The Merchant of Venice

In my opinion the play The Merchant of Venice is a tragic one which is discised as being comic. Many factors of this play are derived from the current voice of situation. The Merchant of Venice could be looked at as more tragic because of the negative intents from some of the characters in the … Read more

Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, there is a strong theme of prejudice. Portia has to deal with prejudice against her sex, the Prince of Morocco has to deal with prejudice against his race but the character that is most discriminated against is Shylock. He is hated for being a Jew and a … Read more

An in-depth character analysis Often, The character Shylock, in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice, is portrayed as a beastly monstrosity, with a lust for Antonios life. Through a more careful examination it can be determined that Shylock was an upstanding member of his community, who endured abuse, forgave easily, and upheld the customs and law. … Read more

William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice contains many examples that insult Jews because they were the minority in London in Shakespeares time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times, Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of Londons population at the time was anti-Semitic because there were very … Read more

Portia is one of Shakespeares best parts for an actress as, apart from being one of the central characters within the main plot of the play; she displays great wit and intelligence. These are assets which none of Shakespeares other female roles ever had as women who lived around the same time as Shakespeare, were … Read more

Shakespeares portrayal of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice is more complex than is originally thought. He is not only seen by the audience as the traditional stock villain; I hate him-p13, but he also evokes the audiences empathy such as in his famous speech: hath not a Jew eyes? -p47. Shylock is caricature to … Read more

There are many sides to this argument. The first is that Shylock does not sin at all, the second is that all the characters sin as much as each other, the third that Shylock is the only one who sins, the fourth that they all sin, but Shylock sins the most making the above statement … Read more

In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there appears Shylock. He is a Jew, that much we are told in the cast list. But, as the play unfolds Shylock is seen to be the villian. He is protrayed as being cold, unbending, and evil. But is he? Is Shylock really the antagonist in this … Read more

Many of William Shakespeares plays have sparked controversy. Probably the one that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The character that this discussion centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack … Read more

It is my strong belief that the play, “The Merchant of Venice”, should be taught in classes. If this play was banned from schools it would most certainly be a form of censorship. The play teaches us about prejudice, and why it is wrong. People would see how everyone was hurt at one time or … Read more

Shylock’s first scene in The Merchant of Venice is important because it sets the tone for the audience’s view of him throughout the play. I have never seen the play performed, but it has been my experience that an audience will form an opinion of a character upon first seeing them. There are many different … Read more

The authors achievement is when he is able to leave an everlasting imprint on his Audience. William Shakespeares fictional characters, in The Merchant of Venice greatly influenced the way I view the world and myself. So, how is one of Shakespeares characters related to me? Through Shakespeares ability to create multidimensional characters possessing every human … Read more

Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains of melancholy; his friend Bassanio asks for a loan to travel to Belmont to court the beautiful heiress, Portia. Antonio agrees, but says that he must borrow the money from one of the city’s moneylenders because all of his ships are at sea. At Belmont, Portia is also melancholy because, … Read more

Antonio, the protagonist of the story, is extremely good friends with Bassanio. I have come up on a hypothesis that Antonio is gay and Bassanio is a bisexual. Antonio seems to like Bassanio in a romantic way. Antonio is a male. Bassanio is a male. Bassanio likes Antonio in a romantic way and also loves … Read more

Antonio, the protagonist of the story, is extremely good friends with Bassanio. I have come up on a hypothesis that Antonio is gay and Bassanio is a bisexual. Antonio seems to like Bassanio in a romantic way. Antonio is a male. Bassanio is a male. Bassanio likes Antonio in a romantic way and also loves … Read more

“Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is still relevant today because it deals with issues which still affect us. Show how two of those issues are discussed in the play. ” Throughout the play a distinction is made between how things appear on the outside and how they are in reality, or on the inside. The … Read more

William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is … Read more

In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio is the merchant, and complains to his friends about how depressed he is and he cannot explain why. His friend Bassanio is in desperate need of money to court Portia, wealthy women of Belmont, so Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan. However, Antonio cannot give Bassanio the loan because … Read more

Many of William Shakespeare’s plays have sparked controversy. Probably the one that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The character that this discussion centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack … Read more

It is worthwhile to take a close look at the marriage and trial plots in The Merchant of Venice. The antagonists of the respective plots have similar goals; they seek access to power and privilege. However, the types of power they seek is very different. The methods they use of gaining power are also differ. … Read more

Many people are villainous in the way they act, and their villainous acts may be rooted in the desire to destroy others, or in the hopes of elevating themselves. Many people may only act “villainous” in reaction to the way they have been treated in the past. Shylock the Jew is the villain or antagonist … Read more

Within the various forms of literature, many notable authors have emerged as experts in their particular field. Shakespeare is viewed by many as one of the most profound and dramatic playwrights. He is generally noted for his complex dramas, tragedies, and comedies, all of which were written in a most eloquent and glorified manner. In … Read more

In a perfect world, hatred would be without justice; love would be totally innocent. However, utopias like that are nonexistent; thus, one can easily look around, like Auden, and exclaim, “No hatred is totally without justification, no love is totally innocent. ” In The Merchant of Venice, there is an imperfect world, as well as … Read more