0
Why did antonio said to shylock that he will spit on him again?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Antonio means that he regrets none of the anti-Semitic remarks and actions he took towards Shylock.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What is the relationship between antonio and shylock?
He treated him with disrespect because he was a Jew and a money lender. he spit at him in the merchant of Venice playbook act 1 scene 3: Act 1, Scene 3: Antonio called Shylock a misbeliever - insults his faith, called him a cur - a dog, spat on him, kicked him. Antonio was not sorry - he said he would gladly do it again. Shylock was treated horribly by Antonio and wanted revenge. (1.3.110)
What are some prejudice in the Merchant of Venice?
People judge Shylock because he is a Jew. He cannot escape the harassment that he receives for being Jewish.Jessica is too nice to be a Jew, and therefore must convert to ChristianityThere is only a happy ending for the Christian characters
Racial pragedious in The Merchant of Venice?
In 'The Merchant of Venice,' the words and stereotypes used to portray Shylock, the Jewish character, are considered racist in modern times. However, in Shakespeare's time, prejudice against Jews was commonplace, and probably didn't elicit condemnation from the audience. A particularly disturbing scene is the forced conversion of Shylock.
To what extent do you either sympathise with or loathe Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice?
To What extent do you sympathise with shylock? The position of Jews in Shakespeare's day was not very highly thought of; they were classed as the lowest of the low, they were spat on, they were treated like dirt. Jews were not allowed to live in Britain at the time so they moved to other countries all over the world such as Venice. In many of these other countries they were all put into secluded areas of the towns and cities called Ghettos. The Ghettos originate from Venice which is the setting of Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice'. Only Jews were allowed to live in these areas and although they were allowed out of the Ghettos at any time, it was their only home and they had to live there. Whenever they did go out of the Ghettos they had to wear a red cap which symbolised their Jewish religion. Jews were restricted by law as to the jobs they could do. They were not allowed to own or rent land. One job they could do was to lend money and charge interest on it, and since they could not own land, they could accumulate a lot of cash. Christians sneered at Jews for charging interest, since they did not have to make their living that way. Anti-Semitism was a big issue for the Jewish people; they were always thrown about and not looked after by Christian people, it was not fair for them to be treated badly. Historically, after more and more Romans started becoming Christian, it became politically incorrect to blame the Romans for killing Jesus (even though it was the Romans who did it) so the Christians blamed the Jews instead. In Venice the Christians were top of the hierarchy whereas the Jews were not as important so they were at the very bottom and were not even citizens and were called aliens. Shylock in this play was treated terribly badly by the Christian people; he is treated as if he was the man who killed Jesus himself, people aimed all hateful comments at him and spat on him. The Venetian merchant Antonio and his friends take a dim view of Shylock, the Jewish usurer, and his practice of charging interest on loans. For his "un-Christian" behaviour he was called a dog Jew by passers-by and strangers he had never even met before on the street, he was victimised by all Christian people and once again like all other Jews he was forced to live in a dirty Ghetto. Throughout the play he's referred to as "Jew" rather than "Shylock" and you can see why he wants to grudge against the Christians. He is distraught when his daughter leaves him without any warning, and without any evidence of harmful behaviour towards her from him. She says "this house is hell", though it is not clear to Shylock why she feels like that. Shakespeare makes it very clear that shylock is a victim of the Christians and they hate him. "But say it is my humour", this line shows the amount of Shylock's cruelty as he has no proper reason for demanding the pound of flesh. Shylock says, "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 weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means." This part of Shylock's speech and also the rest of this same speech shows to the Christians that everyone is the same and should be treated the same and entirely equal. This portrayal of Shylock as being merciless would fit in with the Christian audience's negative view of Jews and would therefore add their feelings of dislike towards Shylock's character. Shylock got moreover fed up of the Christians hating the Jews, so he decided to make a bond with Antonio in order to get revenge on him. The bond had a slight catch to it, that if Antonio did not repay the loan of money on time then he would have to give Shylock a pound of his own flesh from nearest his heart, which meant that he would be killed. This shows Shylock's villainous side. He deliberately asks for a "pound of flesh" because he has a dislike against Antonio because he is a Christian, and, when the chance comes to get his revenge, he behaves in an extremely undignified and undoubtedly harsh