Shylock And Antonio essay topics
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Acts Villainous Towards Launcelot
682 wordsMany people are villainous in the way they act, and their villainous acts may be rooted in the desire to destroy others, or in the hopes of elevating themselves. Many people may only act 'villainous' in reaction to the way they have been treated in the past. Shylock the Jew is the villain or antagonist in the play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock mistreats Antonio the Christian, his daughter, Jessica and Launcelot. The first person Shylock mistreats, is Launcelot. He mistreats this servant by com...
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The Greed Of Shylock
482 wordsThe Greed of Shylock In the play The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, the character Shylock is mean, greedy, money-loving Jew. He shows these characteristics in the way that he acts through his daily life. His character traits are evident in the way he loans money to Antonio, the way he acts after his daughter runs away, and the way he craves revenge after Antonio's ships do not return. Shylock shows his hateful nature by the way he treats Antonio when he lends him money. When Antonio...
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Shylocks Hatred Of Antonio And The Christians
1,709 wordsThe Merchant of Venice A View of Antonio The character of Antonio is very complex, and his attitudes to the people around him are greatly different. He varies from kind and forgiving to a mean and evil man. To his friends he is generous and loving but to his enemies he is vengeful and spiteful. The first spoken line in the play is "In sooth I know not why I am so sad". This sets the scene for him and his attitude for the most part of the play. This is because a lot of the bad luck in the play fa...
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Antonio's Immediate Acceptance Of Shylock's Bizarre Bond
1,013 wordsAntonio Antonio is a wealthy merchant in the city of Venice. Although central to the play, Antonio is portrayed by Shakespeare as an 'outcast'. It seems that Antonio is chronically depressed and is not involved in the social atmosphere that is thriving in Venice. - "In sooth, I know not why I am so sad: It wearies me; you say it wearies you; But how I caught it. Found it, or came by it, What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn:" 1 Along with Shylock, both men seem bitter and ha...
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Hatred Of Antonio By Shylock
1,575 wordsAnti-Semitism and The Merchant Of Venice The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, depicts the strong anti-Semitic views of the Elizabethan era, through Shakespeare's choice of plot, characters' personalities, and even his words. His play makes the attitudes, and actions of Jews seem foreign to those of a good Christian. These stereotypes are most evident in the character, Shylock, a greedy Jewish money lender. Shylock's antagonistic relationship with Antonio, a generous Christian merchant...
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Antonio From Shylock's Bond
2,113 wordsHow does Shakespeare create dramatic interest for the audience in the trial scene, Act 4 scene 1 in 'The Merchant of Venice'? In the trial scene (act 4 scene 1), Shakespeare uses many different dramatic techniques to make the tension in the court room rise and build. He also uses dramatic irony and many other techniques to engage an audience in this particular scene in the play. These techniques would work have worked on an Elizabethan audience or a modern day audience. Although, these two eras ...
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Shylock And The Jews
846 wordsI think that the role of Shylock remains a popular one with modern actors because Shylocks character can be open to interpretation. He can be played as a greedy, merciless old miser or a persecuted, bitter old loner. The actor playing Shylock can add his own style and personality to the role. He could dress Shylock in different ways to change his image or he could change the way Shylock speaks to change the audiences view of him. For example, when Shylock demands his bond from Antonio, "Ill have...
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End Of The Play Shylock
475 wordsThis character sketch will be on Shylock, describing his physical and personality traits. Shylock is an older, Jewish money lender who has one daughter named Jessica. Shylock is introduced into the novel when Antonio's friend, Gratiano needs money in order to impress a girl. Antonio at the time does not have any money and sends Gratiano to Shylock to borrow money from him. Shylock does not like Antonio because of past experiences where Antonio made fun of him publically. This leads to an interes...
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Antonio's Prejudice Against Shylock
328 wordsThe Merchant of Venice does portray a prejudiced message. This is first evident in Act one when Shylock openly says to himself, "I hate him because he is a Christian... May my people be cursed if I forgive him!" All throughout the book the Christians are battling with the Jews and neither of them will listen to the other because their hearts are filled with intense prejudice. Antonio proves that he is unwilling to change his feelings toward Shylock when he says, "I'm likely to call you names aga...
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Antonio To Shylock
2,146 wordsThe plot of the play is that Bassanio wants to borrow money so he goes with Antonio to Shylock who is a wealthy Jewish business man, even though they call him a dog and mock his Jewish ways Shylock offers him a bond, Shylock says that if he doesnt pay he will take a pound of Antonios flesh, he says this and Antonio and Bassanio believe he is only joking, Even though Antonio is racist towards him he still lends him the money. The play is a mixture of love greed and revenge. I would define a "vict...
