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The Merchant of Venice
Setting refers to the time, place, and circumstances in which the action of a literary work occurs. This obviously also affects the writing's atmosphere and tone. As far as place is concerned in...
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The Merchant of Venice
The main plot of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is the Antonio-Bassanio-Shylock plot, in which the merchant Antonio borrows money from the Jewish moneylender Shylock in order to fund...
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The Merchant of Venice
That's a little tough to answer since your subjective experience of the play will change the way how you think the audience would feel. However, I'll give you my opinion based on my own take on the...
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The Merchant of Venice
This scene depicts a conversation between two of Antonio's friends, Salanio and Salarino - gentlemen we met in Act 1, when they were with him. The two are discussing our protagonist, Antonio, and...
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The Merchant of Venice
Let's start with what's good about Antonio: He is sociable, loyal, caring and generous. We know he is social since we first meet him in a social situation with two of his friends, Salarino and...
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The Merchant of Venice
At the beginning of scene 2, Act II, Launcelot mentions one of the reasons why he should leave Shylock's service. In his monologue, he makes it clear that it is not an easy decision and is...
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The Merchant of Venice
Most of the themes in this scene are also themes in the larger play. Let us take the themes in the order they appear: In lines 1 - 29, the clown Launcelot is wrestling with himself about whether he...
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The Merchant of Venice
The verbal exchange between the prince of Morocco and Portia occurs at the beginning of Act ll, Scene 1. The prince has obviously arrived to chance his luck to win Portia's hand by participating in...
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Literature
Shylock is a Jewish usurer who makes profits on his loans, so he resents the merchant Antonio, who lends money interest-free to people, which undercuts Shylock. How like a fawning publican he...
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The Merchant of Venice
Shylock clearly spells out his reasons for hating Antonio. He compares him to a “fawning publican,” indicating he sees Antonio as sanctimonious and hypocritical. On top of that, Antonio is...
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The Merchant of Venice
This play is certainly one of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, and, due to its themes of bigotry and suggested violence, one of his most controversial. Perhaps one of the reasons for its popularity...
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio and Bassanio's friendship gets Antonio into serious trouble with Shylock, but it also rescues him from that trouble. The main plot of the play has to do with the "bond" (legal contract)...
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The Merchant of Venice
At the beginning of Act 1 scene 2, we are introduced to Portia and her handmaiden, Nerissa, who is also a friend and confidante, who are in conversation about Portia's deceased father's decision to...
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The Merchant of Venice
The Prince of Morocco refers to his complexion when wooing Portia. He is aware of the racism against men with his skin color. Earlier, Portia expressed frustration at having to face yet another...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 3, Scene 4, Portia tells Lorenzo that he is in charge of her household until her husband returns. Portia then tells Lorenzo that she and Nerissa will be praying and contemplating alone in a...
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The Merchant of Venice
In one sense, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is certainly a comedy. Good largely triumphs over evil, and all of the main "good guys" end up with a happy ending: Bassanio and Portia live...
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The Merchant of Venice
In this scene in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Portia is reciting why she has refused a variety of suitors. Her comments are meant primarily to show off her wit and education....
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The Merchant of Venice
This is one of the more interesting questions about Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock certainly functions as an antagonist to the young lovers in the play. Although he obviously...
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The Merchant of Venice
You must be referring to the Prince of Morocco's speech in Act 2, Scene 1, in which he says, Bring me the fairest creature northward born, Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the icicles, And let us...
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio and his friends are on a street in Venice, a city of "psychic, dark corners," as Shakespearean critic Harold Bloom describes it. Antonio has fallen into one of these "dark corners" in his...
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The Merchant of Venice
Nestor is not actually a character in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Instead, he is one of the leaders of the Greeks in the Trojan War and figures prominently in Homer's Iliad....
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The Merchant of Venice
By "Shylock's speech," I'm assuming that you are referring to Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech in Act 3, Scene 1, which is probably the moneylender's most famous speech (and perhaps the most...
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The Merchant of Venice
The present is food ("a dish of doves"—line 124). This takes place in Act II, Scene 2. Gobbo has come to visit his son Launcelot after not seeing him for a few years. Launcelot has been working...
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The Merchant of Venice
Shylock says this of Antonio in Act 1, Scene 3. Here are lines 38 - 43: I hate him for he is a Christian; But more, for that in low simplicity He lends out money gratis and brings down The rate...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act one, Scene 1, Antonio is introduced as a character who is suffering from severe depression. Antonio laments about his mood and mentions that he cannot sleep or think clearly. Antonio tells...
