Merchant of venice
In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there appears Shylock. He is a Jew, that much we are told in the cast list. But, as the play unfolds Shylock is seen to be the villian. He is protrayed as being cold, unbending, and evil. But is he? Is Shylock really the antagonist in this play or can he also be viewed as persecuted individual who resorts to revenge only after he has been pushed too far. To fully understand the character of Shylock we must first look at Elizabeathen attitudes towards Jews. In the sixteenth century Jews were rarely if ever seen in England. In the Middle Ages Jews had fled to England to escape persecution in France under the Normans. They were granted charter in England by Henry I in return for a percentage of their profits from trade and moneylending. It is here that the stereotype of Jews lending money was started. Because of the tariffs placed on them by the crown Jews took to charging high interest rates to secure profits
deep grudge against the Christians, for he tells Jessica that he is going in hate and not in friendship to dine with them. "But Antonio, but we are able to remember that the passion for revenge is a common human failing and not the unique had "of Leah when I was a batchelor," shows us that indeed he does have sentimentality in him and he wouldn't have nation . . . Cursed be my tribe if I forgive him (I,iii,40-49) Shylock then tells Antonio that he wants to be friends with him perpetuating the stereotype.
Some common words found in the essay are:
IIIi49-54 Lippman, Bassanio Antonio, Hath Jew, Jews England, Jew Shylock, Christian IIIi54-59, Jews Shakespeare, Iiii40-49 Shylock, Shylock Jew, England Henry, hath jew, christian , shylock tells, eyes hath, merchant venice, jew eyes, hath jew eyes, jew eyes hath,
Approximate Word count = 2275
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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