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Merchant of Venice: Human ConditionHuman condition: the positives or negatives or being human.Christian vs the individual: we come to different conclusions when faced with the same evidence, and we interpret it in different ways.Collective experience: it is easier to react in the same way as everyone else. The collective eases out conscience.Plato’s soul: reason decides what is real and what is fake. Spirit is basically your temper. Appetite is your carnal desires.Rational thinking: practical reason is the use of reason to decide how to act. Theoretical reason is the use of reason to decide what to follow. Bond:Shylock: owes Tubal Ducats.Antonio: owes Shylock Ducats, owes Portia his life, bonded by friendship to Bassanio.Bassanio: owes Antonio Ducats, owes Portia Antonio’s life, bonded by marriage to Portia, indebted by the ring plot, bonded by friendship to Antonio.Portia: bond to father’s will, bonded by marriage to Bassanio.Nerissa: bonded by marriage to Gratiano.Gratiano: bonded by marriage to Nerissa, indebted by the ring plot.Lorenzo: owes Portia for the sanctuary, bonded by marriage to Jessica.Jessica: bonded by father’s will, bonded by marriage to Lorenzo.Lancelot Gobbo: bonded by servitude to Shylock.Salerio and Solanio: bonded by friendshipContext:Written between 1596 and 1599 during Shakespeare’s High Comedies. Political life was dominated by Elizabeth I who symbolised the developing power of the early British Empire. His play was a response to Christopher Marlowe’s “The Jew of Malta”. Italy was a cultural centre into the Early Modern period; however, the location is more significant for the racial tensions that existed, brought about trade, and the cultural blending and mingling. Edward I taxed Jewish communities heavily and when they could no longer pay in 1290, they were accused of treason and expelled from the country. Some Jews were allowed into the country if they converted. Anti-Semitism: the prejudice, discrimination and hostility to Jewish people and practices, sometimes manifesting in the violence of a pogrom. Even in communities where Jewish people were tolerated, there still existed segregation, with Jewish people restricted to certain living areas and occupations, as well as wearing symbols on their clothes as identifiers. Pantalone: stock character of commedia dell’arte. He is an older, Venetian, upper class merchant. His biggest fear is being parted from his money.Structure: the play is a comedy turned tragedy by context. For Shakespeare’s contemporary audience, Shylock must be viewed as a comedic villain. In the 19th century, attitudes towards Shylock shifted, with productions starting to view tragedy in his treatment. Modern audiences now struggle with how to respond to this play. Productions have to find a balance between the tragedy of Shylock and the romantic comedy of Bassanio and Portia.Act 1: Antonio starts the play feeling sad. The other characters wonder if he is falling in love. Bassanio explains that he wishes to marry Portia. He asks Antonio to borrow money from him so that he can woo Portia. Nerissa explains how Portia's suitor will be chosen through the three baskets of gold, silver, and lead. Portia wishes that Bassanio chooses the right casket. Bassanio tries to borrow money from Shylock and that Antonio will pay him back. However, Shylock hates Antonio for a number of reasons. Shylock states that if Antonio fails to pay him back, he will take a pound of his flesh. Antonio agrees to the terms but Bassanio is uneasy about the contract.Act 2: Prince of Morocco swears on an oath to never speak to another woman about marriage if he chooses the wrong casket. Lancelot Gobbo thinks about abandoning Shylock. Lancelot's father does not recognise him and so Lancelot decides to play a trick on him. Lancelot is employed by Bassanio. Gratiano decides to travel with Bassanio to Belmont. Jessica plans to run away with Lorenzo. As Shylock is dining with Bassanio, Jessica cross-dresses and successfully escapes. Prince of Morocco decides to open the gold casket but it is the wrong casket and so he leaves, to Portia's delight. Prince of Aragon chooses the silver casket which is also the wrong casket and so he leaves as well.Act 3: Shylock becomes angered when he discovers that Jessica is gone with all of his money and jewels. There are reports that Antonio ships that sank and Shylock orders for his arrest. Bassanio chooses the lead casket and wins Portia as his wife. Portia gives herself and all her wealth to Bassanio. She hands him a ring saying its loss will mark the end of their love. Gratiano asks for permission to marry Nerissa. Bassanio reads Antonio's