no works cited length: 862 words 2.5 double spaced pages rating: yellow price: $12.95 in this essay i will try to discover is shylock a villain or a victim, in the william shakespeare play the merchant of venice it is difficult to say if shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most jews were at that time, but shakespeare has purposely portrayed shylock as a stereotypical jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Even when shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first words are three thousand ducats, act 1, scene 3. Shylock lends antonio a sum of money, that antonio intends to pay back when his merchant ships arrive in venice, one month before the debt would be forfeited. When bassanio arranges the sum of money, shylock befriends him, only to stand aside and utter to him self, i hate him for he is a christian. Ctim of his religion, and a victim of his greed and overwhelming need for revenge.

Shylock is definitely the most villainous character in the play, and only a few elements can show him as a victim overall, even then, his victimisation only seems to be a consequence of his own actions. The final conclusion must be that shylock is unreasonable, spiteful, heinous, greedy and a villain. to view the full essay now, purchase below merchant of venice literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of merchant of venice. As a playwright, william shakespeare has few, if indeed any, colleagues of equal renown.

He skillfully created works of incredible diversity some tragic, others historical, and yet others comedic. The daughters of elizabethan england were predominantly subject to their father's wishes. This is particularly evident in terms of the main female character, portia, who must obey her father even after his death: shakespeareãââs a midsummer nightãââs dream is a play that reveals its scaffolding. Behavior and motive are explained for comic consistency and unity, almost as if the playwright did not trust our capacity to intuit them.

In william shakespeare's the merchant of venice it is important to notice that the title is not the tragedy of the merchant of venice, but rather, just the merchant of venice. Throughout the span of the comedies, shakespeare allows his female characters to establish a greater amount of independence and freedom than they would have actually been allowed for the time period. Home » essay topics and quotations » the merchant of venice thesis statements and important quotes below you will find five outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for the merchant of venice by william shakespeare that can be used as essay starters. All five incorporate at least one of the themes found in merchant of venice and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements for the merchant of venice by william shakespeare offer a short summary of different elements that could be important in an essay but you are free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Shylock click for an in depth character analysis of shylock is portrayed as a greedy character in the merchant of venice, but the pound of flesh must represent something more symbolic, as it obviously does not have the equivalent value of money.

At the hearing before the court, shylock says it is my humour in response to the question why he wants a pound of flesh, yet his persistence and insistence are so intense that it is clear that the debt owed to him is more symbolic than money. In building your argument about what that debt is, and what its payment represents, look to shylock’s experiences and words for clues as to his underlying motives. thesis statement / essay topic 2: the role of the law in society in shakespeare's merchant of venice one of the goals of law is to maintain social order by applying a set of standards to be followed by all citizens of a society. Yet, laws often have unintentional loopholes, for they are limited by the fact that they cannot anticipate all possible violations of the behaviors they seek to prevent.

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The interpretation of the law during the court hearing is a clever one, and shylock is not only prevented from exacting the pound of flesh, but he is also forced to strike a deal according to the terms of which he must convert to christianity and surrender his fortunes. Develop an argumentative essay on the merchant of venice in which you defend this decision or contest it. Be certain to note the differences between justice and fairness as legal and moral concepts. thesis statement / essay topic 3: the roles of women in the merchant of venice women of the late 16 th century were not exactly paragons of social empowerment, yet two of the women in the merchant of venice play significant roles in the fates of all characters. Portia and nerissa cleverly disguise themselves as an esteemed lawyer and clerk, respectively, and interpret the law in such a way that antonio and bassanio are let off the hook, while shylock is forced into a position of utter humiliation. Analyze the roles of these women, and indicate what factors made it possible for them to influence the outcome of the play as they did. For a shorter essay on the role of women in the merchant of venice do a character analysis of portia or nerissa in terms of their status as women.

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thesis statement / essay topic 4: shakespeare’s evocation of the reader’s sympathy in the merchant of venice shylock is a man who is despised by many, and he certainly has moments of extreme irrationality and inflexible insistence that make him a rather unappealing and even deplorable character. Yet, there are many moments in which shakespeare prevails upon the reader to consider the multidimensionality of this most complex character. Analyze those passages in which shylock demonstrates his humanity and his emotional vulnerability, and offer a persuasive argument as to whether the reader should sympathize with shylock. thesis statement/essay topic 5: religious lessons in the merchant of venice clearly, religious issues are of central importance in the merchant of venice they are the foundation from which the primary conflict emerges, and they serve as the plot propellants. The religious issues are not limited to the conflict between the jewish shylock and the other christian characters, however.

