Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Throughout the education system, there seems to be an unofficial consensus that pieces of literature that are deemed “controversial” should not be taught in school. The Merchant of Venice falls into this category due to the Anti-Semitism which exists within the play making it “controversial” therefore, banned. On the contrary, this play should not be considered controversial and it should not be banned due to the learning experiences and knowledge that can be gained by reading this play. The contrastive style of literature will provide students and teachers alike who read this play the chance to expand their horizons when it comes to their English skills. With this in mind, The Merchant of Venice written by William

William Shakespeare’s Othello would not be a dramatic tragedy if the smiling villain, Iago, were a deaf mute. There is no doubt that the destruction of each character can be blamed on jealous Iago. The theme of jealousy helps propel the plot naturally and demonstrates the consequences of being morbidly jealous. The circumstantial evidence Iago provides acts like a lethal poison, which surrounds Othello in suspicion and envy but also turns him into an inhuman murderer. Jealousy is the ‘monster’ that unresonably conducts the great suffering in the story.

In The Merchant of Venice, Grudges and Personal Rivalries in the trial scene has clearly been expressed with Shylock and Antonio. The central part and the twist of this novel are primarily caused by the rivalries between Shylock and Antonio. The “merry bond” that Antonio signed to help his dearest friend, Bassanio, was the main reason of the trial scene. According to Antonio, “Content in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, and say there is much kindness in the Jew” (1.3.163-164) The bond which Antonio had willingly accepted was that if he failed to pay back 3 thousand ducats in 3 months, Shylock had the right to cut a pound of flesh from his body. As Antonio was a rich merchant and had plenty of ships coming in, with 9 times the money of the loan, he found no difficulty in accepting the bond. However, times were unfortunate for

In contrast, The Merchant of Venice generates another embodiment of justice through Shylock’s desire in search of a fair treatment from Antonio. Antonio is in need of money for Bassanio; yet, Shylock is willing to “lend” him “thus much money,” but first Shylock tells Antonio how unjust he has been to him, “…you spet on me on Wendesday last; You spurned me such a day; another You called

tied up at sea, Antonio agrees to ask for a short term loan of the

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago manipulates other characters in an iniquitous way causing commotion and destruction in all of their lives. He uses malicious tactics to negatively affect faultless characters who have done nothing to intentionally harm him. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is a character shaped by jealousy and hunger for power. He is ruthless and immoral, and manipulates nearly all the characters in the play in order to get what he wants.

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the newlywed couple was truly and madly in love at the time they’re married the couple were unable to consummate the marriage. Perhaps it is because there were a few moments for the pair to be alone together. However when a chance did arrive for the couple to finally have a “honeymoon”, some unfortunate event would happen and the immediate moment was lost. It is for this reason of this unconsummated marriage that Desdemona’s virginity is a key factor in the fall of their marriage. M. D. Faber states that “Then too, there is nonstrousness in the fact that Desdemona is placed in the posture of the sinful mortal when she is in reality not only innocent but the one character in the play who is from an

Othello is a play about love, hate, jealousy, betrayal, and much more. In Othello, Othello gives a handkerchief to Desdemona, his wife, that he received from his mother as a gift. This sacred cloth was more than a gift for Desdemona; it was their forever. The handkerchief was white with red strawberries. The white portraying purity, and the red strawberries symbolizing beauty (Hasnain, Ahsh p.1). Unfortunately, Othello was so attached to this handkerchief and its “spell”, that it brought him to kill himself and his lover. This piece of cloth is extremely important to the play, and its significance varies between Othello, Desdemona, and Iago.

Trust is often indicative of the intimate relationship between two people: husband and wife or two soldiers, for example. In Shakespeare’s drama, “Othello,” the main character and general of the Venetian army, Othello, is forced to choose between trusting his first wife, Desdemona, or his reputable honest ensign, Iago. Iago tells Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, his lieutenant. Although he does not know of anyone more honest than Iago, Othello cannot easily believe that the women he so ardently loves would cheat on him and betray their marriage. Othello is forced to believe Iago’s accusations and punish Desdemona and Cassio or believe his innocent, fair wife. He decides to believe Iago’s false tale of Desdemona’s

In tragic plays, characters frequently experience misfortune, with varying degrees of personal culpability. In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the characters experience misfortune when their love for others is exploited. Through the actions of the play’s characters, Shakespeare illustrates how allowing emotion to overcome reason permits exploitations that cause misfortune. This message is demonstrated repeatedly with multiple characters: Othello’s love for both Iago and Desdemona results in, respectively, the excessive trustfulness and irrational jealousy that are the roots of his misfortunes; Roderigo’s desire for Desdemona clouds his judgement and allows Iago to manipulate him; and Emilia’s love for Iago blinds her to his amoral nature, which contributes to the deaths of both her mistress and herself.

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest refines his portrayal of nature from the earlier play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, nature is shown to be mysterious presence that blurs the lines between reality and illusion; it is a magical force that is unreachable and incomprehensible for human beings. A Midsummer Night’s Dream gives nature a mischievous, playful, dreamlike feel because in this play nature interferes for the sake of love. The Tempest breaks down the barrier that divides human society and the natural world, a divide that is present in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because nature’s presence and effects become more noticeable and it becomes a power that is within the reach of humans. In The Tempest nature isn’t

Tragedy is best felt when an innocent person kills himself while not knowing the truth. The best example of that would be the play Othello by the great William Shakespeare. As little as a handkerchief could make a difference if it is a symbol for something. In the play Othello by Shakespeare, handkerchief is first introduced by Othello to his beautiful mistress, Desdemona, as a sign of their love. At the end of the play what gets Othello to take extreme measures by the location of the handkerchief. As the symbol of the handkerchief transforms from a strong symbol of love to a gift then to factor of suspicious and evidence.

Iago is a ‘Machiavellian villain’, someone who is intent on realizing his desires at all costs and seeks to achieve this in a deceptive manner. To achieve his goals, he utilizes characters around him to carry out his plans without them realizing. His main purpose in Othello is to entrap and deceive the hero.

Scholars equivalent life to “a search for justice”.The statement is true in regards to life as a black American facing institutionalized racism, as a Syrian fleeing a war-ravished country, and as Shylock attempting to retrieve retribution for his misfortune. In “Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare, Shylock believes that the rectification must equal the crime; he unsuccessfully tries to make amends for an offense committed against himself, and Shylock’s hunt embodies the struggle of the Jewish people throughout history.

Women, especially Desdemona but Emilia as well, are obviously targets of male violence in Othello. For some reason Shakespeare’s play often put the emphasis on the role of the female characters and their influence on the main male characters. For instance, the result of the passionate love of Romeo for Juliet, the effect of Ophelia’s insanity had on hamlet, and so on. In Othello, Shakespeare made Desdemona and the other women in the play no different; Othello’s jalousie and love made the play a tragedy. Shakespeare made Desdemona the faithful wife of Othello. She was such a kindhearted and wished to make everything work even when the situation where she lost her handkerchief she tried to fix the situation and calming Othello. However, her innocent sympathy towards Cassio made lago’s lies more credible. Overall, one can say that her naïve nature causes her to become a target for the men in the play.