letters about his upcoming death. Salerio confirms that all of Antonio's ships are wrecked. Portia offers to cancel Antonio's debt and pay generous interest to Shylock. Antonio suspects that Shylock wants him dead because he has paid the debts of many of Shylock's clients. He feels that the Duke must uphold the law of Venice and so is resigned to death. Portia appoints Lorenzo as master of the house while she and Nerissa plan to disguise themselves as men and see their husbands. Lancelot feels that Jessica will be damned because she is a Jew's daughter even though she converted to Christianity.Act 4: The Duke sympathizes with Antonio and tells Shylock that he expects him to show mercy. Shylock refuses to give his reasons for wishing to harm Antonio, except that he hates him. Bassanio's offer of 6000 ducats is refused and Shylock demands the pound of flesh. Nerissa and Portia arrived disguised as lawyers’ clerk and doctor respectively. Shylock sharpens his knife on the sole of his shoe. Portia appeals unsuccessfully to Shylock to show mercy. Mercy and justice should go hand in hand, for mercy, not justice, will save us. Bassanio asks Portia to bend the law to save Antonio but she refuses as other legal cases would be affected. Antonio lovingly bids farewell to Bassanio, saying that he is glad to be spared of a life of poverty. Portia saves Antonio as blood is not mentioned in the bond, so Shylock must break the law if he sheds Antonio's. Portia does not allow Shylock to be repaid any money, only to take the pound of flesh at his peril. Antonio requests partial mercy for Shylock: he can keep half his wealth; Antonio will invest the rest. Portia refuses money as a reward but instead asks for Bassanio's ring. Antonio persuades him to part with the ring.Act 5: Lorenzo and Jessica lie in the night with music playing. Portia and Nerissa return. Bassanio returns with Antonio and Gratiano. Nerissa becomes angry at Gratiano for he has given away her ring. Portia and Bassanio also fight over their missing ring. Bassanio begs forgiveness, swearing to always be faithful. Portia mocks him. Antonio tries to help him. The rings are returned, but the teasing of Bassanio and Gratiano continues. Portia reveals the truth about her deceptions and tells Antonio that three of his ships have been saved. Lorenzo and Jessica learn that Shylock will leave all his possessions to them.Concepts:Religion: conflict between Christianity and Judaism. Christianity is rooted in Judaism but they split. Judaism does not believe that Jesus was a form of God as man. Jewish Faith emphasizes the covenant between God and man, achieve by following rules and laws from the Torah and participating in ethical behaviour. Deicide is the killing of a god. Christianity deicide refers to the responsibility for the death of Jesus. Both the Jews present at Jesus' death and the Jewish people collectively and for all time had committed the sin of deicide. The Christian church believed that interest should never be charged when one Christian loaned money to another Christian. Christian's were allowed to borrow money with interest from foreigners. Christian's could not lend at all because Christianity considers all men to be brothers.Usury: The generation of money through the act of usury is seen as a natural as it is a form of parthenogenesis (virgin reproduction). However, Shylock argues that ewes and rams are like monetary principles, lambs then become interest. Antonio is unable to argue with Shylock in these philosophical terms as he sees no difference between metal and coins. Verbal usury manifesting in puns and flattery. This differs from Antonio's meaningless eloquence and the other good Christians of Venice. Shylock is clever and poses a danger to all who don't listen to him carefully. Moral usury: They do something for nothing, placing the recipient into moral debt to the lender. Antonio attempts this with his bond, assuring that even as Bassanio marries, he will always be bound to Shylock. Yet Portia outdoes him through the conclusion of the ring plot and the saving of his ships. This form of usury is difficult to be freed from.Bond: Bonds unify the plot, thus making the play cyclic. The instruments of destruction, the bond, turns out to be the source of deliverance, sealed by Antonio who again offers himself as surety for the happiness of Bassanio.Mercifixion: the granting of mercy as a form or torture, execution and warning. These elements are more figurative. Shylock is mercified – while he is given his life, he is denied his religion, his wealth and his future means of making a living. He also loses his daughter, and consequently, his future family line. Trade: the rise