Consider what religious and spiritual lessons shakespeare conveys by examining some of these sub elements of the plot, focusing especially on the messages that appear on the caskets. for academic essays / articles on merchant of venice, visit the literature archives at article myriad or click here for a comparison of othello and merchant of venice. The archives here have several other essays / articles on shakespeare's works this list of important quotations from the merchant of venice will help you work with the essay topics and thesis statements above by allowing you to support your claims.

All of the important quotes from merchant of venice listed here correspond, at least in some way, to the paper topics above and by themselves can give you great ideas for an essay by offering quotes about other themes, symbols, imagery, and motifs than those already mentioned. Look at the bottom of the page to identify which edition of the merchant of venice by william shakespeare they are referring to. to you, antonio,/ i owe the most, in money and in love /and from your love i have a warranty/to unburden all my plots and purposes/how to get clear of all the debts i owe. 6 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. 14 signior antonio, many a time and oft…/you have rated me/about my moneys and my have i borne it with a patient shurg,/for sufferenace is the badge of all our tribe./you call me misbeliever, cut throat dog,/and spit upon my jewish gaberdine,/and all for use of that which is mine own. 16 17 go with me to a notary, seal me there/your single bond and, in a merry sport,/if you repay me not on such a day,/in such a place, such sum or sums as are/express’d in the condition, let the forfeit/be nominated for an equal pound/of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken/in what part of your body pleaseth me.

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17 18 all that glisters is not gold /often have you heard that a man his life hath sold/but my outside to tombs do worms infold./had you been as wise as bold,/young in limbs, in judgment old,/your answer had not been inscroll’d./fare you well, your suit is cold. 37 hath not a jew eyes? hath not a jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a christian is? if you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? act i, scene i, ll. 45 if you wrong us,/shall we not revenge?/if we are like you in the rest,/we will resemble you in that. If a jew wrong a/christian, what is his humility? revenge!/if a christian wrong a jew, what should his sufferance/ be by christian example? why, revenge! the villainy you teach me i will execute, and it shall go hard but i will better the instruction. 45 i never did repent for doing good,/nor shall not now: for in companions/that do converse and waste the time together,/whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love,/there must be needs a like proportion/of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit….if it be so,/how little is the cost i have bestow’d/in purchasing the semblance of my soul…. 59 yes… the sins of the father are/ to be laid upon the children therefore, i promise/you, i fear you. 61 you’ll ask me, why i rather choose to have/a weight of carrion flesh than to receive/three thousand ducats.

The major themes of the merchant of venice are idealism and reality, and mercy. One should mention that the merchant of venice is partly structured on the significant contrast between realistic and idealistic viewpoints regarding relationships and society. On the one hand, this literature masterpiece tells the readers that love is more important than funds, love lasts for good and mercy is above revenge. Still, on the other hand, if you listen to more cynical voices from the the merchant of venice pages, you will hear that in real world money rules the world, love easily evaporates and mercy alone cannot preside over our lives.

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It is highly important to mention that the play abruptly switches between all the attitudes mentioned above. William shakespeare in the most talented manner orders the shifts between realism and idealism through accurate associating the two story concepts with the two main locations of the merchant of venice play. In the merchant of venice literature masterpiece this city is shown as a place of usurers, merchants and cynical young ladies. In contrast to venice, belmont is the city where the true romance is born and fairytales become realities. What about mercy? the play written by william shakespeare begs the simple question – does the mercy really exist in our everyday life? between personal revenge and religious intolerance, the merchant of venice work seems devoid of a merciful being. Nonetheless, against all possible odds, portia exerts her efforts to bring some mercy in the city of venice. The very moment shylock faces with the execution for all the crimes he did, the lady makes everything possible to persuade the duke to forgive him.

At this very moment, portia’s presence in the play turns all the proceedings away from toward forgiveness and violence. She is, however, successful in transmitting some of her viewpoints on idealism directly into venice. As we turn the pages, we see that act iv is ended up with the statements that even in our cruel world the idealism can still survive.