A+ Student Essay Writing Help A+ Student Essay. Examine the courtroom scene in The Merchant of Venice. How does it illuminate the play's major themes? Shakespeare’s courtroom scene dramatizes a conflict between justice and mercy—the competing claims of an angry Shylock and a desperate Bassanio. This argument mirrors Suggested Essay Topics A+ Student Essay Characters Shylock Characters Shylock. Although critics tend to agree that Shylock is The Merchant of Venice ’s most noteworthy figure, no consensus has been reached on whether to read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been Antonio is an honorable man. When he realizes that Shylock is within his lawful rights, Antonio is ready to fulfill the bargain he entered into to help Bassanio. "The Duke cannot deny the course of the law," he says. And later, he adds that he is "arm'd / To suffer, with a quietness of spirit
Merchant of Venice Act 1 Summary and Analysis | GradeSaver
Antonioa merchant, is in a melancholic state of mind and unable to find a reason for his depression. His friends Salerio and Solanio attempt to cheer him up by telling him that he is only worried about his ships returning safely to port, shylock essay.
Antonio, however, denies that he is worried about his ships and remains depressed. His two friends leave after BassanioGraziano and Lorenzo arrive. Graziano and Lorenzo remark that Antonio does not look well before exiting, leaving Bassanio alone with Antonio.
Bassanio informs Antonio that he has been prodigal with his money and that he currently has accumulated substantial debts. Bassanio reveals that he has shylock essay up with a plan to pay off his obligations by marrying Portiashylock essay, a wealthy heiress in Belmont.
However, in order to woo Portia, Bassanio needs to borrow enough money so that he can act like a shylock essay nobleman. Antonio tells him that all his money is invested in ships at sea, but offers to borrow money for him. Portia, the wealthy heiress, shylock essay, discusses her many suitors with her noblewoman Nerissa. She points out the faults that each of them has, often stereotyping each suitor according to the country from which he has arrived.
Nerissa, a gentlewoman who works for Portia, asks her if she remembers a shylock essay who stayed at Belmont several years before. Portia recalls the man, and says, "Yes, yes, it was Bassanio" 1. Portia's servingman then arrives with news that four of her suitors are leaving, but another, the Prince of Moroccohas arrived.
Bassanio in engaged in conversation with Shylocka Jew who makes his living as a moneylender. Bassanio has asked him shylock essay a loan of three thousand ducats, a very large sum at the time, for a period of three months.
He further tells Shylock that Antonio is to "be bound," meaning that Antonio will be responsible for repaying the loan. Shylock shylock essay Antonio's reputation well, and agrees to consider the contract. He asks Bassanio if he may speak with Antonio first, and Bassanio invites Shylock to dinner. Shylock responds that he will never eat with a Christian. Antonio arrives at that moment and Bassanio takes him aside.
Shylock addresses the audience and informs them that he despises Antonio. He bears an old grudge against Antonio which is not explained, but Shylock is further upset that Antonio lends out money without charging interest, thereby lowering the amount he is able to charge for lending out his own money. Shylock turns to Antonio and tells him why interest is allowed in the Hebrew faith by quoting a biblical passage in which Jacob receives all the striped lambs from his father-in-law.
Antonio asks him if the passage was inserted into the bible to defend interest charges. Shylock replies that, "I cannot tell. I make it breed as fast" 1. Antonio is upset that Shylock is considering charging him interest on the loan, shylock essay, and asks Shylock to loan the money without any interest. Shylock tells him that, "I would be friends with you, and have your love" 1.
He offers to seal the bond, "in a merry sport" 1. Antonio thinks Shylock is only joking about the pound of flesh, and is happy to seal the contract. He remarks that, "The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind" 1. The Merchant of Venicelike so many of Shakespeare's plays, shylock essay, opens with a depressed and melancholy character. The depression of Antonio at the beginning, for which he can give no explanation, is much shylock essay Antipholus of Syracuse in The Shylock essay of Errors.
Portia, shylock essay, the wealthy Belmont heiress, is likewise a depressed and unhappy character in the opening scenes. The reasons for their melancholy, although never directly expressed, are shylock essay to their self-absorption. And as with Antipholus in The Comedy of Errors, it is only by taking a huge risk or both that they will be able to overcome their depression.
For Portia, shylock essay, this risk taking can be seen in her love for Bassanio, which will require her to risk her entire inheritance in order for her to win him. For Antonio, shylock essay, the risk is even greater; namely a pound of flesh, representing his very life, shylock essay.
Bassanio represents the gambler who cannot lose. He is the sort of character that will risk everything, and having lost everything, will risk what he does not have.
He has often been compared to Jason in the Quest for the Golden Fleece, namely a risk-taker. Portia as a character is an odd mixture of various traits. She is first presented as the ruler of Belmont, clearly in charge of both herself and those around her. However, we soon discover that she is not in charge, indeed it is "the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father" 1.
