... that point, or have Shylock stab himself as he exists, are really only pushing the tragic potential of this scene a small step farther that Shakespeare allows." Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice is an example of how the playwright uses his mentor's influence and makes it his own. Shakespeare differentiates his Merchant of Venice from Marlow's Jew of Malta by repositioning the trial scene, which is ... conversion penalty; what he should do, if he had courage and commitment to his faith, is to admit religious martyrdom and say "Kill me if you will; I will never become a Christian!...

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... left one body, takes another body as its home, the place where it lives on- (Ovid p 519). Therefore, according to Pythagoras, whom Shakespeare was familiar, it would be dangerous and sacrilegious to consume the flesh of an animal for it might contain the soul of someone we once knew. Shakespeare made many references to the Pythagorean theory by portraying humans as inhabiting the bodies of animals. An indication ... in his belly, ashore at Windsor?- (Act II.1 lines 58-60). A contrast example is when Falstaff is hiding from Mrs. Ford's husband in the laundry basket and she replies "If yo...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Shylock. In Shakespeare's play Merchant of Venice it is clearly portrayed that the Elizabethans treated all Jews with equal spite. Therefore we as the modern audience are clearly expected to do the same. We are expected to think like the Elizabethans and treat all Jews with moral disgust and hatred. Yet as the modern ... a dog, and spat on him. All this simply because he was a Jew. He was considered an alien in Venice and yet had to abide by the Venetian law. The laws at the time when the play was written were in favour of Christians. Jews had few rights, they could not claim ... Hath no...

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The Merchant of Venice (1594) is one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays. This comedy deals with the problems of usury, the difficulties of repaying debts of love, intolerance, and racism. The play is set in Venice in ... All people on the Earth are the same mortals. Shylock does not claim to be as good as his Christian adversaries but as bad as they are, equally prone to getting revenge: And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge! If ... a Christian wrong Jew, what...

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... made of three metals, gold, silver and lead. Because Bassanio is poor himself, he does not think himself to be worth as much as gold or silver and, instead, opts for the lead casket where he finds Portia's portrait. This proves that even though Bassanio is not ... Jew/ Hath not a Jew eyes/ Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions/ If you prick us, do we not bleed/ if you tickle us, do we not laugh/ if you poison us, do we not die/ and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge/ If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge/ if a ... other way to be ...

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... " shows the readers that indeed he does have sentimentality in him, and he wouldn't have parted with that ring "for a wilderness of monkeys"(3. 1. 110-113). Here Shakespeare shows a small glimmer of humanity to a character seen as inhuman up to this point. However, the reader's sympathy for Shylock does not reach its height until the famous speech: I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes ... weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you...

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... dramatic. If characters were the same as you and I, or if they did not poses some sort of obnoxious personality trait, we would all be bored to tears instead of entertained. Antonio's love for Bassannio is indeed relevant to the outcome of the play, and if he had said, um nah, sorry Bass, but I can't help you out, Shakespeare's story would end there and ... or spiritual incompleteness that we assume is brought on by the absence of his twin or maybe his mother. Maybe there is more to the story could he of had love on his mind? Why must we assume Antonio is sad about Bassanio; couldn't it...

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... share some of the common prejudice: "I am as like to call thee so again, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee too. If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not as to thy friends, for when did friendship take a breed for barren metal of his friend?" (I, iii, 126-130) By this quote, Shakespeare is emphasizing that Antonio is not mistaken in doing so and ... same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you poison us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not re...

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... casket. The scroll inside this casket proves this point;" You that chose not by the view, Chance as fair, and choose as true: Since this fortune falls to you, Be content, and seek no new. If you be well pleas"d with this, And hold your fortune for your bliss, Turn you where your lady is, and claim her with a loving ... a hair through Bassanio's fault."(3.2.297-302) Portia realizes that who Bassanio may have been in the past and how he dealt with his money is nothing like he is now. This is why she doesn't care how much he needs to call of Shylock. The fact that Portia is willing to pay th...

