William Shakespeare 's The Merchant Of Venice

Unquestionably, Shylock behaves out of character while creating the bond with Antonio and Bassanio. Despite the Jew’s hatred for Antonio, he is willing to loan him money. Antonio says, “Content, in faith! I’ll seal to such a bond, and say there is much kindness in the Jew" (1.3.148-49). This quote confirms Antonio’s trust in Shylock’s fake kindness and friendly behaviour. Shylock’s obsession with the idea of Antonio in a difficult situation is the primary reason why he agrees to loan his money and creates the bond out of hatred and villainy but masks his evil hopes in the presences of Antonio. Antonio is unaware of the seriousness and terms of the bond having believed the forfeit of a pound of flesh was a joke. Shylock deviously tricks the merchant with the appearance of kindness in hopes of catching Antonio at a

The play appears to suggest that Bassanio was right to caution Antonio to suspect "fair terms

Without a doubt, Shylock of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has been a subject of much controversy and debate for scholars and critics worldwide. Specifically, an element of his character that has been thoroughly reviewed is the harshness with which he proposes his bond with Antonio. As contemporary readers of the pound of flesh story we are naturally mortified by the fact that Shylock would call for such barbarous terms. What many of us do not realize is that while we might feel horror about the idea of the bond, the same is not necessarily true for an Elizabethan audience. This story has been a major source of misunderstanding for many of its readers, as

In Tempest, Caliban and Prospero are of contradictory natures. Their characteristics are notably different as well as other characters have different opinions and attitudes to them. However, both of them have the same master and savior Prospero.

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

The bond that causes readers to take a closer look throughout the play originates from Shylock’s desire for vengeance and Antonio’s desire to support his friend. As Antonio is desperate to help Bassanio in the name of love, he does not hesitate to ask he’s revile, “If thou wilt lead this money, lead it not as to thy friends… but lend it rather to thine enemy, who if he break, thou mayst with better face extract the penalty” (1.3.129). Antonio being aware that Shylock is not a friend uses his unworthiness to give him the loan. As a result Shylock uses this opportunity to his advantage by implying the term of the transaction is not a big deal: If he should break his day, what sound I gain by the exaction of the forfeiture? A pound of man’s flesh, taken from a man, is not so estimable, profitable neither…I say, to buy his favor” (1.3.160). Shylock suggests that his request is a demonstration of a compassionate act, denying his true purpose of possible retaliation. The flesh has no financial value, however for Shylock this is a revenge against an individual who has done him wrong and his people in the past. In the end

This shows how Shylock is shrewd, by playfully suggesting the forfeiture of the bond which is actually a cunning plan to murder Antonio with the law on his side.

William Shakespeare wrote the play “Othello, the Moor of Venice” in 1604; the setting had taken place in the late sixteenth century. In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare created a theme that was not only based on jealousy but hatred as well. The symbol of the story was the handkerchief which added intensity to the story between the characters Othello and his wife Desdemona. Racism, love, and manipulation also played a major part in the story as revenge between the two characters Othello and Iago had arose. The character that I chose to write about was Iago; in the story he was deceitful, selfish, manipulative, jealous, but also very clever. He had the tendency to trick anyone to believe what he was saying was the truth. Based upon the comparison of Iago and George Zimmerman we can see that Othello is still relevant today.

Shylock is introduced as a greedy villain who craves nothing but revenge. The play begins with Antonio in need of three thousand ducats, he then turns to

William Shakespeare’s tragic play: “Othello: the Moor of Venice” starts out in the place of love and water, the beautiful Venice, Italy. In this play Shakespeare brings to life the true definitions of love, betrayal, jealousy, and revenge. Iago and Roderigo, two characters in the play, that are plotting against the general of the Venetian Army because Iago was not chosen to be the lieutenant. Instead Othello chose Cassio. In the quest for vengeance the two tell the very influential Senator Brabanoti, the father of Desdemona, about the secret marriage between her and Othello. The father becomes enraged when he finds the two meddlers’ story to be true. He raced to her room only to find that Desdemona had run away with her soon to be tragic

Artese claims that the flesh-bond plot in The Merchant of Venice resembles a folktale known as “A Pound of Flesh” (325). Artese supports his supposition with background context and parallels between the two story lines. Literary versions of the pound of flesh story circulated during the sixteenth century and were collected since the nineteenth century because of the plot’s longevity and populairity Shakespeare would have been familiar with pound of flesh stories (326). Human commodification is a central issue in both The Merchant of Venice and the folktale. When Portia states that Shylock cannot extract a drop of blood from Antonio and take no less or no more than an exact pound, this also alludes to the pound of flesh storyline (330-331). After establishing that The Merchant of Venice’s plot is based off of the pound of flesh storyline, the author explains that it was important for Shakespeare to use this specific plot because it shows the power dynamics between the Venetian Christian and the Jew.

1 scene 3 in a building in a street in Venice. The building in which

His hatred for Antonio is also obvious and it is so strong that he refuses all offers of money so that he can cut off a pound of his flesh. In Act 3 Scene 1 Shylock makes his famous “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech, and it is probably at this point that the audience

William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a perplexing story of dark humor, race, religion, identity, love, and justice. Generally, most people understand The Merchant of Venice as a comedy about a bitter and outcasted Jewish moneylender named Shylock who seeks revenge against a Christian merchant who has failed to pay his loan back. However, there are many different perspectives on whether The Merchant of Venice is a comedy or a tragedy depending on one’s views on the difference between race and religion. If one views the story as a comedy, it is a dark comedy full of many problems, especially the controversial subject matter of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian characters. If one views it as a tragedy, it is a tragedy that concludes with majority of its characters in a “happy ending”—that is if one agrees that Jessica’s decision of love over betraying her father and giving up her Jewish identity is indeed a happy ending.

Jean Racine, a French dramatist of the 17th century France, states, “Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel” (Goodreads). In the early days of its staging, the play The Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare is considered to be a comedy, but as the world develops there is controversy as whether to believe that the play is actually a tragedy. The play is centered on two main plots: the bond plot and the casket plot. The bond plot is about two best friends, Bassanio and Antonio, forming a high risk agreement with a Jew, Shylock. The casket plot is about Bassanio, a young Christian, trying to court a rich heiress, Portia. The Merchant of Venice can be ruled as a tragedy