The Jew of Venice - 1393 Words

The comedy The Merchant of Venice was written by William Shakespeare and it is situated in Venice and Belmont (Italy) in the sixteenth century. It was written in London in 1998. The full name of the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is The Comical History of the Merchant of Venice, or Otherwise Called Jew of Venice. Venice is a place where there is lots of commerce and where there are lots of business men who loan and ask for interest. The people who live here are not very kind, they are hard hearted and they would rather have lots of money not love. Whereas on the other hand Belmont is very different, it is a city where people are rich and sophisticated. The atmosphere in Belmont is happy and people are kind to one another. If the had to chose love or money, they†¦show more content†¦Justice! Find the girl! She has the stones upon her and the money! This quote shows that Shylock values his daughter as much, maybe less, than he values his ducats. This shows that money is has a great significan ce/importance in his life. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heald by the same means, warmd and coold by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christina wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. Bassanio recieves a letter from Antonio which informs Bassanio that he has lost his money and and as a result he has no money to repay Shylock. Therefore he has to forfeit a pound of flesh to Shylock. Bassanio tells Portia what has happenedand she orders him to take six thousand ducats and go Venice and pay Shylock. After Bassanio left, Portia and Nerissa leave for Venice. Portia decides to dress up as a male lawyer, because women at this time did not have the power or authority to be present in court.Show MoreRelated Portia in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice and Abigail of Marlowes the Jew of Malta880 Words   |  4 PagesMerch ant of Venice and Abigail of Marlowes the Jew of Malta Portia and Abigail are two characters with very different values. Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice remained true to her religion, and her father’s wishes throughout the play. Abigail, on the other hand, changed religions and disobeyed her father. However, the writers used these two women to make similar statements about religion. Portia represented the quintessential Christian. Abigail of Marlowe’s The Jew of MaltaRead More Hath Not a Jew Eyes? The Identity of Shylock and Purpose of Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice1992 Words   |  8 PagesShakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice continues to receive criticism because of the many controversial topics integrated within an already debatable plot. One such reproach is whether the play demonstrates factors of anti-Semitism or persists as a criticism of the anti-Sematic tendencies of Christians during Shakespeare’s time. The factor of genre plays an essential role in how the play i s interpreted when regarding anti-Semitism, particularly when viewed as either a romantic comedy or a genre thatRead More Father-Daughter Relationships in Sidney’s The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta, and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice3187 Words   |  13 PagesFather-Daughter Relationships in Sidney’s The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta, and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice Justification for the subjugation of females to males during the sixteenth century came from a variety of sources. Ranging from the view that God gave Adam authority over Eve as penalty for the fall, to a belief in the superiority of a husbands’ physical strength over that of his wife, attempts at rationalization of the restricted freedom of womenRead MoreA Study of Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice Essay1540 Words   |  7 PagesA Study of Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice ‘The Merchant of Venice’ was written by Shakespeare in 1596 and appeals to both audiences of comedy and tragedy. The play features anti-Semitism which is a response to 1500’s Britain as well as other literature of the time. Anti-Semitism is the term used to describe discrimination towards Jews and Judaism. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ has received both positive and negative comments over the centuries and throughout thisRead MoreAntisemitism in the Middle Ages1616 Words   |  7 Pagesperiods of time in Jewish history. Christianity’s view of other religions as inferior is portrayed in many well-known pieces of literature, including one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, The Merchant of Venice. Towering over Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Merchant of Venice is the tragic figure of Shylock, a man who represents the treatment of the Jewish people in his time period. Before beginning to understand Shylock, it is vital to understand the historical and dramatic influencesRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice Anti Christian Or Anti Semitic?914 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice anti-Christian or anti-Semitic? How important is religion in â€Å"The Merchant of Venice†? That depends on who you ask and is based on that person’s interpretation of the play. The Merchant of Venice is controversial between whether i t is anti-Christian or anti-Semitic and with good reason. Religion has always been a source of controversy; in Shakespeare’s plays, they are no exception but especially so in the play The Merchant of Venice. In ancient times, people establishedRead More The Jewish Experience in Venice in the Age of the Ghetto Essay1473 Words   |  6 Pagesconsidered offensive. A part of a city where Jews were forced to live in the past † ( LD 678 ). As a result, the first general definition appears connected with the more specific example of the Jews. It seems to be particularly interesting, because it gives us a perspective of the idea of Ghetto that has been transformed and adapted to different realities, but unexpectedly it demonstrates the opposite of what was the Jewish experience of it in Venice. First of all, it can be inferredRead More Is The Merchant of Venice an Anti-Semitic Play? Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesIs The Merchant of Venice an Anti-Semitic Play?      Ã‚   The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character that is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 whenRead MoreMerchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1174 Words   |  5 PagesIn Shakespeare’s book Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who holds a grudge with a Christian merchant Antonio. The resentment becomes open when Antonio asks Shylock to lend him money, and Shylock asks for his flesh in case he does not return the loan in time. Here, Shylock acts as a negative stereotype Jew, but he is only acting in manner due to forced circumstances. The persecution and discrimination of Jews have forced Shylock to be vengefu l and cold hearted. In the Christian valuesRead MoreWhy Were Jews and Christians Separated in The Elizabethan Time Period? 1504 Words   |  7 PagesI. My Question â€Å"Well Ashley, Jews and Christians did not get along in the Elizabethan time period,† said my parish priest. Once I heard this, I was determined to research more information. I knew that Jews and Christians have always had their differences in what they believed religiously. I questioned myself what did each religious group believe in? What did they agree with? What do they disagree on? I knew that persecutions took place in the past for what a religious group may stick up for