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Where would Shakespeare have gotten ideas about how to characterize Shylock?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Well, he did have a source for the idea of a moneylender lending money on the security of someone's life, and there were a lot of nasty stereotypes about Jews, some of which appeared in Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta, but that is not the end of the story. Shakespeare wondered why a moneylender would enter into such an agreement, which made him think about what motivated Shylock generally. He was not satisfied to say "it's because he's Jewish". He then came up with the idea that Shylock wants revenge for the mistreatment he has suffered at the hands of the anti-Semitic Venetians like Antonio. Exactly how this process went we can never be sure, but it is clear that Shylock is anything but an anti-Semitic stereotype and this is because of the way Shakespeare saw his play making sense, not because of his sources.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
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What Renaissance ideas did Shakespeare's work address?
What Renaissance ideas did Shakespeare's work address?
Were Shakespeare's ideas accepted immidiatly?
Shakespeare was not known for his ideas. He was known for his plays, which were indeed immediately popular.
Where did Shakespeare get my ideas from?
somewhere
Where did Shakespeare get his ideas to write Julius Caesar?
It is said that Shakespeare used the writings of Plutarch for ideas for his ancient history plays.
How does Shylock react to the abusive treatment he receives at the hands of Christian Venetians?
Badly. Shylock, like many Jews, was forced into moneylending as a way of making money, because it was illegal for Jews to enter into kinds of commerce that involved ownership of substantial assets. At the same time as the Christians used his services, they held him and all the other Jews in contempt. He specifically mentions that Antonio had spit on him and called him a dog, and we see this to be true, as he calls him "devil" as in "the devil can quote Scripture to his own purpose." At the end of the play he is treated abominably. On the pretext that he is a "foreigner" in the city where he has lived his whole life, his money is taken from him and given to his goyische and feckless son-in-law, and he is forced to renounce his religion and practise Christianity. No wonder he leaves on the line "I am not well."
What Renaissance ideas did Shakespeare's work address?
What Renaissance ideas did Shakespeare's work address?
Were Shakespeare's ideas accepted immidiatly?
Shakespeare was not known for his ideas. He was known for his plays, which were indeed immediately popular.
Where did Shakespeare get my ideas from?
somewhere
Where did shakespeare get most of his ideas from?
He got most of his ideas from books he had read.
What is an ideological subsystem?
an ideological subsystem is the ideas, beliefs, knowledge, and means of their communication that characterize a culture.
Were did will Shakespeare get his ideas from?
From the things and people around him.
Where did Shakespeare get his ideas to write Julius Caesar?
It is said that Shakespeare used the writings of Plutarch for ideas for his ancient history plays.
Where did shakspeare get his ideas for his plays?
Shakespeare often got ideas from history or he adapted already-written plays.
The similarities with belmont and Venice in the play merchant of Venice?
Shakespeare allows the audience to construct their own moral responses to both plays, "The Merchant of Venice," and "Macbeth" by using a range of dramatic methods such as aides, dialogs, soliloquy, and tone of voice, juxtaposition of lines, metaphor, similes and imagery. It is a Shakespeare's skills as a dramatist the he encourages thought and creates a moral debate amongst the audience as The Merchant of Venice has many different interpretations of Shylock's choice, unlike Macbeth, as the audience generally has a similar moral response. Shakespeare manipulates the audience so that he leaves them in a state of confusion, as moral interpretations of Shylock's choice vary throughout the audience. Indeed at the end of the play, the audience might question whether or not the characters have learnt a moral lesson from the events, and the outcome has not changed the character's behaviour, although the audience learns a moral lesson.In act 1: scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice, we witness Antonio's social power, being a wealthy Christian over a Jewish usurer. Shakespeare centres the attention to the cruel treatment Shylock receives by Antonio and invites the audience to sympathise with Shylock, "You call me misbeliever, cut throat dog/you spit on me Jewish gaberdine/and all for use of that which is mine own." The audience can sympathise with Shylock and justify his hatred and thirst for revenge over Antonio, although in Macbeth, the audience is wholly critical of Macbeth as in act 1: scene 2 Shakespeare highlights the King and Soldier's positive opinion of Macbeth, "brave Macbeth," "noble Macbeth." This leads the audience to criticise Macbeth when he makes the decision to kill the kind as Macbeth has no justification for his ambitious actions whereas, Shylock can be justified. Shakespeare is also keen to demonstrate Banquo in Macbeth as a character who discourages Macbeth's ideas to seize the crown, "tis strange:/And often sometimes, to win us our harm,/The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trifles, to betrays,/In deepest consequence." Banquo cautions Macbeth and warns Macbeth not to pursue this ruthless ambition. