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Religion in the merchant of venice summary
How is shylock presented in the merchant of venice
How is shylock presented in the merchant of venice
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The Presentation of Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare When Shakespeare wrote ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ there was a suggestion that he was competing with a very popular play ‘The Jew Of Malta’ written in 1589 by Christopher Marlowe. This play treats the Jew as an evil villain and a wicked ogre. Shakespeare is not entirely free from the idea that all usurers were Jews and therefore all Jews were evil, but he does also allow us to see Shylock as a human being who has himself been wronged. Only Jews who had converted to Christianity were allowed to live in England in Shakespeare’s day. Jews who practised their own religion were banned from England in 1290, so Shakespeare’s audience would have thought that Shylock got off very lightly when he is made to change his religion at the end of the play, therefore it is a lot easier for a modern day audience to sympathise with Shylock. In ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ Shakespeare does show us a human side to Shylock: This is shown in the first scene that we are introduced to shylock, act 1 scene 3. At the start of the scene shylock is considering Antonio’s circumstances and credit rating and already seems confident that he will lend Antonio the money. However this is before he meets Antonio, he then has a short aside in which he tells the audience about how much he hates Antonio, he says “I hate him for he is a Christian. But more, for that in low simplicity he lends out money gratis.” Shylock clearly hates Antonio, but he still seems willing to do the deal. However he then says a speech about how Antonio has mistreated him in the past all because he is a Jew, and this is the first time that we really feel for Shylock and we see him as a human being, rather than an ogre, “you call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine.” In this scene, shylock even tries to be nice to Antonio and make for
do not seem suitable to be human beings. He understands the things he does are
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice An ogre is according to the Collins Dictionary “a monstrous or cruel being” but more significantly as “something or someone who eats human flesh.” Is this how Shylock is portrayed in the play or is he a simple human being, a species capable of showing emotions and feelings such as vulnerability and love. Certainly, Shylock is presented to the audience in so powerful a way that even though he only appears in five scenes, many consider him the central character. Throughout the play Shylock appears to be the butt of all the jokes and many critics see his status in the play as the tragic hero.
‘villain’; he is a complex mix of both. In the first part of the play,
Shylock is one of the more evil characters, who shows no mercy and is robbed of his possessions for these deeds. Shylock is not merciful towards Antonio’s situation and he does not care for his life. When Shylock is about to take a pound of flesh from Antonio, Portia asks for a doctor to help Antonio with his wound. All Shylock can say about this is, “I cannot find it; ‘tis not in the bond.'; (IV i 260). He does not care for Antonio’s life. Not only does Shylock hate Antonio, but he also hates all Christians. He shows this when he says, “I hate him for he is Christian';(I iii 39). He is almost basing his whole dislike for Antonio on his religion. Shylock’s cruelty causes him to be punished. Portia tells him, “Thou hast contrived against the very life / Of the defendant; and thou hast incurred / The danger formally by me rehearsed';(IV i 358). Shylock’s cruelty towards Antonio and his prejudice against Christians results in his punishment by the law.
This is shown by 'If it be proved against an alien' (Act 4 Scene 1
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
with how Shylock treats him since he calls Shylock “a kind of devil” and also
hate him for he is a Christian” this is not a valid reason to hate
to pay it back. We see Shylock as a Villain in this scene as he plans
Shylock Deserves Sympathy Shylock is indeed a complex character and has the dimension of pain-he has suffered, still suffers and is one of a people who have suffered over centuries. However, to what extent should Shylock suffer and does he deserve our sympathy or hostility. Although anti-Semitism is totally unacceptable today, it was quite normal in Shakespeare's time. However, as he has done with other villains, Shakespeare actually plays around with his audience's preconceptions and makes Shylock an interesting, complex and sometimes likable character.
Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If u tickle us, do we
... only reason why he really wanted the bond was to get an upper hand on
Another way Antonio and Shylock are different is their religion based social status: Antonio is a Christian and Shylock is a Jew.
Shylock is a wealthy Jew who invests money into shipments and trades. When Shylock’s enemy, Antonio, requests a loan of 3000 ducats, “Shylock adopts this Christian model of "kind" lending in his bond with Antonio as a means for lawful revenge.” Shylock’s agreement is that if the ducats are not returned, Antonio must repay his loan in human flesh. This is a way for Shylock to either make money or kill a Christian, either will satisfy him. Lee describes Shylock’s feelings towards Christians, “Indeed, although Shylock will neither "eat," "drink," nor "pray" with the Christians, he is willing to "buy" and "sell" with them.” This is where Shakespeare first introduces the devil inside Shylock. Had Antonio been a Jew, there would not have been a payment of flesh. Shylock’s hatred propels the story from start to finish. His hatred causes him to lose his daughter, drives Portia to use her money and wit to save Antonio, and why he ends up losing
At the end of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock has been both a victim and a villain. He is a victim of his religion, and a victim of his greed and overwhelming need for revenge. Shylock is definitely the most villainous character in the play, and only a few elements can show him as a victim overall, even then, his victimisation only seems to be a consequence of his own actions. His daughter running away, because of her treatment, and apparent lack of love. The taking of his assets, because he would show no mercy towards Antonio. The final conclusion must be that Shylock is unreasonable, spiteful, heinous, greedy - and a villain.