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Shylock and Portia (1835) by Thomas Sully. Many modern readers and audiences have read the play as a plea for tolerance, with Shylock as a sympathetic character. Shylock's trial at the end of the play is a mockery of justice, with Portia acting as a judge when she has no real right to do so.
The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598.A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, with seemingly inevitable fatal consequences.
Antonio's character is emblematic of the themes present in the play, including the complexities of friendship, the consequences of prejudice, and the interplay between love and sacrifice. His interactions with other characters, particularly Shylock and Portia, contribute to the multifaceted layers of the narrative, making Antonio a significant ...
In act 2, scene 5, however, Gobbo is intercepted by Shylock, who berates him for his change of allegiance. Gobbo seizes on Shylock's repeated mentions of Jessica's name as a pretense to call her. When she arrives, Shylock gives her the keys to his house and the responsibility of keeping it safe while he dines with Antonio and Bassanio.
Shylock is insistent that the bond be held true while the Duke and other characters argue on behalf of Antonio. Bassanio steps in to confront Shylock and offers to pay the sum that is owed or even pay more if that is what Shylock wishes. Shylock refuses, and that is when Portia, disguised as a lawyer, begins to argue the case.
The story even includes a pun about a sparrow, which served as a euphemism for female genitals. The story, which predates the Grimms' by nearly two centuries, actually uses the phrase "the sauce of Love." The Grimms didn't just shy away from the feminine details of sex, their telling of the stories repeatedly highlight violent acts against women.
In this play, Shylock is a good man and the good friend of Antonio, the title character in Shakespeare's play. [10] They bond in their love of knowledge and mutual dislike of the antisemitism in their community. [11] [12] Shylock's demand for a pound of flesh is meant as a jest, but he cannot retract it. Both Shylock and Antonio are relieved ...
Shakespeare wrote tragedies because their productions were financially successful, but he returned to comedy towards the end of his career, mixing it with tragic and mystical elements. Shakespeare's late romances were also influenced by the development of tragicomedy and the extreme elaboration of the courtly masque as staged by Ben Jonson and ...