Portia's reliance on the wishes of her dead father therefore contradicts the image of her as Belmont's ruler. Indeed, like many of the women in Shakespeare's plays, she will be unable to alter the plot around her as long as she is a woman, shylock essay. It is only later in the play, by dressing as Balthasara man, that she will finally be able to really command events shylock essay manipulate the play.
It is shylock essay to focus on the conflict shylock essay the Christians and the Jews throughout this play.
Although the twentieth century has altered the way western civilization portrays the Jew in The Merchant of Venice, the compelling character of Shylock still disturbs and entices his audience. Shylock has historically been portrayed as a comic character, shylock essay, and in Shakespeare's day would have dressed quite differently from the other characters in order to distinguish himself from the Christians.
The image of Shylock shylock essay rapidly over the years, first making him a villain in the s, a man to be pitied inshylock essay finally a tragic character in Although Shylock is accused of representing much of what the Christians hate, it is through his conflict with Antonio in particular that Shakespeare pokes holes in the accusations of the Christian men, shylock essay. The most common error is to assume that the merchant referred to in the title is in fact Shylock himself.
This is not the case, since Shylock is only a moneylender. Indeed, the merchant indicated is Antonio, shylock essay.
This confusion surrounding Antonio and Shylock is purposeful, for it shows the audience how the Christians are in many ways as awful as the Jews they mock. It also sets the stage for misinterpretation. For example, shylock essay, Shylock states, "Antonio is a good man" 1.
Bassanio takes this statement at face value, and agrees that Antonio is a nice man. The seriousness of the Christian misunderstanding can be seen when Shylock makes the bond with Antonio:.
Now Antonio repeats the same mistake made by Bassanio, thinking that Shylock is being "kind" when he agrees to loan the money without interest. Antonio states "The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind" 1. Antonio is so convinced that he will be able to repay his debts that Shylock's request for a pound of his flesh as collateral strikes him as a joke, and therefore is not taken at all seriously. Shylock's willingness to waive the interest payment brings to light an entirely new set of conflicts within the play.
Shakespeare draws on Francis Bacon's statement, shylock essay, "It is against nature, for money to beget money," when he portrays the Christians as unselfish givers of all they have. Shylock defends his taking of interest by quoting the passage where Jacob is given the striped shylock essay. This scene further focuses our attention on the use of sheep imagery in connection to money and breeding.
Here Shakespeare plays on the words "use", "usury", and "ewes", shylock essay, all of which will be punned throughout the play. All the sheep imagery is on Shylock's side throughout, for he is fleecing the Christians, breeding the ewes.
He therefore mentions Jacob as his defense for taking interest, shylock essay, and we can note later that Shylock's wife is named Leah, shylock essay, the same name that Jacob's first wife had. Shylock is also able to make his money breed like sheep through the charging of interest.
On the other hand, the Christians have Jason and the Golden Fleece. This image is used in connection with Bassanio, the risk-taker, who risks everything to gain everything. Shylock essay same image will figure later with Antonio, who is represented as a wether, a castrated sheep. Thus the concept is reinforced that Antonio does not make his money breed because he refuses to charge interest.
The Question and Answer section for Merchant of Venice is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and shylock essay the novel, shylock essay. How much shylock essay did basanio give, shylock essay.
Do you mean money that Bassanio borrows? Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, agrees to loan Bassanio three thousand ducats. What do Nerissa's words imply? act 2. This is a general opinion shylock essay rather than just about the play.
It is difficult to apply modern customs and logic to replace Elizabethan customs and logic. Shakespeare's time was very patriarchal. The male was the responsible for a family's Merchant of Venice study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, shylock essay, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Merchant of Venice literature essays are academic essays for shylock essay. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Merchant of Venice. Remember me. Forgot your password? Buy Study Guide. Are you sure that Nerissa speaks in Act 1 sc, 3? Do you have a quote? Study Guide for Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
About Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice Summary Merchant of Venice Video Character List Act 1 Summary and Analysis Read the Study Guide for Merchant of Venice…. Essays for Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice literature essays are academic essays for citation. The Victorious Woman in Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice Father-Daughter Relationships in The Merchant of Venice Mercy and the Masquerade: Trial and Performance in The Merchant of Venice Christianity and Judaism in The Merchant of Venice: Imperfect Faith The Anti-Semitic Question in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice View our essays for Merchant of Venice…, shylock essay.
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Is Shylock a villain or a victim?
, time: 4:45The Merchant of Venice: Shylock | SparkNotes
Shylock tells him that, "I would be friends with you, and have your love" (). He offers to seal the bond, "in a merry sport" () without charging interest, but as collateral for the loan demands a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio thinks Shylock is only joking about the pound of flesh, and is happy to seal the contract Mar 18, · With Shylock securely, if a bit cruelly, off the beaten path, the last demonstration is an entertaining celebration of vindication of social qualities. The characters have had their chance to remark on the best possible issues love, fellowship, equity, and the dissimilarity among appearances and reality Shylock is the most vivid and memorable character in The Merchant of Venice, and he is one of Shakespeare's greatest dramatic blogger.com stage, it is Shylock who makes the play, and almost all of the great actors of the English and Continental stage have attempted the role
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