Merchant of venice
Can a man seeking to kill be considered a victim? This question is addressed in William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice. The Merchant of Venice takes place in Venice, Italy. Antonio, a Venetian merchant takes out a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock loans Antonio the money under the condition that if he does not repay the bond in three months, Shylock gets a pound of Antonio's flesh. Because of his religion and profession, Shylock is cruelly treated and is the victim in this play. The harsh handling of Shylock by the other characters in the play, and his unfair treatment at the trial, both show the victimization of Shylock. Shylock is ridiculed and mistreated because he is Jewish and a moneylender. Money lending and being Jewish were both frowned upon during the time that this play takes place. When talking to Antonio, Shylock recalls all of the slanders and cruel things that Antonio has done to him. "You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, /And spet
Shylock receives no mercy from Antonio and is forced to give up everything, accept what he detests, and give up his religion. Shylock adamantly describes the ways in which Antonio finds any means possible to mock and hurt Shylock. Shylock is the victim of an unjust trial. Shylock is also victimized by his own daughter Jessica. Shylock refuses to accept anything but Antonio's flesh because he wants to humor himself: "You'll ask me why I rather choose to have/ A weight of carrion flesh than to receive/ Three thousand ducats. After Shylock finds that Antonio's ships have not returned, he is happy and wants revenge on Antonio. Shylock's mean demeanor and unreasonableness shows. When in trial to retrieve his bond from Antonio, Shylock is also unfairly treated by the law. Although Shylock has some villainous qualities, he is mainly portrayed as a victim because of the disrespect and the undeserved, malicious conduct shown towards him.
Common topics in this essay:
Shylock Shylock,
Merchant Venice,
Shylock Antonio's,
IVi403-406 Shylock,
Shylock Jewish,
Shylock Antonio,
Antonio Shylock,
IIIi34 Shylock,
Antonio Christians,
IVi213-214 Shylock,
shylock shylock,
merchant venice,
shylock villainous qualities,
shylock antonio,
shakespeare's play,
towards shylock,
antonio shylock,
shylock victim,
shylock exclaims,
own daughter,
jewish moneylender,
|
Acceptance Essays