of merchants posed a threat to the landed aristocracy’s privileges. One can see the tension between Portia and Antonio as emblematic of this, with Portia eventually saving the merchant from the dangers of the trade. Yet, Antonio made risk averse by spreading the danger across ships going to different ports.Hazard and fortune: characters have to hazard all in the pursuit of passion, with Morocco and Aragon metaphorically, and Antonio literally risking their lives. Prodigality: excessive or extravagant spending. Bassanio has not only spent his money, but now is in significant debt to Antonio and borrows further from Portia. Bassanio is the prodigal Christian. Any values Bassanio displays are diluted by the disregard for the consequences of his actions. Shylock sees this as a Christian failing, however, despite this behaviour, the prodigal is ultimately acceptable. It is the thrifty Shylock that is punished.Alienation and alterity: Shylock’s alterity is obvious in that he is spiritually, physically and emotionally separate from the majority. Most of his issues stem from his mistreatment as a result of his religion, and a traditional audience is constructed to view him as such immediately. Antonio's otherness is less obvious. He is depressed. And a queer reading presents him as other through his sexuality.Speech patterns: Shakespeare contrasts his characters with the jumps between poetry and prose and their use is generally associated with wealth and peasantry respectively. Gratiano is drunk so even though he is supposed to speak in poetry, he sometimes stuffs up and speaks too much.Belmont and Venice: Venice – men, reason, public, law. Belmont – women, emotion, private, mercy. This is supported by our introductions to Antonio and Portia. Both suffer from melancholy, Antonio's seemingly caused by weltschmerz, but Portia's is grounded in her private turmoil caused by her father's will. She is at her most lively and candid when not in the company of men, allowing her to show the true strength of her wits while dismissing potential suitors. But she is able to bridge the divide. She speaks for mercy but does not give it. She understands the power of law and the need to maintain to protect the patriarchal order.Antonio: Antonio is a representation of Jesus. Jesus sacrificed himself to save humanity. Jesus was both the Lamb of God and the Shepherd of humankind. Jesus kicked the money lenders out of the Temple of God. Venice = Temple of Law, Antonio gets rid of money lenders. If Antonio is a Christ figure, his character must be considered almost a caricature of a person. ?He represents a series of ideals and structures built to symbolise a figure of religious worship. He is no longer human, but allegory instead. Antonio's defeat of Shylock is no longer a personal defeat between individuals, but the collective victory of Christianity and the New Testament over Judaism and the Old Testament. Both Antonio and Jesus are willing to sacrifice something for the greater good of humanity. In a way, both Antonio and Shylock are trying to convert the other, Antonio physically and Shylock metaphorically as he wants a pound of flesh which draws similarities with the cutting and circumcision. Antonio representing Humanity - both good and bad. Even though he is considered to be a bad Christian he still tries to be like Christ, even though he is flawed. Antonio is a Christ figure who is represented by the sheep motif and Shylock is the wolf who wants to kill him. Antonio's weltschmerz is never truly resolved. He becomes increasingly melancholic, eventually very willing to submit to a death he has decided that he has deserved. He is aware that he is different and other characters attempts to cheer him up only furthers his melancholy. Antonio's melancholy is caused by his want to be with the Bassanio yet he cannot due to unreciprocal feelings, his depression, he has made Bassanio happy and now there is nothing more to his life, he has come to the realisation that he is a walking bank. His life revolves around money. He is now like a sheep, free to live until he dies, he has no control over his life without his money.Ambiguity and insecurity: Symbolism of the ship ensures the notion of men's basic uncertainty in a shifting reality. Every attempt of Antonio’s friends to discover the cause of his melancholy results in ambiguity. Antonio’s alienation from his friends experiences no progression. He ends up ultimately worse. His arc is deeply unsatisfying. Antonio does not fit in the world, despite his best efforts. Despite his personal dislocation, it is Shylock he excludes from the world.Shylock:Satan: He is seen as a Fallen Angel that seduces humans into