THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - SHAKESPEARE - PLAY - ESSAY - CLOZE ACTIVITYSTARTER, CULTURE.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, is a play about r…………, j………….., d……………and f……………………in the s...............century. Set in V.............. and B......................., the plot is about S……………, a wealthy Jew, lending one of his enemies, A…………….., three thousand ducats. Although A……………..is a rich m………………., all his resources are in his s……, trading to distant countries. Because A……………… wants to help out his friend B………………., he has no choice but to ask S……………for a loan. He overlooks the fact that it may lead to his d…………..

The play highlights the gap between C…………………..and J……………. Shylock the Jew seems fixated on m……….. and b………………. rather than human relationships. The C………………… characters seem to have different priorities….(CONTINUE WRITING, EXAMINING THE CONTRAST OF CULTURES IN THE PLAY…)

HERE ARE SOME EXTRACTS TO HELP YOU....

SHYLOCK: Few characters created by Shakespeare embody pure evil like the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. He is a malignant, vengeful character, consumed with venomous malice; a picture of callous, unmitigated villainy, deaf to every appeal of humanity. Shylock is the antagonist opposite the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist; who must defend himself against the "devil" Shylock.

ANTI-SEMETIC: Is The Merchant of Venice an Anti-Semitic Play? The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character who is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 when the audience realizes that Shylock has every right to be extremely angry with Antonio.

HATE AND LOVE: The Merchant of Venice is a play both about love and hate. Shakespeare illustrates the theme of hate most prominently through the prejudices of both Christians and Jews and their behaviour towards one another. The theme of love is shown amongst the Christians, in the love of friendship and marital love. The themes are emphasised in the settings of the play, Belmont symbolising love and Venice symbolising hate. As .well as this the immorality of various characters can be seen in their motives for love and hate

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PREJUDICE: William Shakespeare's satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, is an examination of hatred and greed. Prejudice is a dominant theme in The Merchant of Venice, most notably taking the form of anti-Semitism. Shylock is stereotypically described as "costumed in a recognizably Jewish way in a long gown of gabardine, probably black, with a red beard and/or wing like that of Judas, and a hooked putty nose or bottle nose.

PREJUDICE, Racism and Anti-Semitism in William Shakespeare’s play, "The Merchant of Venice" Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, there is a strong theme of prejudice. Portia has to deal with prejudice against her sex, the Prince of Morocco has to deal with prejudice against his race but the character that is most discriminated against is Shylock. He is hated for being a Jew and a money-lender, but Shakespeare has not made Shylock a character easy to sympathise with. He appears to be mean and cruel and it seems as though he loves money above all things.

DECEPTION: Appearances may be deceptive and it is the use of the outwardly deceptive three caskets from which Portia's husband will be decided which shows the danger of judging by appearances. This theme of deception is used throughout the play to mislead and confuse so things may not always be what they seem. Shakespeare uses deception to enhance the unfolding drama and involve his audience more fully in the play - the audience is party to deceptions which the characters themselves are unaware of.

GENDER: In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the scene opens to reveal a society controlled by men. Men, who live in the foreground of Venetian society, wield their power in business, government, and family life. In the background, women conduct their lives quietly. They are subservient to their husbands and fathers and are regarded as helpless and in need of male guidance in areas of decision making. Though in Shakespeare’s time such a societal structure was largely acceptable, the modern reader views the subjugation of women with aversion, and the ways in which Shakespeare presents the female characters in this play perhaps show that he too was not entirely comfortable with the unbalanced scale of power between men and women.

GENDER: The Effects of Cross-Dressing in The Merchant of Venice   Shakespeare challenges the assumption that men hold more power than women do. He subtly hints that the power men posses is superficial when Jessica dresses like a boy, and later when Nerissa and Portia disguise themselves as men. Masculinity is merely a costume that can be donned or doffed at will; therefore its associated power can be removed and redistributed as well. Shakespeare emphasizes gender barriers, yet also challenges them to show their inconsistencies.

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