William Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice

Nikki Vietz Ms. Seibel Honors English 12 1 May 2015 Was Shakespeare Prejudice? The premise of William Shakespeare comedy, The Merchant of Venice, is the hostile relationship between Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, and Antonio, a Christian trader. The two gentlemen have a deep history of hatred due to personal injuries and Antonio’s refusal to collect interest on loans. This hatred comes to a climax when Antonio’s friend, Bassanio wishes to borrow three thousands ducats from Antonio so he can travel to Belmont and win over the beautiful Portia. Lacking money to loan Bassanio, Antonio borrows the money from Shylock. Knowing that his ships will be arriving in port within three months, Antonio agrees to part with a pound of flesh if he fails to repay the loan within the three months. Throughout The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare shows his prejudices against Jews, women, and racial minorities. Many would argue that Shakespeare was not prejudice. He just wanted to make his plays more entertaining for the audience, so he purpos efully depicted people’s flaws through comedy. But, deep down Shakespeare was not prejudice. He saw everybody as equal. This is shown in the speech Shylock gave to Salerio: I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew/ eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions,/ senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food,/ hurt with the same weapon, subject to the same dis-/eases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled/ by the same winter and summer, as aShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice Essay1624 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeare s comedy The Merchant of Venice uses contrasting religions to draw out major themes through the ethnic divides that are exemplified. The play expresses the extreme cultural divide between the Jews and Christians through a legal contract between two men. The rivalry between the two men, Shylock and Antonio is clear from the beginning of the play and only intensifies as it continues on. Modern day readers most likely take away a s lightly different message from the play than whatRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1320 Words   |  6 Pagesghetto, and were treated as inferior to the rest of the city. William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice exhibits the prejudicial attitudes of his era. Antonio, a Christian merchant, makes a deal with Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock uses it as an opportunity to exact revenge by demanding a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he does not meet his end of the bargain. By pitting the majority of his characters against Shylock, Shakespeare portrays Shylock in a way that discriminates against all JewsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice2269 Words   |  10 PagesSamantha Hansen ENG 314 Brother Brugger 12.15.14 The Question of Shylock It is hard to read The Merchant of Venice without finding at least one character to sympathize with. The unforgettable villain Shylock as well as Portia, Shakespeare’s first and one of his most famous heroines are arguably some of this plays most beloved characters. But, is Shylock really the villain? Or is he a victim of circumstance? Shylock’s insistence for a pound of flesh has made him one of literatures most memorableRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1970 Words   |  8 Pagesthe titles are reflective of the protagonists featured within. For example, the famous titles of Julius Caesar and Hamlet tell the tragedies of those respective characters. However, when it comes to William Shakespeare’s fourteenth play, The Merchant of Venice, it can be argued that Antonio, the merchant, is not who the play is about. In fact, there is not just one character, but instead multiple that fit the description of the protagonist. The main plot, or rather p lots, of the play revolve aroundRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1315 Words   |  6 PagesIn The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare the play is based upon the hierarchy between Christian men and Jewish men. A character by the name of Bassanio borrows money from his friend Antonio, and Antonio borrows the money from Shylock to give to Bassanio. Eventually, Antonio cannot pay the money back because his ships have supposedly sunk. Therefore, he comes close to death because he signed a bond with Shylock stating that Shylock would get a pound of his flesh if the bond was not repaidRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1532 Words   |  7 Pagesuseless dialogue can make readers skip over what seems like a false beginning to a good story. But think about this: what if those seemingly lengthy, extra, useless words were actually important? For example, the opening 115 lines of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice are provide minimal support to the story at first glance. In these lines, Antonio and his friends are discussing the dynamics of happiness and sadness in order to find the root of Antonio’s sad mood. This portion of the play givesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Merchant Of Venice988 Words   |  4 PagesAs I finished reading Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, I realized that the struggle of the play gyrates around whether justice is truly served and is morality advocated or manipulated by those in authority. The struggle between the principles of justice have caused many readers to question the interaction between the definition of morality and justice. The bond that causes readers to take a closer look throughout the play originates from Shylock’s desire for vengeance and Antonio’s desireRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1532 Words   |  7 Pagesfundamentalist Americans. The ills of money-lending from the Eastern perspective have been fodder for Western literature for centuries, replete with illustrations that mirror the differences and similarities in East-West cultural norms. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, money-lending has gone awry. In Act I, Scene iii, the Italian Antonio seeks to borrow 3,000 ducats from the Jewish Shylock, and Shylock intends to charge him interest, which is against Jewish economic-religious principles (BateRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice Essay1275 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is so alike to our financially afflicted world. The rules of law and commerce are subject to deceptive manipulation, fear of the other overwhelms respect for a common humanity, duplicity is the norm, sexuality is a vehicle for ambition, and money drives and wraps almost every action. It is a classic tale that includes important details of the financial crisis in the Unit ed States during 2007-2009. Shakespeare’s Venice, like the New York of his time - and theRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice2059 Words   |  9 Pagesin The Merchant of Venice resembles a folktale known as â€Å"A Pound of Flesh† (325). Artese supports his supposition with background context and parallels between the two story lines. Literary versions of the pound of flesh story circulated during the sixteenth century and were collected since the nineteenth century because of the plot’s longevity and populairity Shakespeare would have been familiar with pound of flesh stories (326). Human commodification is a central issue in both The Merchant of Venice