sin. In Judaism, Satan is a metaphor for evil inclination. Shylock is repeatedly referred to as the devil. Even Jessica a refers to her father as hellish.Wolf: Antonio describes himself as “the tainted wether of the flock” and Shylock compares his body to “flesh of the mutton”, while calling himself a dog and a cur. Gratiano refers to Shylock as a hanging wolf.Verbal usury: the generation of an illegal supplement to verbal meaning by use of such methods as punning and flattery. As the Jew uses money to supplement principles, so he uses puns to exceed the principal meanings of words. When Shylock introduces the story of Jacob and Laban, he does so not to compare merchant and usurer, but to compare Christian and Jew. Shylock argues that in order to loan gratis, he must know the generation of each human which seems absurd. If the only way to know whether money is valid is to know its generation, then the only way to know the validity of man is to do the same. Shylock presents the idea that there is little difference between persons and purses, between Jews and ewes and use, and between the metal gold and gold coins.Human condition: Shakespeare shows us be true human condition through his characters actions. They are completely human. The good characters are not perfect and the bad characters have feelings and reasons for their actions. They do not always do what is expected of them: people can be unpredictable.Last comment from Antonio: if Antonio at the beginning of the play was a spiritual usurer who lend his body, he becomes at the end a user of money who lends his soul.Bassanio:Conformity: Bassanio is the archetypal Venetian who glides through life easily. He was the best example of humanity for an Elizabethan audience. Gobbo struggled against his conscience and the fiend repeated, as Antonio as Jesus and Shylock as the devil fight for the soul of Bassanio as humanity.Risky relations: Hazard is portrayed as the opposite of Shylock's usury and security, yet both produce their own interests. Bassanio embraces risk, having always benefited from taking the chance, established in 1.1.143-147.Casket plot: The casket plot follows the codes of games in myths and fairy tales. Three choices and three suitors, the last of which is always going to emerge the winner. Sense that Bassanio already has the blessing of Portia's father. The deja-vu story between Nerissa and Portia reinforces the rightness of this instant love. Choosing the wrong casket leads to a metaphorical death.Proud gold: Aggressively Christian play, Morocco’s deficiencies are established before he makes his choice, Portia dismisses him before the introduction. Morocco approaches the caskets considering both the inscription and the substance. He justifies his choice of gold through numismatic analogy, equating the angel found on English money to the angel he wants to catch.Greedy silver: Aragon is old and inept, not dissimilar to how England saw Spain in contrast to their own rising power. Aragon only considers the inscriptions and in choosing silver decides that his merits set him apart from other men. Yet he picks the “pale and common drudge ‘tween man and man”. His arrogance in assuming he deserves some more than others seals his fate. Yet unlike the black Muslim, the white Christian can propagate.Transformative lead: Bassanio triumphs because he does not read the words, but focuses on the spirit of the metals. He does not read, he interprets. Bassanio risks his future and Antonio's on the caskets. One common interpretation states that Bassanio does not risk anything as Portia helps him choose the right casket.Prior engagement: Bassanio and Portia are unable to consummate their marriage in Act 3, as Bassanio is caught between his martial bond to Portia and financial bond with Antonio. Portia cannot claim ownership over him until Antonio relinquishes his claim.Portia:Portia as Elizabeth I: Both stand as wealthy and powerful women in a society which lacked a place for them. If either marry it would lead to a ceding of power. However, unlike Elizabeth, Portia chooses to name Bassanio the lord of her mansion and master of her servants. But the ring plot re-establishes her power over him. If Portia is Elizabeth I, we can see Portia as a divinely appointed representative of God? Goddess of Belmont but she's actually representing a Christian God? Shakespeare is criticizing Elizabeth I for not having children and marrying and shows her what she should be doing through Portia's actions.Father’s will: Interest is a form of breeding. Lack of children equals death. Then Portia stands as the continuation of her father's life, and acts as a form of interest on her father's initial investment, his