Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Essay

In Act I, page 175, it is said, “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” This quote occurs when

Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself ” (Act I Scene VII).

And I will make thee think thy swan a crow.” (Act 1, Scene 2. Pg. 35.)

9. Shakespeare introduces a flaw in King Duncan’s character in lines 11-14 and reinforces the theme of appearance versus reality

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is undeniably one of the most eminent tales of tragedy ever written. Act 4, Scene 3 has ingeniously demonstrated how the plot and themes, and characterization

While watching the actor’s performance on Hecuba, Hamlet questioned his pride. The actor's “tears in his eyes(2.2 7),”

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

"O my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; / It hath the primal eldest curse upon it, / A brother's murder" (Act III Scene III)

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.

That you should here repent you’. After his silly prologue the court start to make comments about his punctuation he puts the full stops in the wrong places Hipployta says that he is like a child on a recorder act 5 scene 1 lines 122-123. All of this adds to the humour.

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is so alike to our financially afflicted world. The rules of law and commerce are subject to deceptive manipulation, fear of "the other" overwhelms respect for a common humanity, duplicity is the norm, sexuality is a vehicle for ambition, and money drives and wraps almost every action. It is a classic tale that includes important details of the financial crisis in the United States during 2007-2009. Shakespeare’s Venice, like the New York of his time - and the financial capitals of ours - is a city based on borrowing, on market speculation and greed masquerading as wealth and sophistication. Behind the curtains of the practice of lending and borrowing money in Shakespeare’s play lay the transition to capitalism: the rise of banking system; the scarcity for credit in developing industrial enterprises; and the growing dispute of default facing both aristocratic landlords and, above all, small, independent early entrepreneurs on trading ventures. Even though almost 600 years apart from each other, both Shakespeare’s tale and the financial crisis in the United States during 2007-2009 have a similar financial dilemma, each has its unique Shylock, Bassanio and Antonio- people who were responsible for causing the meltdown of their days.

Antonio’s flesh; “ Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what

In this essay I will explore how significant act 3 scene 7 is to the

Act III Scene V - This is a very important scene. Select and comment on

reason, and by the light of his intelligence. . .” Also in Act II Scene II, the