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Evil Shylock
1,517 wordsFew characters in Shakespeare embody pure evil like The Merchant of Venice's Shylock. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. He is a malignant, vengeful character, consumed with venomous malice 1; a picture of callous, unmitigated villainy, deaf to every appeal of humanity 2. Shylock is the antagonist opposite the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist; who must defend himself against the "devil" Shylock. The evil...
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Shylock And Antonio
548 wordsIn The Merchant of Venice, Antonio is the merchant, and complains to his friends about how depressed he is and he cannot explain why. His friend Bassanio is in desperate need of money to court Portia, wealthy women of Belmont, so Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan. However, Antonio cannot give Bassanio the loan because he has just invested all of his money into a number of ships that are still at sea. Antonio advises Bassanio to go and meet with Shylock, a Jew who is a moneylender. Bassanio takes ...
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Antonio's Prejudice Against Shylock
568 wordsAntonio and Shylock are two of the main characters in the Merchant of Venice. One of the main plots is to do with the conflict between these two. The main thing that causes these two to argue is their religion, Antonio is a Christian, and Shylock is a Jew. In Shakespearean times there was a huge conflict between these two religions. The Jews were less common making them the minority group and were usually the victims. Antonio didn't like Shylock because he was a Jew, and he let Shylock know his ...
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Portia Defense Of Antonio
515 wordsThe Concepts of Peace and Justice in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice If you want peace, work for justice. Unknown In Shakespeares Merchant of Venice, Portia defense of Antonio is considered a wonderful, noble deed. She is not considered the villain (that distinction falls to Shylock), but her deed, which is considered right, proper, and good by her fellow Venetians, is actually more reflective of the naughty world than the brightly lit candle. Shylock is a man that has been mocked, spat at, and ...
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Kind Of Man Shylock
728 wordsIn the play the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, the character Shylocks portrayal changes a great deal. This mans image goes from that of a cruel and evil murder to a pitiful and helpless beggar of mercy. These circumstances raise the question of what kind of man Shylock truly is, and whether or not the reader should feel pity for him. There is no doubt that Shylock is a man with faults, but there is evidence to suggest that his intentions though cruel and heartless are the result of y...
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Shylock The Jew
1,483 wordsAnti-Semitism and the desecration of the Jewish population have been in existence for nearly five thousand years. In the Elizabethan era, a question of anti-Semitism invariably arises. In William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, we find that one of the characters is the embodiment and expression of anti-Semitic attitude that is pervasive in Elizabethan society. 'Anti-Semitism was an intricate part in Shakespeare's years. Jews were considered vile and scorned upon. Shakespeare presents Judai...
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Antonio And Bassanio
839 wordsPeople's rewards are determined based on their actions. The fact that Shylock is not merciful to Antonio and that he is hateful towards the Christians, has resulted in him losing his possessions. Bassanio not only helps Antonio, but is also wise and being wed to Portia is his reward. Antonio gives money to Bassanio and is willing to die for his friend and his reward is his life. The particular actions and decisions made by Shylock, Antonio and Bassanio causes them to reap the benefits or misfort...
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Shylock The Money
1,066 wordsThe Merchant of Venice In the play The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a money lender, has the right to take a pound of flesh from Antonio, a Merchant. Shylock was abused and not given the same rights as Christians, who thought themselves as far superior to the Jews, Shylock's religion. Antonio had agreed to the bond which he and Shylock made, which entitled that if Antonio was not able to repay the 3 000 ducats by a certain day, then Shylock would cut off the pound of flesh. Antonio could not repa...
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Shylock's Daughter
1,421 wordsShylock Victim or villain? William Shakespeare wrote the merchant of Venice in the Elizabethan period. The play is a tragic-comedy. It is set in a place called Venice in the late 15th century. Venice is situated in the north east of Italy and is known as the 'Queen of Adriatic' for its strong naval power. The play is about Shylock a Jewish moneylender, who is trying to make a living in a community and a Country that despises him and alienates him! At the time when the Merchant of Venice was writ...
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Their Friendships Life Antonio And Shylock
632 wordsThere are many characters in William Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice. Two of these characters are Antonio, who is a Christian, and Shylock, who is a Jew. These two men are very much enemies. Clearly Antonio and Shylock will have many differences in their friendships, wealth, and morals. However the pair also have similarities in these same areas. In their friendships life Antonio and Shylock have differences and commonalities. Antonio has at least one very good friend in Venice. The reader ...
