Shylock

Shylock had no choice but to accept his conversion and the so-called mercy of his benefactors. He was forced to accept his conversion by a mercy and Christ he didn’t believe in. This is demonstrated by the Duke, who says, “That thou shalt see the difference of our spirits, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it” (4.1). In this the word difference is important to look at because the Duke is indicating to Shylock that there is a difference between the two…

‘The Merchant of Venice’ By William Shakespeare starts off with Shylock and Antonio making a bond, saying that if Shylock doesn't get his money in 3 months he will get a pound of flesh closest to Antonio heart. The court scene where Shylock is trying to justify his bond, shows how each character contribute in displaying the themes of mercy and justice. Throughout the play, Shylock has been wanting justice for himself since the beginning, it started when he made the bond. At the court scene he…

and steals money and precious jewels from him. A dark element in the play is when Shylock wishes that his daughter were dead for stealing from him and running away with a Christian man. “SHYLOCK. Two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; would she were hears’d at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!” (310). Since Shylock is considered one of the main characters, the loss of his daughter, as well as…

To begin, Shylock is used as a medium to project anti-Semitic views/beliefs. Unlike his Christian counterpart (Antonio), Shylock is rarely referred to by his initial name, but rather as - interestingly used a derogatory slur- "the Jew". Clearly, to other Venetians, Shylock is nothing more than the label his society constantly refers to him as. One could only deduce that through this subtle, yet very pejorative, epithet, Shylock would feel like a lesser human being compared…

Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare answers many universal questions, such as the nature of friendship through Antonio and Bassanio and the financial sacrifices they make for each other, faith and what people believe through Shylock and his social restrictions because of his religion, and how to deal with the death of loved ones through Lady Montague’s death following her son’s suicide. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare addresses his perception of friendship, through…

In fact, Shylock even goes as far as saying the line “I hate him for he is a Christian”, implying that Judaism is a narrow-minded and hateful religion. It also implies a type of jealousy on Shylock’s part, as if he wishes that he were a Christian. This interpretation foreshadows the forced conversion that Shylock undergoes later in the text as if he was subconsciously desiring it, furthering the thought that Shakespeare…

city of Venice. The obligation to uphold and serve justice is further reinforced later in the scene. The Duke, sympathetic towards his fellow Christian Antonio, can do nothing against the bond and is left to dissuading Shylock from taking revenge, albeit in vain. He asks that Shylock does not claim the pound…

when she asked him for mercy. it appeared as a height of moral to Christian audience because she argues by Christian context and ignored his moral and religious position. One of the most quotes that provide the hypocrisy of the Christians, when shylock asked Christians to show their humanity. Also , he displays Christian characters whom always talking about their mercy and values at the same time they alienate him in order that he's different because of Jewish. “If a Jew wrong a Christian,…

also establish the role of hazard. Launcelot makes vulnerable his relations with Shylock to work for one of Shylock’s foes, Bassanio. During the rising action of The Merchant of Venice, Launcelot says to his father, “Father, I am glad you are come. Give , me your present to one Master Bassanio, who indeed gives rare new liveries.” (2.2.8-10) Launcelot explains to Old Gobbo that he no longer wants to work for Shylock because Bassanio treats his servants better by giving them superior attire. This…

Heinous Did Shakespeare encourage people to hate Jews? Well, in the play, "The Merchant of Venice", by Shakespeare, he made Christians hate Jews like Shylock for being successful like them. Racism back then and still today is a major concern. Most people get judged because they are different from the rest. It is difficult to believe that stereotypical and racial problems still exist in some parts of the world today. People back then did not do anything to stop discrimination, because…