Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice consists of humorous, passionate, heart wrenching, and sometimes violent scenes. ... Historically, readers would have had a different outlook on Shakespeare's use of comedy with relation to Shylock, than modern readers will perceive after reading The Merchant of Venice. ... Modern readers can develop a wave of sympathy towards Shylock following the reading of The Merchant of Venice. ... In writing, "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare created Shylock, a character that will surprise the minds of readers as he goes from being a villain, to a victim. ...

• Word Count: 891
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The maltreatment can be seen in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. ... In Michael Radford's film The Merchant of Venice, Shylock and other Jews are shown being spat on, neglected and treated as second class citizens in a way that makes the viewer feel sympathetic for them. ... In Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is sympathized with because how of cruel the Christians are. ... Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice depicts this scene showing how unfair it is for the Jews. ... Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice can be interpreted in different...

• Word Count: 989
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Anti Semitism was a strong theme in the Merchant of Venice. ... The friends of Shakespeare who decided that Merchant of Venice was a comedy, justified this by saying the play was about love and marriage. ... Shylock was a alien in Venice because he was a Jew and therefore had to give up everything to the government because the threatened Antonio's life. ... It is enacted in the laws of Venice, If it be proven against an alien That by direct or indirect attempts He seek the life of any citizen, The party against the which he doth contrive Shall seize one half of all goods; the other hal...

• Word Count: 1361
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Given the extensive history of Jews in England, which Shakespeare's audiences would have been fully aware of, Shakespeare's character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice does not expect to gain much sympathy. ...

• Word Count: 1060
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The religious reasons for this hatred also pushed them to believe that if a Jew converted to Christianity, as Shylock is forced to do in The Merchant of Venice, then all will be forgiven as the repentant Jew is now pure of heart. "...some Christians believed that the coming of the Kingdom of God was aided by converting the Jews to Christianity" (Hughes 5). ... The Merchant of Venice does not emphasize the superiority of any particular race, or religion: instead, it shows just how flawed all humans are through the story of a Jewish man his relations with Christians, who ostracize and persecute ...

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In the late 1500's he wrote a piece called "The Merchant of Venice". ... "The Merchant of Venice" was written during a time where Jews were banned from England. ... A modern audience viewing Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" would most likely see him as a victim when analyzing all aspects of Shylock's character and background. ...

• Word Count: 690
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Shylock, having been mistreated by the Christians in Venice, particularly Antonio, was not very friendly with them and held much contempt for them. ... It is made very clear to us that Shylock has been treated as an outcast all his life and has been treated horribly by the Antonio and his friends, and that none of the Christians in Venice ever respected him, so why would he have any mercy for them. ...

• Word Count: 1002
• Approx Pages: 4

Shylock Character Study Task: Choose a character from the play and explain what their works and actions reveal about their selves as a person. In Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" Shylock is made out to be a bad person or perhaps a criminal. Possibly this is because he is of Jewish religi...

• Word Count: 736
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In Shakespeare's play Merchant of Venice it is clearly portrayed that the Elizabethans treated all Jews with equal spite. ... Shylock was a Jewish merchant who lived in a world where the Jewish religion was regarded as evil. The people of Venice including Antonio, had ridiculed him, they called him a dog, and spat on him. ... He was considered an alien in Venice and yet had to abide by the Venetian law. ...

• Word Count: 1517
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School