Trustworthiness, Dependability, And Loyalty

Friendship and love is separated by a very fine margin. Choosing between the two is like choosing between being in Mr.Vidulin’s English class and his photography class (it is nearly impossible). However, when the choice between friendship and love is mentioned in the play, it seems as though the answer is obvious. When Bassanio was in the courtroom talking to Antonio, Bassanio makes a statement that shows that he is choosing the side of friendship when it comes to friendship vs love. Antonio says, ”But life itself, my wife, and all the world are not with me esteem’d above thy life; I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all here to this devil, to deliver you.” (IV, i, 291 - 294) Antonio states that he will give up himself, his wife and the world to Shylock if it means that Antonio survives. This shows that he cares more about his relationship with Antonio in comparison to his relationship with Portia. The message which is associated with the topic of friendship vs love is that a healthy balance of both friendship and love is needed to fulfill a person. In the example with Bassanio and Antonio, Bassanio indirectly shows Antonio that there would be no point to his life and hence the reason as to why he says he will sacrifice his own self. Another major topic touched on in this play is mercy. Mercy can be explained as the power found to show compassion in a state of power. Many of us lack the ability to show mercy, which is a key component of our society. Mercy is shown

A friend is someone who you respect and who respects you. A friend is someone who would stand up for you. In that case, when asked the question, “Is Mercutio a good friend to Romeo?”, Mercutio fits this definition perfectly. For one, Mercutio stands up for Romeo when he is being verbally attacked by Tybalt. As well as this, Mercutio is willing to look out for Romeo’s best interests. Also, Mercutio is someone who lightens the mood of situations and helps to cheer Romeo up when he is feeling sad. Although it can seem like Mercutio is a bad friend to Romeo at times, Mercutio has many great qualities that show his significance to Romeo as a good friend.

In this essay, I will be examining Shakespeare’s treatment of relationships in Romeo and Juliet. As a poet and playwright, he wrote 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and 38 plays, one of his most famous plays being Romeo and Juliet. There are many different types of relationships between characters, and these are essential to the play. The prologue tells us that the play is about two star-crossed lovers from two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets. There is hatred between these two families, this explains this, ‘Thou villain Capulet’. This quote suggests because of the hate between their families, the lovers are doomed from the start.

These assumptions are clearly present in Shakespeare's work. In Merchant, financial language and romantic language are inextricably linked, suggesting that money is a source of both power and sexual desirability, particularly for males. The opening scene depicts Bassanio asking Antonio for money so that he may woo the beautiful and wealthy Portia. Bassanio is penniless and, it seems, made weak, unattractive, and perhaps less masculine by his poverty.

    Antonio feels closer to Bassanio than any other character in The Merchant of Venice. Our first clue to this is in the first scene when, in conversation with Antonio, Solanio says, "Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman, / Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Fare ye well: / We leave you now with better company" (i. i. 57-59). Once Antonio is alone with Bassanio, the conversation becomes more intimate, and Antonio offers an indebted Bassanio "My purse, my person, my extremest means" (137). We find out later that Bassanio needs money to woo Portia, a noble heiress who Bassanio intends to marry. And though Antonio is not in a position to loan money at the time, he does not disappoint

Though often times in the world one may get caught up in the secrets and rumours about them or those around them, it is these secrets and rumours that shape a human being’s character and relationships with those around them. In the Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the effects that secrets have on characters’ relationships shape the play, yet more specifically, it is the literal secrets regarding relationships that shape such relationships, which, in turn, shapes the play. Different relationships as outlined thoroughly in the play are not only a result of the secrets themselves, but the location in which these certain secrets are initially portrayed.

One of the strengths of good theater is its ability to mirror the problems and conditions shaping its time. In The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare reflects two important aspects of Elizabethan society: the corrupting influence of prosperity and the increasingly vengeful nature of Venetian justice. To address the former issue, Shakespeare downplays the importance of wealth by associating its involvement in romance with superficial and insubstantial advantages. He characterizes prosperity as a deceiving agent, citing its ability to introduce shallowness into a relationship. Shakespeare reasons that genuine romance depends on sacrifice and emotion, not wealth. The problem with justice is equally striking. In the play, justice is

