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9 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Motifs Definition |
A dominant or recurring concept |
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Motifs |
●Law ●Cross Dressing ●Filial Piety |
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Filial Piety (Definition) |
A virtue of respect for ones parents |
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Filial Piety |
●MoV endorses the behaviour of those who treat filial piety lightly ●Launcelot greets his blind father with confusing directions and news of his death (sets stage for Jessica) ●Jessica has a strong hatred for her father although she has no specific complaints and in one scene he fusses over her. She trades Leahs Ring for a monkey making us question her respect for both parents ● In contrast, Portia sets a different example by obeying her fathers will |
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Cross Dressing |
●Used twice in play for daring escapes ●Very common in renaissance drama, Shakespeare used it frequently ● Portia enables herself to assume the power and position denied to her as a woman through cross dressing. |
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Law |
●Very important in Venice ●Shylock who follows the law the most ends up being prosecuted by it in the end ● Portia who was imprisoned by the casket test and her fathers will ends up being the most lawful in the court scene, saving the day for the Christians |
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Themes |
●Appearance vs. Reality ●The Divine Quality of Mercy ●Hatred as a Cyclical Phenomenon ● Self-Interest vs. Love |
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Appearance vs. Reality |
●The casket tests true answer is not the one that visually represents Portia, it in reality is the least valuable ●When Shylock says that he wants a pound of flesh, we assume he is joking when in reality he is dead serious ●Cross Dressing |
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The Divine Quality of Mercy |
●The Shylock/Antonio conflict eventually comes down to mercy, all of the characters know that the law supports Shylock but expect him to show mercy (Christianity) ● "The quality of mercy is not strained" - Portia ●She also states that being merciful brings us closer to god ●Then she strips Shylock of his bond, estate and dignity and forces him to beg for mercy (swap) |