manor. He gloats in front of Antonio, even attending the guards who arrested him, and openly announces his right to the flesh, against any sense of common humankind, in a public court. He also values his money extremely highly; when he seems to value his ducats more than his daughter, you have to be suspicious. Shylock is greedy, vengeful and cruel. Towards the beginning of the play, when Bassanio asks to borrow the money, it is hard to find any "positive features" of Shylock for many statements he makes it seems he is just an opinionated, prejudiced and selfish man. Shylock is cruel as he hates Antonio for the plain reason he is a Christian. This, in the modern day world is seen as racism, and it is, but no less so than the racism of those that hate Shylock for being a Jew. In Shylock's speech he says that Antonio "hates our sacred nation" which help give the audiences make their own opinions on which man should be disliked; Shylock hates Antonio for being Christian whereas Antonio hates Shylock for being Jewish. Antonio then goes on to say, "I am as like to call thee so again, To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too!" showing no regret of calling Shylock names, spitting on him or kicking him even whilst still asking to borrow money off him. It is these attitudes from Antonio that may make the audience feel for Shylock. Shylock's relationship with Jessica was very distant; when Shylock's wife died they were both distraught but Jessica was not at upset as Shylock. She had found the love of her life who she wanted to be with. Shylock was very angry at this thought because this man she had fallen in love with was a Christian called Lorenzo and Jessica was going to turn Christian in order to marry him. However Jessica fell keenly in love with Lorenzo, and she was very determined and eager to be with him. It was as if she was trying to prove something to her father. Maybe she just wanted to rub in the fact that he did not like Christians. Maybe she hoped he would start to like Christians himself. Jessica has a very enthusiastic and opinionated character and she is very determined so if she wants something she will strive until she gains what she wants. You can also find Jessica to be a shy self- conscious character who cares what others think about her. Shylock is a greedy, self-obsessed man who cares a bit too much about his money and gains more than the things which matter more, like Jessica. In "The Merchant of Venice" you will see that there are different ways of interpreting things, different sections which can mean different things. The first way which the audience can understand Jessica's character is as a victim, This is shown in the book in many ways some of which are; when it is said by Jessica 'I may be a daughter to his blood, but I am not related to his lifestyle', This quote shows how Jessica is showing how she is completely individual to her father and although she is his daughter this does not mean that she necessarily agrees with him. Later we see that Shylock is victimized by Jessica, when he finds that she stole her mother's wedding ring and traded it for a monkey. He says, "I would not have traded it for a wilderness of monkeys!" Sometimes Shylock is less materialistic than you might think. Shylock was humiliated in the court room an awful lot because he was desperately trying to tell the judge and all of the people there that Antonio and he had made a bond which means a contract. Antonio was also ready for the consequences by dealing with shylock in the first place but going to the court room was a chance he was willing to take. Shylock did not know the full consequences of the bond though, he felt the law should let him cut the pound of flesh, weigh it and then leave to go home, leaving Antonio to die. The judge (who was really Portia pretending to be a lawyer) said "take then your bond, take then your pound of flesh, but in the cutting of it, if you do shed one drop of Christian blood, your lands and goods are by the laws of Venice confiscated" meaning that if he was to shed one single drop of Antonio's blood when cutting the pound of flesh then as a upright punishment all of his goods would be confiscated. Next Portia had told Shylock this: "if the scale do turn within the estimation of a hair, then you will die" because he was only entitled to one pound. At this point Shylock is prepared to go home and say goodbye to his loan, which would be punishment enough. But the Christians now show their cruel side. They take half of Shylock's wealth, force him to will the rest of it to Lorenzo, whom he despises, and force him to adopt a religion he despises and abandon the one he cares about. They show no mercy to him. To conclude, I sympathise with shylock in many ways because he is constantly referred to as "the Jew" throughout the play except when the Duke calls him by name once. This shows how Jews were not treated as equals by the Christians and allows some reason for Shylock's plans to get revenge. Shylock is revealed as a hard-hearted, stubborn and merciless man in the play as he refuses to show Antonio any mercy and lessen his demands even though offers from Bassanio to pay twice as many ducats as he was originally owed. Shylock still refuses to take the money instead of the pound of flesh. Contrary to the stereotypical view of Jews as miserly and money grubbing, the refusal of the money in place of the flesh emphasises Shylock's strong desire for revenge on Antonio.
