Stephano and Trinculo are also representative of colonizers in The Tempest. In Act 2 Scene 2, Stephano and Trinculo are wandering around the island with Caliban. Though differently than Prospero, Stephano still attempts to reform Caliban—but through alcohol rather than English. Stephano tells Caliban to “Come, kiss” in reference to his drink (134. 2. 2.). This gesture could be seen as one to subdue and domesticate Caliban by lowering his inhibitions and making him more susceptible to Stephano’s conquest.
Throughout the play he is criticized and abused because of his religion and his business practices. He was mostly insulted and abused in the Rialto by Antonio when he called him a “misbeliever, cutthroat dog, and spat upon his Jewish gabardine” (Act 1 scene 3; line 21-22). This is one of many quotes that support the fact that Shylock is the victim in the play, since he was tormented and verbally abused by Antonio for being a Jew. Furthermore, it informs the reader that Jews at that time were treated with disrespect. Another quote that shows Shylock being treated poorly was when Solanio said “Let me say amen betimes, lest the devil cross my prayer, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.”
Regardless of their invalidity, however, simply the belief that these divisions are warranted is enough to render them truth, having a lasting impact of the health of a society and the individuals within it. In his work Othello, Shakespeare explores this concept—focusing on the city of Venice and the prejudices against the Moor. By the end of the
Prince Hamlet has gone missing. While on his way to England, Hamlet’s ship was ambushed by blood thirsty pirates. All of the crew members have been killed. However there is no sign of Prince Hamlet. Has the pirates taken him with them, did they throw him out to the cold unforgiving sea?
With the laws of Venice miles behind them, the characters of Othello seem to have entered a Hobbesian state of nature where anything is permissible so long as it furthers the individual interest. Indeed, upon arriving in Cyprus, the majority of the characters have lives that are “poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes 76). Othello is the perfect illustration of the dangers of rhetoric. Iago exemplified the type of rhetoric that made the Greek demagogues threatening.
People in the modern world do similar thing to what Iago did to Othello and Cassio. Those People try to ruin the other people’s image in front of their family and society because either those people are jealous of other people’s success or maybe those people lived a bad life and they take out their frustration on other people. These days’ people don’t just let other people live a peaceful life because they didn’t have a good life so how can they let other live a good life. Ideally, the time hasn’t changes since the Shakespeare’s time because even in the modern world people still hate other people and be jealous of their successful lives. People like Iago still exists even in the modern
Many of the things he does are things that no rational human would think of doing, and this trait can be seen in later Shakespearian tragedies, such as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is Jewish and ends up being a barbarous character who should not be trusted, showing that Shakespeare’s racism is not only attributed to Moors, but across the races. However, using Marxist criticism, it can be seen that these types of racist thoughts were not so uncommon in sixteenth century England. They were actually the common thought, especially as the slave trade was starting to really pick up at that time. Moors especially were discriminated against, which is clearly seen in Titus Andronicus as well as in Othello, where Othello is constantly struggling against racism.
One of the few main characters in the play is a Muslim, whose job is to make peace between Venice and the Turks. Many beliefs of Elizabethan England and Venice are seen throughout Othello. They are all myths that lead to the eventual tragedy within Shakespeare’s play.
To what extent is Shylock portrayed as a villain in Act 1 Scene 3? In the play Merchant of Venice, Shylock in Elizabethan times portrayed as a stereotypical comical villain with a orange beard, wig and a Jewish man who is only worried about money. However over time, the word villain has a different meaning to the modern audience, and Shylock is portrayed in a more positive and sympathetic settings as the divide between the two religions: Christians and Jews, has become smaller. Act three Scene one starts when Shylock enters and Bassanio is following him trying to make him agree and grant the loan. The repetition of the statement “well, for three months, well” makes Bassanio desperate and then he lists three questions at once, “may you stead me?
This made them less anti-semitic than other countries at the time, even if they still treated Jews poorly. In is unknown whether Shakespeare visited Venice or the Ghetto before he wrote and published The Merchant of Venice, but he must have heard of it (Worrall). The relationship between Shylock and the other characters could be based on an understanding of the new social system created by the
When Shylock is first introduced, his first words are “Three thousand ducats; well” (1.3.326). First impressions are everything, and the first impression the audience receives of Shylock is that he is money driven. The Elizabethan audience would have recognized Shylock as a Jew immediately because of the red hat that was required to be worn by all Jews. As Shylock’s introductory scene continues, we learn that he has been called names for his religious beliefs and been spat upon by Antonio because he is Jewish (1.3.438-39). Antonio responds to these accusations by admitting to them, and even acknowledging that he will likely do those things again because of Shylock’s religion (1.3.456-57).
Challenging society’s accepted views has never been easy. Fighting against the status quo for what you believe in will always be met with hardship. Even so, the smallest effort to make your opinion known is always worth consideration, no matter the strife. This is highly apparent in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, where although it showcases many views and beliefs of its conservative time, its main characters and crux of the story direct towards a modern outlook, especially regarding its depictions of gender and religion. This is because Shakespeare describes his views that religions other than Christianity are tolerable and that intelligent and clever women should be respected, even though nearly every playgoer at the time believed otherwise.
In the story, “The Merchant of Venice,” there is a character named Shylock. Shylock is a Jewish citizen who lives in Venice, a place where Jewish people are one of the lowest class of citizens. This piece by Shakespeare creates this controversial character that can be viewed as a villain or victim. In this play, through the archetypal lense, we can see that Shylock is a villain because of his hatred and his desire for revenge. Some people may see Shylock as a victim because during the time period in which the story is wrote, jewish people were treated like animals and given nearly no rights or role in society.
‘The Merchant of Venice’ written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and ‘The Jew of Malta’ written by Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) were both written during a period when anti-semitism was prevalent in England. Anti Semitism is the intense dislike for and prejudice against Jewish people. The Jews were considered a despised race and were deeply resented by the Christians. They bore the plaque of disgrace and hostility. As a Jew, Shylock too faced such discrimination.
Role of women in The Merchant of Venice Women during 16th century had no individual freedom. Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. Women were considered the weaker gender and always in need of being protected. Wealthy woman were highly educated but they had no right to have professions while poor women sometimes would turn to prostitution or become servants to survive. The book The Merchant of Venice was settled in Venice because Shakespeare wanted to show that even in the foundation place of Renaissance were prejudicial ideas and woman was considered as a weak character.
