however, what is more noteworthy is the overt suggestion in this play that females are incapable of reaching wise decisions. Clearly the patriarchal values displayed by the men in their conversations with women in Hamlet, u...
When in the course of human events, something’s are made self-evident, like having to read Hamlet and write about three soliloquies. These soliloquies tend to be very lengthy and have very sub surface meanings to them that require some enabled humanoids to use the frontal cortex of their neurological brains in order to understand these meanings. In other words, they are hard to understand, especially with them being written in the Shakespearean era of influence in the island Kingdoms that are Untied. However, they offer meanings unimaginable and crucial to the outcome of the play Hamlet. As I have just explained, the three soliloquies of Act I, II, III, of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare have very deep important meanings and messages to them.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is surely one of the great dramatic monologues in world literature. It is as well known as any in the Shakespearean canon and a favorite selection for memorization. The Prince’s meditation transcends the personal. Much of what he says is applicable to all mankind. The speech, coming as it does at the midpoint of the entire action, poses many critical problems. In view of the widely contrasting interpretations of this speech, it would be naïve to ignore the difficulties of interpretation.
The complexity and effect of father-son relationships seems to be a theme that Shakespeare loved to explore in his writings. In Hamlet, the subject is used as a mechanism to identify the similarities between three very different characters: Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet. They have each lost their fathers to violent deaths, which leads them to seek vengeance. As different as they may seem, they all share the common desire to avenge their father’s deaths. The method they each approach this is what differentiates each of their characters, and allows the audience to discern their individual characteristics. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet’s intense loyalty to their fathers drives them to individual extreme measures of revenge, exemplifying Shakespeare’s masterful use of describing the human psyche during Elizabethan times.
Shylock did to Lancelot so we have to cut him a little slack. But whatever he
believed he could not be stopped and that rules did not apply to him. By being
This is the beginning of her already constructed action plan to bring Shylock down and to also remove as much of his cruel ways from him.