marriage. She is a gift to be given to another man, the ultimate gift to establish and male bond. He symbolically locks her portrait up in the lead casket and in doing so lock her up - the cause of her initial melancholy. She is initially dead, only marriage returns her life to her. The casket is a psychological test.Women and alterity: Women and Jews can be seen as symbolic of absolute otherness. Both are associated with the flesh, not the spirit and with impulses toward sexuality. Shylock juxtaposes Portia’s experience. Her disguise suggests that it is possible for all “others” to conform in public, with the private realm serving to satisfy their emotional needs. Women were seen as failed men; they had not developed properly. However, Portia has power to lose in this society. Ceding power and challenges to the patriarchy. She uses her position of weakness to gain greater power over Bassanio, and eventually everyone is bonded to her in some way.Quality of MercyPortia is genuine and wants to convert Shylock through mercy. Portia, as a representative of God’s will believes that everyone has mercy within. Through her persuasive plea, she teaches Antonio how to be a good Christian.Portia believes in mercy, but does not show any herself. Another exposure of Christian hypocrisy, Portia shows no mercy herself, leaving it up to the state, which uses mercy as a form of torture against the aberrant voice of Shylock.Portia begins with mercy but learns cruelty from Shylock. Portia's words are remarkable not for their power but their lack of impact, they fall on deaf ears. Portia learns from Shylock that the art of winning isn't in human acts but by brutally sticking to the deadly letter.Portia is trying to highlight the savagery of Shylock in comparison to the good Christian. She seeks to show that Shylock is nothing more than the wolf that he has been called by others. It provides a veil for the cruelty then meted out by the state under the name of mercy.Portia sacrifices the dangerous individual to protect the collective. She navigates the worlds of Belmont and Venice. If the duke breaks the bond then all bonds can be broken and the very nature of Venice economy will collapse. Ring Plot:Allows Portia to reassert dominance. Also binds Antonio to the union of Bassanio and Portia. Symbolic remarriage by the person who had once challenged Portia’s ability to love less than his own, removes the last threat to the happiness of the two lovers. Bassanio, losing her ring would result in his childless death. By giving the rings back, they are saying that the bond is more important than other bonds. Portia as Protagonist:Almost everything hinges on her involvement and judgement. She understands the limitations placed on her gender, and she is able to exploit these expectations around it to manipulate events to her advantage.Quotes:Antonio: “I neither lend nor borrow / By taking nor of giving excess”If Antonio fails to repay his debt, he must give Shylock: … an equal pound / Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken / In what part of your body pleaseth me.SHYLOCK: “You call me a misbeliever, cut-throat dog, / And spit upon my Jewish gabardine”SHYLOCK: “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 of usance here with us in Venice.”ANTONIO: Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams?SHYLOCK: I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast.Antonio to Bassanio: “And out of doubt you do me now more wrong / In making a question of my uttermost / Than if you had made waste of all I have.”ANTONIO: “The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, / Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood”“Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.” / Must give what? For lead – hazard for lead? / This casket threatens; men that hazard all / Do it in the hope of fair advantage.“In sooth, I know not why I am so sad: / It wearies me; you say it wearies you; / But how I caught it, found it, or came by it, / What stuff ‘tis made of, whereof it is born, / I am to learn; / And such a want-wit sadness makes of me, / That I have much ado to know myself.”Antonio: He seeks to know “what stud ‘tis made of, whereof it is born.” He describes his onset of sadness and wonders how he “caught it, found it, or came by it.”SHYLOCK: “Yes, to smell the pork, to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.”