Shylock

As dynamic as the human condition, power vacillates in accordance with the whims of those who seek it. As such, much of humanity itself is tarnished or embellished by the pursuits of those who sought power and, more importantly, those who ultimately failed to grasp it. In literature, that notion is encapsulated at the individual level so as to resound with readers. William Shakespeare in his play Othello and Toni Morrison in the novel The Bluest Eye provide insight into the amorphous nature of…

The printing press made life better for people in many ways. It made it easier to publish written material and led to an expanding market of people learning and desiring to read. As Baugh and Cable indicate, by Shakespeare’s time “…it is probable that not less than a third and probably as many as half of the people could at least read.” (199). Baugh and Cable give another interesting statistic as consequence of the printing press, “The number of books printed before the year 1500 reaches the…

As has been shown before, cartoons enable Punch to propagate its views in an eye-catching way. The cartoons mentioned earlier all emphasise the power of Britain and the ‘savagery’ of the rebels, (figure XX, XX, XX, XX) and/or present the metropolis as a righteous nation who is wronged by colonial protestors and their unpatriotic British supporters (figure XX, XX). Visuals are more striking than texts, usually rather easy to understand at one glance, and therefore more efficient in provoking…

Emeralds is a joyful, poised piece, danced to music by Gabriel Fauré, whose composition stirred from Pelléas et Melisande, 1898, and Shylock, 1889. When Emeralds, first premiered, it featured a cast of Violette Verdy, Conrad Ludlow; Mimi Paul, Francisco Moncion; Sara Leland, Suki Schorer, John Prinz, accompanied by a corps of ten women. The costuming and set design are an emerald green…

In contrast to Viola, Portia shows a remarkable level of decisiveness, even in situations where she would be expected to give up any form of control. This is not clear from the beginning; in fact, it initially appears that she is even more passive than Viola. When she is introduced, she does not dream of defying her father’s orders to have her suitors win her over by picking the correct casket. She does complain about it, however. She laments the fact that she is bound by her father’s game and…

As a crucial center of trade among the major cities of the world, Venice came to be known as a land of indulgence and debauchery. Trading with considerable frequency is one reason that the Venetians gained such a unique reputation. For example, gambling was a natural and frequent occurrence in Venice and the city contained an estimated amount of 20,000 courtesans during the Elizabethan era. Despite the constant promiscuous actions, a large portion of the Venetians were religious, Roman Catholic…

The 1998 film American History X, directed by Tony Kaye, delves into issues of race, class, gender and ethnicity as it confronts us with the story of the Vinyard sons Derek and Danny. Reeling from the shooting of their father at the hands of a black gangster, Derek and Danny become heavily involved in a neo-Nazi gang. The movie sheds light on racial tensions and relationships both in everyday Los Angeles and in prison, which stabilize the concepts of race and ethnicity, as they rooted in…

The Prominent Features of Human Body Idioms Human body idioms mainly express the relation between one’s body and the exteriour world by making connections between the functions of a particular body part and the general understanding of that specific function in relation to phenomena occuring in the world we live. (Jinming 54) For example, an idiom such as „know smth like the back/palm of one’s hand“ expresses the degree of familiarity with a certain fact or object, similar to the way in…

struggled to find harmony in Shakespeare’s time in Venice, England, and throughout Europe. Othello, the Moor, plays the Other in Shakespeare’s play Othello. The Other is an interesting character that is seen throughout Shakespeare’s plays including Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Caliban in The Tempest. The Other is usually an outsider, someone who can be mocked, abused, or condemned. Little says, “But, as Othello’s countrymen will finally have it, no amount of rhyming or coupling (or…

Inheritance and Revenge Over the course of time, grudge, revenge, and inheritance have been key elements leading to conflict, and ultimately death. In William Shakespeare’s theatrical play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Prince Hamlet, Prince Fortinbras, and Laertes have all lost their fathers due to tragic circumstances. Death, sexual promiscuity, and treachery permeate the entire play. Despite the dark plot of this play, it has become known as one of Shakespeare’s most famous literary work.…