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."
Who spit on shylock?
Antonio (:
What is the relationship between antonio and shylock?
He treated him with disrespect because he was a Jew and a money lender. he spit at him in the merchant of Venice playbook act 1 scene 3: Act 1, Scene 3: Antonio called Shylock a misbeliever - insults his faith, called him a cur - a dog, spat on him, kicked him. Antonio was not sorry - he said he would gladly do it again. Shylock was treated horribly by Antonio and wanted revenge. (1.3.110)
Did shylock try to harm Antonio or bassanio previous to there bond?
No. It was OK for Christians like Antonio to spit on and mistreat Jews like Shylock, but it was not at all OK for the Jews to try to harm the Christians. Shylock had never tried to get back at Antonio (and through him all of the Christians who had mistreated him) because he had never before figured out a way to do it which would not backfire on Shylock. He thought he had figured out such a method with the pound-of-flesh bond, but he was wrong. It backfired, big time.
What was shylock's evil plan?
Shylock's evil plan was to lend Antonio 3000 ducats (quite a lot of money) interest-free, the only condition being that it had to be paid in full on a certain day. Does this sound evil? It shouldn't. Ah, but the catch is, if Antonio doesn't repay on that day, Shylock can kill him. In truly evil fashion, Shylock tells Antonio all about this clause and gets him to agree to it before the money is lent. Well, if you think about it, that's not very evil is it? If you think Shylock is exploiting Antonio's being in a desperate financial condition to foist an unfair contract on him, think again. Antonio does not need the money. He's borrowing it for a friend, who doesn't really need it either, but wants to impress a girl and has blown all of his own cash. After Antonio has agreed to mortgage his heart for the loan, almost everybody in the play thinks he should be let off when it proves that he was overconfident and couldn't make good on his promise. But Shylock didn't want to do that because a deal's a deal, and Antonio, like most of the Christians in Venice, is an Anti-Semitic schmuck who spits on Jews like Shylock, and calls him names and tries to undercut his business. Shylock didn't have much hope at getting back at any Christians, not even Antonio who in all probability would have paid up in the required time, but here a chance presents itself that enables Shylock to legally get revenge on one of them. Ah, but he is foiled by the truly evil plan in this play. Shylock, like anyone else, should be entitled to a fair legal hearing in front of an impartial judge to enforce his rights. Portia, the wife of Bassanio, Antonio's best friend, falsely impersonates a lawyer and cons the Duke into making her the judge hearing this particular case. So much for having an impartial judge. She then not only denies Shylock's suit on a loophole, but also says that he is not entitled to get his money back. What is more, she makes up a law which says that Jewish people are not allowed access to the courts in Venice to enforce their rights (if doing so imperils the life of a Christian) on punishment of death. If Shylock was evil for conniving at Antonio's death, how much worse is Portia's conniving at Shylock's? Antonio got a benefit from Shylock, for which he refuses to pay the price. Shylock gets no benefit from this transaction whatsoever, and yet is forced to pay heavily for it. Antonio agreed that he could legally be put to death if he broke his promise. Shylock made no such agreement. Antonio was totally free from compulsion when he agreed to mortgage his body parts. Shylock is threatened with death and robbed of his property and his immortal soul. It is Portia who has the evil plan.
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.