“Nerissa, cheer yon stranger; bid her welcome. / Your hand, Salerio: what’s the news from Venice? / How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio? / I know he will be glad of our success; / We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.”GRATIANO: “O, be thou damn’d, inexecrable dog! / And for thy life let justice be accused. / Thou almost makest me waver in my faith / To hold opinion with Pythagoras, / That soulds of animals infuse themselves / Into the trunks of men: thy currish spirit / Govern’d a wolf, who, hang’d for human slaughter,”JESSICA: “Our house is hell”.SHYLOCK: “If you prick us do we not bleed?” ANTONIO: “I hold the world but as the world Gratiano; / A stage where eveyr man must play a part, / And mine a sad one.”PORTIA: “But when this ring / Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence: / O, then be bold to say Bassanio’s dead!”GRATIANO: “Well, while I live I’ll fear no other thing / So sore as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring.”SHYLOCK: “O, my ducats! O, my daughter!”SHYLOCK: “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes?”PORTIA: “This house, these servants, and this same myself, / Are yours my lord’s. I give them with this ring.”BASSANIO: “To you, Antonio, / I owe the most in money and in love.”SHYLOCK: “I’ll have my bond”SHYLOCK: “I do never use it”PORTIA: “The will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father”Related Texts:Saint Judas:Judas is significantly responsible for the crucifixion. He agreed to lead the chief priests to Jesus and identify him with a kiss on the cheek. All the disciples with the exception of Judas were each canonised (made saints) in the Catholic religion.Half Shakespearean sonnet, half Petrarchan sonnet. Combination of forms demonstrates a clear journey between perspectives as the protagonist experiences the spiritual and transformative consequences of his betrayal.Desiree’s Baby:Set in the antebellum period, where slavery was not only acceptable but seen as an ordained right of wealthy men. Parallels and foils highlight the hypocrisy at the heart of Creole society. Racial definition can be individually escaped through love, but this is not reflected in Armand’s own actions.Armand (darkness) – his estate is a place of terror. However, his darkness is not racial, rather his and society’s cruelness. Desiree (whiteness) – white clothing with her hair a “golden gleam”. All African Americans are described as yellow. It is the colour of Armand’s estate. Truth is revealed in shifting modulations and tones of colour.Desiree is initially nameless because she was abandoned. She then becomes a reflection of the desire of others. Armand owns her by giving her a name. women were rendered nameless through marriage and slaves would be deprived of their name by their masters.Armand’s initial passion is described with violent imagery. Desiree is associated with providence twice. By casting her out, he also casts God from his house. Armand becomes the earthly representation of the devil.Arguments:Alterity in religion:Shylock is spiritually, physically and emotionally separate from the majorityHis isolation is due to the neglect he faced as a result of his religion in Venetian society“If you prick us do we not bleed?” – he is human just like everyone else, but Venetians refuse to accept thisHe is referred to as “the devil” or “dog” or even just “Jew”He is later isolated from both society and his religion as he is forced to turn to Christianity“I hate him for he is a Christian”The play was first a comedy, showing Shylock as the villain but modern audiences view Shylock as a victimGood vs evil:Shylock is presented as the evil; however, Shakespeare gives him a voice (in poetry), and presents him in this evil fashion on purpose to show what effects racism has on societyThe good characters are not perfect and the bad characters have reasons for their actions e.g. Shylock is sick of his tormentThey do not always do what is expected of them, people can be unpredictableHuman experience:Shylock is more societally isolated (collective human experience)Antonio isolates himself (individual human experience)Antonio best represents the human experience. Even though he is accepted in society, he individually feels like he does not belong. He isolates himself which many other people do. Whereas, even though Shylock is isolated by the community, this is just his individual experience, rather than something many people face.Mercy:Portia, as a representative of God’s will believes that everyone has mercy within. Through her persuasive plea, she teaches Antonio how to be a good ChristianHowever, Portia shows no mercy herself, leaving it up to the state, which uses mercy as a form of torture against the aberrant voice of ShylockPortia is generally seen as very manipulative, especially during the ring plot in which she coordinates to reassert her dominance over every other character in the playEvery person is in debt to her by the end of