Republic of Venice

Promptbook Argument: Venice Preserved or A Plot Discovered In “Venice Preserved: or A Plot Discovered” Thomas Otway introduces the audience to the hopeless protagonist Jaffeir. Throughout the play Jaffeir struggles to balance his marital love and commitment to Belvidira (his wife) and his honor and dedication to Pierre (his friend). Otway employs the marital bond of Jaffeir and Belvidera to suggest that society does not provide a space for man to be honorable, true, and constant in both…

How and to what extent does Shakespeare create sympathy for the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice? In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare depicts Shylock as a complicated character whom is easy detest due to his headstrong, money-hungry and vengeful nature. However, there are many instances in which sympathy for Shylock is generated, especially when he is pushed around and abused by the Christians and when he deals with losing his daughter. Shakespeare gives an insight into all…

There are many forms of government practiced in Renaissance Italy. With this in mind, the main functions of the government were to create and enforce laws and institutions (republics); as well as make laws by decree (signori). (Najemy, pg 195) Also, the government’s were responsible for public order, control of violence, justice, military/war, tax/finance, and diplomacy. (Najemy, pg 195) Thinking about this, enforcing laws and institutions, as well as making laws by decree are both very…

Shakespeare saw and realized this in each of the plays he wrote. In The Merchant of Venice he showed that you can’t trample all over social hierarchies because many of them have been held steadfast for years and cannot easily be brought down by the action of one individual. This is why we ended up seeing Shylock wrecked man, who had everything…

Within society, both past and present, we can discern a myriad of façades which present a deceptive outer appearance. William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Willy Russell’s Educating Rita and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover are works of literature which diversely consider a vast array of characters and situations which demonstrate such façades within society. These façades may be actively used by a character or be surrounding an abstract concept or institution, such as wealth or…

Dramatic Significance Exposed by Risk in The Merchant of Venice Risk is the exposure to danger. Taking risks are necessary because risk reveals experience to an individual. Hazard has both malevolent and benevolent outcomes, which can affect the overall atmosphere in a play. The content of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice includes many scenarios of risk-taking among the relationships between characters. The Merchant of Venice consists of four different plots: the bond plot, casket…

This passage is imagery because it vividly describes the scene. Throughout the passage, Salarino paints the picture of the fear that would occur if his well-being depended on a ship in a detailed manner. For example, the last four lines of the passage describe a ship being destroyed by rocks and spilling the cargo into the ocean. Using words such as “dangerous rocks” and “roaring waters”, Salarino employs terms that create visual images and sounds within audience’s imagination. By effectively…

that men make more money than women even though they are working the same jobs. In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, even though the protagonist is a man and it contains mostly male characters, the women in the play such as Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica show how they hold the higher power in the play. Through their…

Merchant of Venice was placed with other comedies, but since then, critics have been speculating on whether or not it should be classified as a tragedy instead (Fendt). A comedic drama is defined as being humorous and generally having a happy ending, whereas a tragedy involves suffering of the main or several characters and contains darker elements within the story (Conner). Critics often argue over how The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, should be classified. The Merchant of Venice…

In the period where The Merchant of Venice is set, anti-Semitism was ubiquitous. Shakespeare was probably influenced by this and — although he probably never met a ‘Jew’ — made Shylock a magnet for of anti-Semitism. However, the complex character of Shylock occasionally shows signs of humanity, which suggests that Shylock is a victim but – particularly from the perspective of the other main characters, such as Portia or Antonio - also a villain. We see two controversial sides of Shylock; one is…