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The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice displays the racial and ethnic prejudices of its time. Those prejudices, however, both preceded Shakespeare's time, and succeeded it. Indeed, the...
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The Merchant of Venice
In the opening scene of the play, Antonio laments about his melancholy attitude and wonders why he has become so depressed lately. Salerio suggests that Antonio is worried about his merchant ships...
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The Merchant of Venice
Both stories turn on the importance of the exact text of a bizarre legal document, and both involve Portia. The Caskets In the casket story, the legal document is Portia's father's will, which...
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The Merchant of Venice
To help you better understand Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, here is a quick explanation of some of the basic aspects of the text: The basic plot of the play revolves around the characters...
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The Merchant of Venice
Portia is the intelligent, beautiful heroine of the play The Merchant of Venice. She is a wealthy heiress who lives in Belmont and is forced to obey her father's will by marrying the suitor who...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 2, Scene 3, Jessica is saying goodbye to Launcelot the clown, who is leaving his job as her father's servant to go and work for Bassanio. She says she will miss him, because his jokes...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act four, Scene 1, Portia is attempting to settle the dispute between Shylock and Antonio. After Shylock admits to the bond, Portia tells Shylock that he must be merciful. She demands that...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act three, Scene 4, Lorenzo praises Portia for being noble and understanding in regards to her husband's friendship with Antonio. Portia responds by saying that she never regrets doing a good...
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The Merchant of Venice
In the opening scene of the play, Antonio tells Salerio that he is very depressed, worried, and tired. Salerio comments that Antonio is feeling upset because his merchant ships are out on the...
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The Merchant of Venice
Events in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice ultimately become tragic for Shylock the father, Shylock the usurer, and Shylock the Jew. --Shylock the father Shylock's tragic losses, which are due...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Antonio and Bassanio seem to have opposite personalities: Bassanio appears to suffer from a dire lack of finances, while Antonio is a successful merchant....
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The Merchant of Venice
The conflict between Antonio and Shylock arises partly from religion and partly from economic causes. Antonio wants to borrow money from Shylock, who is employed as a moneylender. While he needs...
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The Merchant of Venice
Many wonder about the title, since Shylock stands out as the play’s most dynamic character. He is crafty and cruel but sympathetic due to the antisemitism with which he contends. Second to him is...
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The Merchant of Venice
It's difficult to say with definite certainty why Shakespeare chose the name The Merchant of Venice, but it's possible to guess with reasonable accuracy. In general, it's reasonable to assume that...
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The Merchant of Venice
Before answering this question, it's worth pointing out that The Merchant of Venice is not traditionally considered to be one of Shakespeare's tragedies; rather, it's often known as a "problem...
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio does not mention much about Jews or Shylock in scene 1, so one cannot ascertain his opinion here. However, his prejudice against Shylock is pertinently obvious in scene 3. He clearly does...
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The Merchant of Venice
As Act I Scene 2 opens, Portia sighs and in the lugubrious tones of melancholy tells her waiting woman Nerissa that she is weary of the world because she feels that her life is still controlled by...
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The Merchant of Venice
The link between the two stories arises as a result of the relationship that Bassanio has with characters in the two plot streams. The association is created when Bassanio, who is out of pocket,...
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The Merchant of Venice
Structurally, Jessica's romance with Lorenzo helps drive Shylock over the edge. When the play opens, Shylock already feels hard-done-by. After Jessica runs away with Lorenzo, Shylock takes yet...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act One, Scene 1, Salerio and Solanio are having a conversation with their depressed friend, Antonio. Antonio mentions that he doesn't know why he is in such a terrible mood and that he feels...
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Literature
In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio exhibits the characteristics of melancholia, intelligence, and confidence. In addition, he has the qualities of generosity, loyalty, and love. In Act I the first...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 3, Scene 3, Shylock stands in his doorway alongside Antonio, Solanio, and a Jailer. Antonio tries his best to reason with Shylock, but Shylock refuses to listen to him. Shylock insists that...
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The Merchant of Venice
Act 1, Scene 1 is the first time we see Antonio and Bassanio interact, and in this scene we also see several literary devices that show us they are very good friends. Antonio's first words are to...
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The Merchant of Venice
At the end of his Act III, Scene 1 speech in which he argues a Jew feels things just as a Christian does, Shylock tells Salarino he will treat the Christians by the example set for him. In fact,...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act I, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Antonio agrees to a preposterous proposal by the sneaky Shylock — that he pledge a pound of his own flesh as a guarantee if he can’t...