The Trial Scene in The Merchant of Venice
Written between 1596 and 1598 "The Merchant of Venice" is not one of
the most performed plays written by William Shakespeare. The play is
classed as one of the sixteen comedy plays and most productions often
use modern times and dress. It was performed in front of an audience
who were not very well educated but the issues being raised in the
play would have been understood. A modern day audience would be less
sympathetic than the audience of that period towards the Jew, Shylock.
Venice is the setting of the play; a nation that was not ruled by a
King or Queen, The city was also the trading centre of the world but
at the end of the 16th century was overtaken by England which was at a
new age. "The Merchant of Venice" has two main characters, Shylock, a
Jew and Antonio, who is an extremely wealthy merchant, an investor who
gets wealth using venture capitalism. In Venice, your word was like
having an agreement in writing. The breaking of this bond would result
in a serious penalty, as it would in today's society but in a
different nature. Shylock is a moneylender who lends sums of money to
others at a fixed rate but charges vast amounts of interest. However,
Antonio also lends amounts of money, but without the interest. This is
"Gratis". This is one of the main reasons why Shylock hates Antonio
because Antonio is meant to be making Shylock's profits to drop. They
both are 'bigots' because they also hate each other for their
religion.
"I hate him for he is a Christian"
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Shylocks only concern was for money. Shylock agreed to lend a sum of
mone...
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...y from his
confident and vengeful image. The scene is coming to and end as
shylock leaves the dukes court, when he does leave fellowship and
peace is brought back to the play because the Christians are now
dominating much like they are used to in everyday society. Justice,
sadness and comedy are successfully combined in "The merchant of
Venice" Many aspects of the plot such as the discrimination of Jews
are still in place in today's society. The play is a comedy but to a
first time reader or viewer of the play it would not seem so, the
ending of the play is an integral part to the structure of the play in
terms of its comedy value. "The Merchant of Venice", although I
recognise that the text is open to multiple interpretations is a
strong dramatic play: some interpretations can even directly
contradict one another.
In conclusion I think that the stage directions and dramatic irony are significant to the play, and without them there would be no need for a lot of the events that happen in the play.
created the play as a comedy, showing how the world might be in the times of the
meanings along with what is going on in the plot of the play, it is
the play may be pass to modern society, that one may not learn, or even
Committing deceptive deeds not only hurt others, but also the ones who deceive. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic-comedy play about a Christian merchant named Antonio who agrees to a bond that a Jewish moneylender named Shylock, his enemy, creates to help his best friend Bassanio see Portia, an heiress whom he is in love with. Shylock warns Antonio that if he forfeits the bond, by not repaying him three thousand ducats, he must allow him to remove a pound of his flesh. Throughout the play, deceptive behaviour causes the moral values of individuals to decline. First, this is seen through wealth as it pertains to the desire to have what is valuable. Second, moral values decline when people deceive the family members that they encounter. Finally, deceiving others through love leads to a decline of moral values. In the play, The Merchant of Venice, deception, as seen through wealth, family encounters, and love, causes the moral
say, “If I can catch once upon the hip I will feed fat the ancient
are meant to present a show at the fete. The play uses comedy as its
one of the most important reasons could be the use of humour in the play.
& nbsp;   ; “The Merchant of Venice” is a play that relies on soliloquies to advance the plot, create mood and atmosphere, and to develop character among all the actors. I am here to prove how this happens in two different soliloquies and show you why Shakespeare put them into the play.
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.
...the betrayal and dishonesty that is omnipresent in the play. Not only do they simply embody this concept, but they also serve to conclude the events of the play, by being the ending to what started the beginning.
Venice is a haven of civilization, on the border with the land of heathenism and disputes. When Brabantio is told he has been robbed, he answers inconsistently;
Elizabethan times in the 1600s was a progression for the world of the theater. A period named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, it is from this period that modern day society has its foundation for the entertainment industry. From the violence that was prevalent because of the Black Death, people turned to the theater for its poetry and romance. During this time period, there were two types of theatrical performances that were available for the people’s viewing, comedies or tragedies. These two genres were never really intertwined until the time of William Shakespeare. His play, Romeo and Juliet, is an example of both a comedy and a tragedy. It starts off as a comedy with Romeo weeping like a baby because of his love Rosaline, who did not love him back and ends as a tragedy when Romeo and Juliet, a pair of star crossed lovers, commit suicide because the lost of each other. It was also during Shakespeare’s time that writer were finally acknowledged by the people. Before this time, writers were not considered upper classman. Another group of people that began to rise into a higher social class were the actors. Actresses were not present back then because women were not allowed on stage. It was considered unladylike to have a female actor. Men played all the parts. Theater owners were dependent on actors to make them a profit. Rehearsals for the plays were fairly short, only lasting for about a week. The performances themselves would only show for three to four days.
The Shakespeare play, “The Merchant of Venice” is reviewed and commonly discussed as a comedic tragedy that fits all of the features of being a comedy play. Due to elements within the play being dark in nature, many others find this to fit within a tragedy category rather than comedic. With the play being reviewed as both a comedy and tragedy, the dark elements within it that would make it a tragedy are possibly not fully understood as they are confusing to some.
The Merchant of Venice explores the theme of Appearance versus Reality. The theme is supported with many examples in the form of characters, events and objects.