Socrates Is A Good Person - 1240 Words

In an effort to spread the word of Socrates to a larger audience, Plato often wrote down the discussions he held in the form of dialogues. In these dialogues, Socrates continuously makes an effort to define that which is not easily defined and addresses questions in which the solution is not always straight forward. Reading through Plato’s dialogues, such as, Euthyphro, Crito and The Apology, readers can ponder the claims Socrates makes and receive a particular insight into his point of view. It is known that Socrates is sentenced to death after being charged with corrupting the youth and denying the existence of the gods, as he presents his defense in The Apology. However, the debate as to whether or not Socrates is a â€Å"good person† is left up to interpretation as he never clearly states that he believes himself to be one. Nevertheless, his actions reflect that he is indeed a good person because of his constant pursuit of the complete truth in all matters, his life style choices and unconcern for material objects and lastly his lack of fear in the certain face of death. In Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates’ innate need to reach a certain â€Å"undisputed truth† or the most â€Å"accurate truth† is abundantly clear. In this dialogue, Socrates is summoned to court by Meletus on charges of impurity while Euthyphro must prosecute his own father who is charged with murdering a hired hand. However, the dialogue is quickly veered toward uncovering the complete definition of â€Å"piety†, as SocratesShow MoreRelatedPlato s Euthyphro And Apology893 Words   |  4 Pagescharacteristics of â€Å"being a good person†. This concept highlights the values of virtue and selflessness and at the same time juxtapose views on virtue while taking into account the different forms of rationality. In this paper, I will highlight how Plato uses his two dialogues to enforce his own opinion about the relationship between being wise a nd being a good person, and evaluate the inconsistencies within this claim. In Apology, Plato s representation of Socrates states as I thought and believedRead MoreSocrates s Argument On The Trial867 Words   |  4 Pages After the trial, Socrates was found guilty of his allegations and sentence to death. While waiting for his upcoming execution, he received a visit of his old faithful friend named Crito. Actually, Socrates friend had made an arrangement with other friends to help him escape from prison. Contrary to Crito’s suggestion, Socrates vetoed his friend proposal. Socrates on the other hand, provided several good and convincing reasons of not escaping prison by using law as a principal guide.Read More Morality Essay618 Words   |  3 Pages Plato Republic nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Socrates engages in conversations with people claiming to be experts, usual in ethical matters. By asking simple questions, Socrates gradually reveals that these people were in fact very confused and did not actually know anything about the matters about which they claimed to be an expert. Morality is the ethical matter that is brought up in Plato’s Republic. Socrates argues the response of Cephalus, Polemarchus and Thrasymachus on what morality isRead MoreSocrates Vs. Plato s Lysis1244 Words   |  5 Pagesthis kind of companionship, just as Socrates does in Plato’s Lysis. In this philosophical dialogue, Socrates and his peers debate potential theories concerning the reasons why people become friends with one another. Several theories are developed, but throughout the dialogue Socrates counters his own arguments in order to achieve further understanding of his inquiry. As they deliberate the true nature of friendship, Plato’s writing pa rallels his teacher, Socrates’ style because it ends in perplexityRead MoreInterview With Plato: . Question: What Important Questions1345 Words   |  6 Pagesis justice?† Socrates addresses this question both in terms of political communities and in terms of the individual person or soul. He does this to address the second and driving question of the dialogue: â€Å"is the just person happier than the unjust person?† or â€Å"what is the relation of justice to happiness?† Given the two central questions of the discussion, Plato’s philosophical concerns in the dialogue are ethical and political. In order to address these two questions, Socrates and his interlocutorsRead MoreWhat did it mean for a man in Ancient Greece to lead a good life, according to Platos’s four dialogs in the Trial and Death of Socrates?1010 Words   |  5 Pageslead a good life, according to Platos’s four dialogs in the Trial and Death of Socrates? In Ancient Greece, leading a good life is rather more complex than it is in today’s society. It is evidenced in Plato’s four dialogs in The Trial and Death of Socrates. Through the dialogues of Socrates we can learn that in Ancient Greece education, religion, society in general, law and values played a major role on a person’s way of living a good life. In the dialogues of The Trial and Death of Socrates, societyRead MoreThe Trial And Death Of Socrates1701 Words   |  7 PagesIn reading, The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates presents himself against â€Å"the majority† and endures prosecution for inventing new gods and not believing in old ones. Socrates lives a life that is opposite of much of the â€Å"the majority† ideals. â€Å"The majority† values goods, possessions, and uncontrollable attributes given to them by others such as a high reputation and honor. In addition, The Greek Philosopher was able to refuse the opportunity to es cape his death sentence while he had sons atRead MoreThe Apology: The Understanding of the Soul in Life and Death Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pagesbrief synopsis of each major theme, with an analysis and my opinion following, and ending with the question of Socrates own death. Firstly, Plato introduces the important concept that it is far worse for one to do wrong than to suffer wrongdoing. Socrates, refusing to be harmed by Meletus, believes that â€Å"it is not allowed that a good man be injured by a worse† (pg. 41). Despite Socrates impending death or banishment, he does not think that these are the worst possible situations and still goesRead MoreSocrates1099 Words   |  5 PagesSocrates the Greek Philosopher December 14, 2014 PHI/105 In the beautiful city of Athens, Greece, there was a philosopher Socrates, and his Socratic method, was laid on the groundwork for the Western systems of logic and philosophy. Socrates did believe that he didnt know anything, and It was because of this that the Oracle told Socrates that he was wise and that he should seek out the wise men to hear what they had to say. So Socrates began to travel to different parts of Greece to questionRead MoreMortality Is A Good Thing Or Is Immorality A Bad Thing? Essay1674 Words   |  7 Pagesis a good thing or is immorality a bad thing? Most of us do not realize that part of one of our issues of living a good life is doing the right thing. Aristotle talks about that each and one of us has their own lives to live and we make our own decisions. Mortality is more flexible and changing. What is right today can be wrong tomorrow and what was wrong yesterday can be right today. It is unavoidable that people will go against laws of society from time t o time. Some people will steal goods from