the play. Bassanio through the ring plot and by saving Antonio. Antonio by saving his life. Shylock by technically saving him. Jessica and Lorenzo by getting money for them etc.She is the ideal version of humanity as she shows complexity which is valued in modern societyArchetypal Venetian:Bassanio glides through life easily, relying on the wealth and support of his friends, “To you, Antonio, / I owe the most in money and in love.”He shows no flaws other than his spending habits.Though this made him human during the Elizabethan era, it does not make him human in modern society. We want character flaws.Modern audiences find Bassanio quite plain in nature and finds value in the characters that have the ability to manipulate himMercy:Christian prejudice leads to a destruction in justiceChristians are allowed to seek revenge but still expect mercy from the JewsJews were expected to honour Christian values and uphold the glory of mercyPortia uses mercy against ShylockAntonio uses mercifixion to punish ShylockHuman beings should be merciful because God is merciful (promoting Christianity where God forgives, instead of Judaism where God punishes harshly)“The quality of mercy is not strained”“This bond doth not give thee a jot of blood” – deus ex machina (a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly solved) used to show that the Christian way always succeeds (promoting Christianity)“Give me my principle and let me go”“I’ll have my bond” – repetition shows Shylock’s mercilessness Paradoxes:Hypocrisy of human natureAntonio is the good Christian but he taunts Shylock constantlyDespite Portia’s wealth and status, she is unable to act on itPortia speaks of mercy but does not give itShylock wants a terrible revenge, but he wants it for an understandable reason“The will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father” – Portia described metonymically as a juxtaposition between quote. Irony.“You call me a misbeliever, cut-throat dog”“a certain loathing I bear Antonio”Relationships:Money over physical relationships – seen with both Bassanio and ShylockBassanio’s relationship with Antonio is strictly business, and he originally wants Portia for her moneyHowever, Shylock places revenge over greedAntonio values human relationships over business as the good ChristianWhile Christians may talk more about love, they are not always consistent in how they display it“O, my ducats! O, my daughter!” – symbolically values money over love by placing money first“To you, Antonio, / I owe the most in money and in love.” – symbolically values money over love by placing money first“By something showing a more swelling port”Prejudice:One’s identity comes from their ability to identify with a larger group and treat outsiders with mistrustShylock’s monologue compares the similarities between Christians and Jews but contrasts the realities for those groupsPrejudice leads to a desire for revenge which can consume an individual’s identityShylock’s mistreatment stems from the Elizabethan association that Jewish people were corrupting influence on the community“I am a Jew. Hath a Jew not eyes?” – Truncated sentences used to show similarities. Written in prose to isolate him.“I hate him for he is a Christian”“If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.” – juxtaposition“I do never use it” – verbal usury used as a defence mechanism to show that he is just as intelligent, if not more so than the Christian and therefore deserves to be treated with respect.Women as a minority:Despite Portia’s wealth and status, she is unable to act on itPortia must hide her intelligence in order to not be mocked by men/to make sure her manipulation works. Bassanio’s inability to recognise her in disguise symbolically shows his inability to recognise her intelligencePortia described metonymically as a juxtaposition between “the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father” which is ironic“This house, these servants, and this same myself / Are yours my lord’s. I give them with this ring” – Symbolism of the ring as loyalty, Portia gives him more than he can possible return which binds Bassanio to herThesis:Humanity is reflected through time as a response to changing societal values.At a basic level, all human experience is the same, but interactions with religion make individual human experiences.Being a part of the collective eases the conscience of the individual and the decision they have to make.Humanity seeks to control through manipulative nature.Religion can cloud an individual’s ethical judgementThe individual experience is based on the actions and beliefs of the collective ................
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