The Merchant Of Venice : A Story Of Despair And Pain

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

Othello by William Shakespeare raises the issue of how rampant beliefs and attitudes in a society can cause a person to question their sense of self. In a society where racial equality is near non-existent, Othello, a black skinned foreigner in the Venetian society, is constantly reminded of his status as an outsider. Othello, however, is not depicted in a stereotypical manner and despite occupying a highly respected position he is often confronted with blatant racism throughout the play. The prevailing attitudes and beliefs of Venetian society towards Othello are exploited by Iago in order to manipulate Othello’s self confidence and emotional state.

‘Without setting, characters are simply there, in a vacuum, with no reason to act and most importantly, no reason to care.’ The setting gives place for a narrative to begin and evolve from, without a strong setting some texts may be difficult to interpret without extra contextual and historical knowledge of the time period of which it was written. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice written 1603 was set in Italy, in the Venetian Republic . This setting was gaining popularity with Elizabethan writers, maybe as a form of escapism, to have a crypto - catholic approach, as this country was the largest and still is the largest Catholic country. Or a more general form of escapism from the society at that time. Writing for a predominantly working class audience, Shakespeare’s work is an escapism from the audiences hardship of life.

The Enmity between Christians and Jews is first revealed in this passage by Shylock’s tetchy, sarcastic reply to Bassanio. Bassanio politely invites Shlock to dinner and Shylock replies sarcastically saying, “Yes, to smell pork…” He further separates himself from Bassanio by referring to, “…your prophet, the Nazarite.” Also, in an irritated way, he lists the things he is prepared to do with Christians, and the things he in not prepared to do. In this passage, “I will buy with you…nor sell with you”, Shylock repeats the word ‘YOU’ Eight times, making it sound like an accusation, not only against Bassanio, but all Christians, for wronging

The novel The Merchant of Venice is an interesting play about how people dealt with money. Money has a very important role in this book because it helps the story develop and progress. They use money in different ways in the story; they are used in commerce, debt and in a will. Money is a very important asset in life, but every character has their own view on money, which then dictates their actions throughout the story.

The play by William Shakespeare, Othello, The Moor of Venice, was staged for the first time in 1604, is defined as a tragedy, and Othello as a tragic hero.

Rings are significant to the narrative of The Merchant of Venice for several reasons. Firstly, as symbols of love, wealth and power. Secondly, as a means through which Portia gives and then regains control of herself, her weath and power and finally, the theft and sale of Leah's turquoise ring acts as a source of sympathy towards Shylock and allows him to parallel the Christian husbands, Bassanio and Graziano.

The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men.

Othello, the Moor of Venice , tells a story of a man named Othello, he is a Moorish General in the military but is disparaged for his race, but he is well respected because of his rank in the military. He marries Desdemona the daughter of Brabantio a Venetian Senator, they’re in an interracial marriage that offends Brabantio because Othello is a moor, whom are viewed as beast-like villains. Jealous of Othello’s high rank and honor and has a feeling that his commander has slept with his wife, Othello’s lieutenant and close friend Iago plans to sabotage Othello’s marriage and career. He tells Othello that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful and he gives him false evidence of that infidelity she has towards him. Othello is known to be trusted and noble, but everything Iago tells him leads him into a jealous rage that starts tragedy. The play is set in Venice, a place that values their military

He declares, "I'm very glad of it. I'll plague him, I'll torture him, I am glad of it." (3, 1, 115-116) At the end of Act 3, scene 1, Shylock's true motive is revealed. Shylock says, "I will have the heart of him if he forfeit, for were he out of Venice I can make what merchandise I will." (3, 1, 125-127) All these comments clearly attempt to paint Shylock as a money-worshipping murderer and not as a person.

William Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Antonio, a merchant, who borrows money from Shylock a Jewish moneylender to help his friend, Bassanio, marry a woman. The play highlights the tension between Jews and Christians in society through the interactions between Shylock and the Christians. In contrast, the play also highlights the positive aspects of both religions. The main point of The Merchant of Venice is to critique society’s treatment of religion.

In the historic play “The Merchant of Venice” written by William Shakespeare, Shylock is one of the main characters who I have great pity for. Therefore I agree with the above statement that Shylock should be more pitied than condemned. Throughout the play we see Shylock involved in many different incidences and it is unknown whether he is a victim or a villain in most cases. Shakespeare leads me to make a final conclusion by showing me different incidents that Shylock is involved in the play. Shakespeare helps me to gather this conclusion through the use of many different literary

Another factor in Shylocks character that leads to him being perceived as the villain is that he is parsimonious. He will not give or

From the very beginning of The Merchant of Venice, we see the comedic element of lovers being separated time and time again. First, Jessica and Lorenzo are not permitted to marry or see each other because of their different religions and her father’s fervent hatred for Christians. “Lorenzo certain, and my love indeed / For who love I so much?” (2.vi.30-31). Jessica and Lorenzo and certain they are in love, despite the distance that separates them. Later, in Act 3, Bassanio must leave Portia to return to Venice where Antonio is waiting to see him one last time. “And then away to Venice to your friend! / For never shall you lie by Portia’s side / With an unquiet soul” (3.ii.317-19). This separation between Bassanio and Portia allows the audience to connect with the irony of these young lovers’ struggle. These separations between lovers lead to another element of comedy--costumes.

Even though some might consider The Merchant of Venice a tragedy, it has always been known to be categorized as a comedy. Comedies are not always plays that generate laughter. They usually involve normal, everyday problems where families are looking for resolution to the problems, often almost suffering a tragedy before they are successful. The comedies always have a happy ending and usually end with couples resolving their issues and falling madly in love, and then getting married to live happily-ever-after (Schnell). The love story of Bassanio and Portia plays an important role in The Merchant of Venice. There are struggles they must overcome to come together. Bassiano’s lack of funds was the first obstacle to overcome in this love story. He had met Portia on an earlier journey to her land and wanted to return to seek her hand in marriage. His dear friend, Antonio, made a bond with Shylock the Jew to secure the funds for Bassanio to travel to Portia’s homeland. If Antonio forfeited the bond, he would owe the Jew a pound of his flesh in payment. It never entered Bassanio’s mind, or Antonio’s either, that the bond would have to be paid in this