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... the Christians in the play. The victimisation is shown when Antonio has spat on Shylock's Jewish gabardine, which is a Coat traditionally worn by Jews, and also has spat on his beard. Both are symbols of Shylock's religion, and it must be very hurtful and degrading for him. Solerio and Solanio constantly mock torment and make fun of Shylock's religion throughout the play ... religion is very important to him, and he already hates Christians. Forcing Shylock to convert to Christianity is practically racism because it is like saying that Christianity is the right' religion and you are not...

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... morally he should be obliged to practice it, as Portia explains to him at length. His ruthless pursuit of revenge on Antonio exposes him as an extremely callous and evil man. Nevertheless, upon losing his case, he expects to be shown mercy by asking that a portion of his wealth be returned to him: "You take my house when you do take the prop that doth sustain ... 's speech and says that he would call him this again. Antonio seems to be the one that Shylock chooses to focus all of his anger on, although many other characters, like Salerio and Solanio have done him wrong. Antonio does noth...

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... reader want to associate with them. We first feel sympathy for Antonio, as he is worried about his ships. On the contrary when introduced to Shylock it is during a business deal and he is being shrewd and tough. This makes us want the Christians to succeed and Shylock to loose. Shakespeare associates "good" with Christians and "bad" with the Jews, when clearly he ... is biased. But what makes the Christians right? Somehow this group of Christians are like vultures; picking at the vulnerable one. Bassanio who labels Shylock as a "devil" but can he be taken seriously? A man who freely adm...

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... in which the Christians succeed in the world by not practising their ideals of love and mercy; that it is about their exploitation of an assumed unworldliness to gain the wordly disadvantage over Shylock the play does not celebrate their Christian virtues so much as expose their absence." Shylock does this explicitly when he says: "You have among you purchased many a slave shall I say to ... , his daughter or his ducats, he makes a religion of. Thus he can absurdly say and yet convincingly, "The curse never fell upon our nation until now, I never felt it till now;" for his house is Israe...

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?The Merchant of Venice? was written by William Shakespeare almost certainly between 1596 and 1598 and was first performed at The Theater, London, in 1597. The play is classed as one of the sixteen comedy plays but it is also aproblem? play due to the tragic elements woven throughout the intricate plot. It was performed in front of a xenophobic, Elizabethan audience who were not particularly well ... , Jessica. With very strong language, Shylock wishes that Jessica ?Were dead at my foot? This wish for his daughter's death revokes much of the sympathy created by the former plea for the recognit...

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... of a stereotypical Jew. Christians disliked Jews for their part in usury. "You have rated me about my moneys and my usances" this is clearly shown in this scene between Antonio and Shylock. But as the play develops, Shakespeare manipulates our views and emotions. The continuous switching between observing Shylock as a villain to observing him as a victim forces the audience into a state of unease. In Act ... into Shylocks trap, so to speak when agreeing to the bond and its terms. To Bassanios credit at this point he displays his fear of entering into a contract with Shylock "I like not ...

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The Merchant of Venice In the world of Shakespeare's play, the Merchant of Venice, contracts in their many forms are very important. There are binding legal agreements such as Shylocks contract with Antonio and the legalitorys surrounding Portia's fathers will. Less rigorous are the traditional expectations, which ... from a friend will be returned. Further-more promises are also like binding agreements. These many and varied forms of agreements influence the relationships between many characters in the play. When the reader is first introduced to Shylock it is clear the hatred and mistrust h...

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... was considered a comedy in its day which suggests that the English thought it was funny to see Shylock persecuted for believing in the Jewish faith. The friends of Shakespeare who decided that Merchant of Venice was a comedy, justified this by saying the play was about love and marriage. These people left out ... Portia was fair to Shylock, but she found away around the system and got what she wanted out of the deal. Portia did what was right as well as get the Jew once more. Shylock was a good sport about the hole thing he realized the error of his ways, but when he asks Bassanio ... li...

• Word Count: 1361
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• Grade Level: High School