... At the time the play was written anti-Semitism was rife due to myth and the infamous trial of the Queen's physician, Roderigo Lopez who was accused of treason. Jews became evil villains of Elizabethan drama. They were portrayed as Machiavellian, greedy or both they were not complex characters more devices. ... even this speech has for generations been misread, simply taken, , out of it's context, and a meaning super-imposed." He views him as a victim of society. Gobbo makes it apparent that Shylock is an unfair employer with his constant repetition of the words fiend and devil. He is poo...

• Word Count: 1827
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... person who has become identified with death and bloodshed, and ends up killing Duncan who put so much trust in him. This is ironic because the previous thane of Cawdor was executed for treason, which is the first thought that comes into his mind when he is appointed thane. He knows that the king's trust was misplaced; the fact that he murdered ... deadly, and is used to portray that effect. A final way, and perhaps the most vivid use of the symbol blood, is of the theme of guilt. First Macbeth hints at his guilt when he says "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my ...

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... play progresses, he becomes a treacherous person who has become identified with death and bloodshed and is stained with guilt. The first reference of blood is one of bravery, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says "What bloody man is that?". In the next passage, the sergeant ... with bloody execution", he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the blood of the enemy. The symbol of blood now changes to show a theme of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the spirits to "make thick my blood,". What she ... is s...

• Word Count: 732
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... fully understood. Although there may be an easily accessed overall story line, aspects such as social order, kingship, the order of being, the supernatural and the language used are no longer prominent in today's society and can both block a viewer from making meaning of the play, and completely change the way in which it is interpreted. In Elizabethan times, witches were a reality. The ... king of Scotland, James 1st, was a firm believer in witchery and this placed a large influence on the audience that Shakespeare was to ... social context, we would be deprived of the access to the m...

• Word Count: 1117
• Approx Pages: 4