Antonio describes Shylock as a devil in disguise, because the devil Also tried to trick Jesus using the bible. This conveys to the the reader, that Antonio thinks that Shylock is a wicked person, guided by his own self-interest. He even goes to the extent of saying that Shylock is an evil soul, producing holy witness, just to get what he wants. The use of the simile, “A goodly apple, rotten at the heart.” Tells us that Antonio is warning Bassanio that what may seem nice and good on the outside, could be bad and evil on the inside. This is the first instance we see Antonio show a bit of resentment towards Shylock. After seeing what these two men have said about each other, it is no surprise that one of them is Jewish(Shylock) and the other a

Throughout the course of time, societies views have been persuaded by contextual influences, yet the core human values have remained unaffected. Through the texts by composers William Shakespeare and Tim Blake nelson and their texts Othello and the late 20th century contemporary film O, the key values of trust, honesty and loyalty are explored with contextual influences being reflected. The values are explored with the use of thematic development of the key issues jealousy and appearance vs reality and the use of dramatic devices in Othello and cinematic techniques in O. Shakespeare's accurate representation explored these values in an Elizabethan context where the values of loyalty, honour and fidelity were apparent. In contrast, Tim Blake nelsons film express similar views and attitudes to a more teenage-orientated audience and these values are replaced with modern contextual values such as popular culture, peer pressure and popularity.

Another point that comes across in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes as a result of how trustworthiness gets in the way of love. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia trusts her best friends, Helena to keep the secret that she plans to marry Lysander, without her father’s knowledge. While Hermia thinks she can trust Helena with her secret, Helena does not keep true to her word of not telling anyone the secret. Hermia tells Helena this secret because she not only trusts Helena, she loves her as a friend. Hermia’s love for

   Horatio holds the seat of honor in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, for being the only character among the dramatis personae who is extremely close to the protagonist. Horatio’s emotional bond with the hero is paradoxically closer than that of Hamlet’s mother to the hero. This essay will examine the character of Horatio, Hamlet’s truest friend.

Often times, relationships can be torn apart by the immature things in life. Nowadays people can get caught up in what is fictitious rather than what is genuine. The poem Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, contradicts this idea. The characters, Romeo Montague and Friar Lawrence, opens themselves up to one another which forms a bond so firm. Therefore, through Shakespeare’s use of metaphorical language, apostrophes, and personification Shakespeare proves the point that relationships can be held firmly together through trust.

Loyalty is like a shadow it’s something that’s with you all of the time, but sometimes it’s hidden. Most people don’t show their loyalty hidden, but loyalty is something that’s not supposed to be hidden .To me loyalty is when someone is there for someone else. Loyalty is a characteristic many people should strive to have; it earns the trust and respect of many. A loyal person would never be able to fail someone because they are trustable. Loyalty is everywhere and there are many different kinds of loyalty.

William Shakespeare is one of the most recognized playwrights in the history of man. People have analyzed every sentence of his works and have taken note of the various styles used in his writing. Ironically enough, little is known about Shakespeare's personal life. It is assumed, however, that like other literary writers, Shakespeare relates occurrences in his life into his writing. The average person experiences varied and numerous events that affect them personally, and shape them into who they are. Whether one expresses loyalty or betrayal to another can impact one's life greatly and can cause numerous outcomes in a person's life. In

Although Antonio and Shylock command most of the play’s dialogues pertaining to law and justice, Bassanio does comment on law in two separate occasions. The first occurs when he is choosing between one of Portia’s chests. He recognizes the dangers of façades and asks, “In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt / But, being seasoned with a gracious voice, / Obscures the show of evil?” (3.2.75-77). This line is significant because it deals with law before the courtroom scene takes place and provides some foreshadowing to how the cases are presented. Shylock and Portia, especially, employ different rhetorical devices in order to sway the ruling in their favor. In a second reading, Bassanio’s observation forces the reader to ask who is “seasoned with a gracious voice” and who is morally right? During the courtroom scene Bassanio plays a less important role, yet he recognizes how the law operates. Even though he has no say with the ruling he pleads with Portia, “And… / Wrest once the law to your authority. / To do a great right, do a little wrong, / And curb this cruel devil of his will” (4.1.211-214). Bassanio has a huge desire to help his friend Antonio and knows, that at this point, only the law can help him. Thus, it makes sense that he asks Portia to establish a favorable ruling. Bassanio’s words seem to suggest that he has a less black-and-white outlook towards law: he