Bell v. Florida Free Essays

The defendant, Mr. Gary Paul Bell, was charged and convicted with the crime of attempted kidnapping. At the trial, his victim, through her testimonies, claimed that the defendant exhibited attempted kidnapping in two counts to wit: (1) When the victim was walking along the street during daytime, the defendant drove up to her and offered to give her a ride to her destination, twice; (2) When the defendant forced the victim to get into the van by grabbing her around the neck and holding a gun to her head[1]. We will write a custom essay sample on Bell v. Florida or any similar topic only for you Order Now The victim, who was able to break free from Mr. Bell, ran into traffic and tried to get the help of others in escaping the defendant. The defendant, on the other hand, remained standing nearby with his gun pointing towards his victim, threatening to shoot her. When the victim reached her house she called the police. The officer attending the case noted that the victim was in state of hysteria. The victim was found very upset and could not speak. Likewise, it was also noted that the victim was only made to give a statement after a series of attempts of making her relay the incident, which lasted for fifteen to twenty minutes[2]. The testimonies given by the victim and the attending officer were admitted in the court as evidence on the basis of hearsay rules and exceptions. The defendant, appeals on the court’s decision on his conviction on the basis of contrive or misrepresentation and that the testimony of the attending officer on the accounts of the crime of the victim should be excluded as hearsay. Issue: Â  The issue is whether the testimony given by the attending officer regarding the accounts of the victim on the crime of attempted kidnapping should be excluded as hearsay. [1]Cases Relating to Chapter 12, 747. How to cite Bell v. Florida, Papers