In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, justice and mercy are distinct opposites, with the former personified by Shylock, and the latter by Christians such as Antonio. One need look no further than Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes" soliloquy spoken in prose (III.i.52-72), which stands in counterpoint to Portia's speech on the "quality of mercy" in iambic pentameter (IV.i.190-212), to see the two at war. As seen by Shakespeare's intended Christian audience, here is the battle between the God of the Old Testament-Yahweh, a deity who rules according to Law-and the God of the New Testament, a loving, merciful Father. While Shakespeare believes justice to reign supreme (for no one is exempt from the law), he believes that an individual's worth is determined by his (or her) propensity to forgive, agreeing with Portia that "the quality of mercy is not strained" (IV.i.190). Shakespeare contrasts Antonio, a kind and merciful Christian, with the mean and merciless Shylock and his fellow Jews; It is only Portia, showing charity and kindness in her role of arbiter and judge, who is able to reconcile justice with mercy, showing that both are necessary.
While not rejecting the law outright, Antonio and his fellow Christians show a disregard for the absolute rule of law, and praise mercy in its stead. Respected by his fellow believers as "the kindest man" (III.ii.304), Antonio is generous with not only his money but also his faith in his friends. While Bassanio repeatedly fails to repay loans he receives from Antonio, the latter, as a merciful Christian, continues to forgive his friend's debts and extend even more credit. So soft-hearted is Antonio that he feels offended when he believes Bassanio would "doubt" (I.i.162) all he would do for him. In fact, Antonio's selfless and merciful character is precisely that which Shylock despises: "[Antonio] lends out money gratis and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice" (I.
The Merchant of Venice? ... This is whyThe Merchant of Venice? ... A place of great beauty, luxury and extremely artistic, it is the perfect setting forThe Merchant of Venice?. ... I hate him for he is a Christian? ... Although it is not the final scene, it is the finale of theThe Merchant of Venice? ...
By expressing the absolute cruelty of man due to his own prejudice, the Shakespearean play Merchant of Venice acts as a worldwide plea for tolerance. ... A tiny voice in the overwhelming darkness of our own ignorance, the Merchant of Venice speaks out, imploring the world to become more tolerant, to improve conditions for people everywhere. ... Although they claim to hold a secret love for each other, Jessica must buy her way onto the Christian society. ... The Christians do eventually accept her and allow her into their society, but many secretly fear that Lorenzo's love for her ...
Examine and evaluate some different interpretations of the role of Shylock in "the Merchant of Venice". "The Merchant of Venice", one of Shakespeare's comedies, is based around a group of Venetian Christians. ... Antonio is the merchant of Venice he is also a Christian but in my opinion Shylock is the protagonist of the play. ... He views him as a victim of society. ... Throughout his scenes shylock is insulted, betrayed, deserted, punished and humiliated by Christian society and his daughter. ...
The Renaissance was started by many rich Italian cities, such as Florence, Ferrara, Milan, and Venice (Bram 274). Because these cities were very wealthy, many merchants started to spend money on different things, such as painting, learning, new banking techniques, and new systems of government. ... It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice. ... The Union also believes their philosophical view on humanism "stands for the building of a 3 more humane society through ethics" based u...
The third of eight children, William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a locally prominent glovemaker and wool merchant, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a well-to-do landowner in the nearby village of Wilmcote. ... An unsubstantiated report claims Shakespeare left Stratford after he was caught poaching in the deer park of Sir Thomas Lucy, a local justice of the peace. ...
