Is Shylock Victim Or Villain in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Through the foreshadowing of capitalism, William Shakespeare not only saw but also denounced in his comedy the usury, the rigidity, and the threat of disobedience to the laws. This was something that clearly scared any type of investor. The aggressive attitude of the one who fears by his business. The hypocritical attitude of going ahead without measuring the consequences. The passivity of the State, or at least its ineffectiveness. All this in the dawn of Capitalism where we "do to others what you want them to do to you" appears to be irrelevant. Which really questions what is fair or unfair. Shakespeare projects to the reader in his

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is a very dark, complex and cynical play written during the reign of King James in the time of Jacobean England. There are many events that occur that will have readers react in many ways and form new opinions while reading, especially with Macbeth’s character. Readers can automatically tell that Macbeth is a very dynamic character because of him in the beginning , describes as honorable and brave, in contrast to how he was in the end, described as cruel and ruthless. However, the remaining question is whether or not he is reprehensible for his actions or is he the victim of his outcome. Macbeth would be more of the victim of his own villainy because even though he did have other outside urges pushing him to do things

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare takes place in 16th century Venice, a social, artistic and political, hub of Europe. The protagonist Antonio, a wealthy merchant, takes out a loan so that his dear friend Bassanio can travel to Belmont in hopes of winning the heart of Portia, the daughter of an affluent nobleman. As it is against Christian law to loan money with interest, Antonio seeks out Shylock, a Jewish money lender who has had quarrels with Antonio in the past. One of the most important aspects of the play is how Shakespeare presents gender roles, and the opposition of societal norms to critique the standards of the time related to men, women and the relationship between the two.

As of this date, no concrete evidence is forthcoming. A resonable bond or dismissal until

Macbeth is a tragedy written by Shakespeare roughly between the years 1603 and 1606. It was a play written following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The king at the time - James I of England/King James VI of Scotland was known to be a big supporter of theatre, witchcraft and demonology. Shakespeare and his associates soon into their career became known as the King’s men. The Kings ancestry was traced back to Banquo, a character from the play.

Shylock is a character famously known as being the antagonist of Shakespeare’s play merchant of Venice. In this play, Shakespeare portrayal of Shylock the moneylender is one of anti-Semitic stereotype. Shylock is depicted as a typical bloodthirsty Jew who lives a life void of any depth or meaning. His sole purpose for living seems to be to amass wealth and vengeance as seen from his adamant claim for his “pound of flesh”. Despite Shakespeare’s attempts to humanize Shylock at points in the story, it appears that his primary focus is to steer the audience against Shylock, painting him as being a cruel, bitter and inaffable figure. It is clear that in both Shakespeare’s merchant of Venice and Grace Tiffany’s Turquoise Ring, Shylock exposes

Before Macbeth was crowned king, he was one of the most respected and valiant men in Scotland. After he became king, he was often referred to as a tyrant. He caused the deaths of many people, even some of his closest men. However, his murderous actions always lead him to feel extremely guilty. In the final speech of this play, Malcom refers to Macbeth as a “dead butcher.” This characterization is oversimplified because it implies that Macbeth’s character was a ruthless killer incapable of remorse.

Risk is a situation that involves the possibility of exposure to dangers. Risks exist everywhere, even the most minute of actions can place someone in jeopardy. It is an inescapable labyrinth that plagues the lives of all ever since humanity’s first existence. Yet it,s double-edged sword like characteristics of also providing opportunities and gains keeps many enthralled in it. In William Shakespeare 's’ The Merchant of Venice, Antonio, a protagonist, gives himself over to a life-threatening contract with the villain, Shylock the Jew, in order to provide the means for one of Antonio’s friend the opportunity to woo a lady. Over the course of the play, various risky opportunities and events also expose other relationships as means of satisfying their wants, although not all their outcomes are favourable. Risk is the root cause of rewards and punishments in The Merchant of Venice. This is seen between the play’s rivals, such as Antonio and Shylock. Also is seen between lovers, such as Bassanio and Portia. It is seen again between fathers and children, such as Shylock and Jessica.

1190 the Jews in York were massacred and in 1290 all the Jews were to

In a book or play, it is usually very easy to distinguish who the victim is and who the villain is. The villain usually causes all the problems in the story line and the victim is the one who suffers in result of the villain’s actions. In the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, we examine the life of Shylock as a victim. It is seen through three main events in the play. Shylock is ridiculed by his community and his family, he is betrayed by his daughter and the community he lives in, and he is forced to lose all his wealth.

Is Macbeth victim or villain? This question has troubled the minds of countless literary critics. Despite this, it is clear that the main character from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, is portrayed as more of a victim than a villain. Macbeth commits countless horrible deeds in the play.

In the text of Act IV scene 1 before we meet Shylock he is described

On page twenty-five of Shakespeare’s comedic play Merchant of Venice, Portia demonstrates her dislike of the suitors through dialogue and the ambiguity of her diction in order to demonstrate her feelings of unhappiness. In Act one Scene two, Portia discusses her true feelings about the suitors in prose to Nerissa. She begins by telling Nerissa her true thoughts about the German suitor: “When he [the German suitor] is best he is a little worse than a man, and/ when he is worse he is little better than a beast” (I ii 88-89). Through her dialogue to Nerissa, Portia uses diction to demonstrate her strong hatred towards the German suitors. By comparing him to a beast, Portia uses a vulgar metaphor to describe her suitor.

In the play the ‘Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare the antagonist Shylock is both the victim and the villain. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender and is initially portrayed as anger filled and bloodthirsty but as the play continues we begin to see him as more human and his emotions become more evident. As the antagonist, Shylock is a fearful adversary to Antonio, the protagonist. But as good begins to win over evil, Shylock is crushed and we see evidence of his mortality in his grief. Shylock changes significantly though out the course of the play and he is formed into a too complex character to be labeled just victim or villain.

did this through Shylock. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock tells of how he is