William Shakespeare 's The Merchant Of Venice

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

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

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

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

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

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’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.

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

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.

After reading The Tempest and thinking about the different characters. I realized that some of them have supernatural powers. Characters that have supernatural powers are what drive the play The Tempest. Some of the characters that have powers in the play The Tempest are people like Prospero, Ariel, and Caliban. Prospero is one that is known for manipulating and he was very good at it. These people with the powers in this play use two different kinds of magic. The two different types of magic that used in the play are white magic and black magic. The white magic is magic for nature good use only, and black magic is magic that is used for evil purposes. This is where the play Malleus Malificarum comes into to play when talking about The Tempest. Malleus Malificarum has its similarities and its differences when it comes to comparing it to The Tempest. The witches use magic to magic to manipulate the mental and physical world. So the two plays are more similar than they are different when it comes to talking about power. It is safe to say that magic and power rule how people are able to manipulate and take control over other people. It is all a part of having the supernatural powers that drive the play that Shakespeare has created for us to read and be so interested in.

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.

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

Shakespeare, through his plays, uses allegory to express hidden meanings through his characters, using them as symbols to send those messages to his audience. In his play, The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare introduces his readers to three important characters, Portia, Shylock and Antonio, who represent spiritual and moral meanings through their actions and words. The beautiful heroine, Portia, represents intelligence, the Jewish moneylender, Shylock, represents vengeance, and the wealthy businessman and anti-Semite, Antonio, and represents sadness.

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

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