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare has no friend to discourage him and has no character to kill his ambition.Shakespeare uses a dramatic aside in The Merchant of Venice, Act 1: Scene 3 which allows the audience to for the first time, witness Shylock's true intentions and thought processes, "I hate him for he is Christian;/If i catch him once upon the hip i will feed fat the ancient grudge i bear him." Shakespeare crafts the memorable line to establish Shylock's hatred for Antonio, and also to present Shylock to have no moral awareness and instead to show excitement and desperation for revenge which the audience criticises, but may also understand his hatred and thirst for revenge to an extent. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses an aside to give the audience further access to Macbeth's thoughts and an insight to his true intentions, "two truths are told,/As happy prologues to the swelling act/Of the imperial theme."Shakespeare uses the metaphor, "happy prologues" to provide clear evidence that Macbeth welcomes these titles to be king. Shakespeare continues to communicate Macbeth's thoughts through an aside showing that he is unsure of his choices, "Cannot be ill, cannot be good," "Why do i yield to that suggestion/Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,/Against the use of nature?" Shakespeare has presented Macbeth to have moral awareness between right and wrong, and has left him undecided yet easy to manipulate. Macbeth is seen to have human scrumples and believes the thought of killing the king to be horrifying. Macbeth has been shown by Shakespeare to understand differences between thought and action and Macbeth without the influence of another character does not have the strength to kill the king and might not act upon his thoughts.In Act 3: Scene 1, Shakespeare presents Shylock as a sympathetic character once again, so that the audience can justify his actions, "He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scored my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies." Shakespeare gives the audience alot of reason to sympathise with Shylock and criticise Antonio, also, justify Shylock's thirst for revenge. But Shakespeare in the same dialogue, allows the sympathy to be stripped from Shylock and leads the audience to criticise him once again, and the audience can sense Shylock's awareness of the control he has over Antonio in the lines, "To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge." This establishes Shylock's motivation and his definite intention to extract the pound of flesh from Antonio, this creates debate throughout the audience from multiple opinions to Shylock's choice.
What was Shakespeare's formative experiences?
We have no record of Shakespeare's early life, and any ideas about what experiences he had and whether they formed his character are complete guesswork.
How does Shylock react to the abusive treatment he receives at the hands of Christian Venetians?
Badly. Shylock, like many Jews, was forced into moneylending as a way of making money, because it was illegal for Jews to enter into kinds of commerce that involved ownership of substantial assets. At the same time as the Christians used his services, they held him and all the other Jews in contempt. He specifically mentions that Antonio had spit on him and called him a dog, and we see this to be true, as he calls him "devil" as in "the devil can quote Scripture to his own purpose." At the end of the play he is treated abominably. On the pretext that he is a "foreigner" in the city where he has lived his whole life, his money is taken from him and given to his goyische and feckless son-in-law, and he is forced to renounce his religion and practise Christianity. No wonder he leaves on the line "I am not well."
How does Shakespeare show prejudice in merchant of Venice?
Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in The Merchant of Venice, is the victim of constant prejudice on account of his religion. Shakespeare shows us this in two ways: he has many of the characters, Gratiano, Salerio, Antonio and Solanio particularly actually say cutting and nasty things to or about Shylock based on his religion, such as: Antonio: Mark you this, Bassanio: the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. (the "devil" here is Shylock) Antonio: The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind. (based on the strange belief that Jews are somehow less kind than Christians) Solanio: Here comes another of the tribe. A third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew. (This about the inoffensive Tubal, a friend of Shylock's) Shylock also refers to the treatment he gets at the hands of Antonio. "You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, and spit on my Jewish gaberdine" Shylock is also guilty of such sentiments. He says of Antonio "I hate him for he is a Christian" before getting into his real complaint--that Antonio lends money for free and thus cuts into his moneylending business (He's sort of a forerunner to the RIAA). These nasty opinions and ideas are about religion, not race. Jessica becomes one of the gang the moment she changes her religion. But that does not really matter as the play (or rather this particular plotline) is about how prejudice can bring out the desire for revenge in its victims.
