Shylock is also perceived and portrayed as an enemy of the Christian faith and as the nemesis of the play's protagonist, Antonio. He therefore serves a distinct literary purpose by contrasting the depth of friendship exhibited by Antonio's group. Because he is not viewed as a friend, he cannot truly betray any of them. Thus, when Shylock does not back down from his bond with Antonio he is merely saving his own honor and dignity. Shylock repeatedly mentions his mistreatment at the hands of Antonio and the other Christians in Venice. They did not treat him as a friend and therefore Shylock does not act out of kindness or mercy. Shylock is never shown to betray those close to him: notably his daughter Jessica and his assistant Lancelot. On the other hand, Jessica and Lancelot both abandon Shylock. Jessica dishonors her father more so because of her ready decision to deny her Jewish faith and heritage in Act II, iii. Shylock therefore retains his honor by proving...
At the same time, his ruthlessness comes across as significantly dishonorable and also in stark contrast to the self-sacrificing actions of Portia and Bassanio. Shylock's conflicted character helps to reveal the opposites of both friendship and honor in the play. He stands out clearly as being an enemy who lacks respect and the ability to forgive. Moreover, when Shylock relents and accepts his defeat, he dishonors himself and his faith thoroughly by converting to Christianity. The conversion is, like Shylock, a conflicted move. He loses the one aspect of his character that distinguished him as being different from his Christian compatriots. Yet by relinquishing his Judaism he also gains honor in the eyes of the Venetian Christian public and most likely in the eyes of Shakespeare's anti-Semitic audiences.
The parallels between these situations and Frye's basic assessment of the plot of New Comedies are not, perhaps, immediately apparent, but they have the same effect by the end of the play, where "the audience witnesses the birth of a renewed sense of social integration" (Frye 94). The parent/child relationships have been largely done away with in favor of te romantic ties that seem to be favored by the play.
strong women of Shakespeare's plays, "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Taming the Shrew." Shakespeare's Women For a man who became the most quoted author in literature and left volumes of work for the world to read, William Shakespeare's early years are a bit of a mystery. Historian's still speculate the 'lost years,' 1578-1582 and 1585-1592, of his life, although most agree that he "must have been perfecting his dramatic skills
He states, "If you deny me, fie upon your law" (IV.i.101) if they choose not to keep their own law when it does work according to their preferences at the time. Shylock is making a statement here that property - whether or not it is human - is property. His implication is that the law is good for all and, mercy can indeed trump the law as long as
Her forgery was never discovered, and the social order remained intact. So one can see that the expression of female power leads to the inevitable victimization of that proto-feminist, while a yielding and obedient female is shown as havign the resources to overcome anything that stands in her way. This is nothing short of a celebration for the traditional place of women as obedient to their fathers. Likewise, the violent
The interaction between father and son takes place in Act II, Scene ii, with a teasing display of affection where Lancelot fools his father into thinking he is dead, and then asks for his help in leaving Shylock's employment. His father, an old blind servant, supports his son and urges Bassanio to hire his son. The unconditional love between father and son is quite clear in this funny yet
1). Again, in October of 2004, 80% of Venice flooded when the water came up to 135 cm. The Piazza San Marco was inundated with 16 inches of water in the worst flooding in the last ten years. But there have been nine floods almost as bad as this one since the record high in 1966. The City of Venice, along with concerned international organizations, is working on solving the problem
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