What are some prejudice in the Merchant of Venice?
People judge Shylock because he is a Jew. He cannot escape the harassment that he receives for being Jewish.Jessica is too nice to be a Jew, and therefore must convert to ChristianityThere is only a happy ending for the Christian characters
Is it illegal to spit in public?
Spitting in public may be considered a form of disorderly conduct and can be subject to fines or penalties, depending on local laws and regulations. It is generally considered disrespectful and unhygienic. It is advisable to avoid spitting in public places.
Racial pragedious in The Merchant of Venice?
In 'The Merchant of Venice,' the words and stereotypes used to portray Shylock, the Jewish character, are considered racist in modern times. However, in Shakespeare's time, prejudice against Jews was commonplace, and probably didn't elicit condemnation from the audience. A particularly disturbing scene is the forced conversion of Shylock.
To what extent do you either sympathise with or loathe Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice?
To What extent do you sympathise with shylock? The position of Jews in Shakespeare's day was not very highly thought of; they were classed as the lowest of the low, they were spat on, they were treated like dirt. Jews were not allowed to live in Britain at the time so they moved to other countries all over the world such as Venice. In many of these other countries they were all put into secluded areas of the towns and cities called Ghettos. The Ghettos originate from Venice which is the setting of Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice'. Only Jews were allowed to live in these areas and although they were allowed out of the Ghettos at any time, it was their only home and they had to live there. Whenever they did go out of the Ghettos they had to wear a red cap which symbolised their Jewish religion. Jews were restricted by law as to the jobs they could do. They were not allowed to own or rent land. One job they could do was to lend money and charge interest on it, and since they could not own land, they could accumulate a lot of cash. Christians sneered at Jews for charging interest, since they did not have to make their living that way. Anti-Semitism was a big issue for the Jewish people; they were always thrown about and not looked after by Christian people, it was not fair for them to be treated badly. Historically, after more and more Romans started becoming Christian, it became politically incorrect to blame the Romans for killing Jesus (even though it was the Romans who did it) so the Christians blamed the Jews instead. In Venice the Christians were top of the hierarchy whereas the Jews were not as important so they were at the very bottom and were not even citizens and were called aliens. Shylock in this play was treated terribly badly by the Christian people; he is treated as if he was the man who killed Jesus himself, people aimed all hateful comments at him and spat on him. The Venetian merchant Antonio and his friends take a dim view of Shylock, the Jewish usurer, and his practice of charging interest on loans. For his "un-Christian" behaviour he was called a dog Jew by passers-by and strangers he had never even met before on the street, he was victimised by all Christian people and once again like all other Jews he was forced to live in a dirty Ghetto. Throughout the play he's referred to as "Jew" rather than "Shylock" and you can see why he wants to grudge against the Christians. He is distraught when his daughter leaves him without any warning, and without any evidence of harmful behaviour towards her from him. She says "this house is hell", though it is not clear to Shylock why she feels like that. Shakespeare makes it very clear that shylock is a victim of the Christians and they hate him. "But say it is my humour", this line shows the amount of Shylock's cruelty as he has no proper reason for demanding the pound of flesh. Shylock says, "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 weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means." This part of Shylock's speech and also the rest of this same speech shows to the Christians that everyone is the same and should be treated the same and entirely equal. This portrayal of Shylock as being merciless would fit in with the Christian audience's negative view of Jews and would therefore add their feelings of dislike towards Shylock's character. Shylock got moreover fed up of the Christians hating the Jews, so he decided to make a bond with Antonio in order to get revenge on him. The bond had a slight catch to it, that if Antonio did not repay the loan of money on time then he would have to give Shylock a pound of his own flesh from nearest his heart, which meant that he would be killed. This shows Shylock's villainous side. He deliberately asks for a "pound of flesh" because he has a dislike against Antonio because he is a Christian, and, when the chance comes to get his revenge, he behaves in an extremely undignified and undoubtedly harsh manor. He gloats in front of Antonio, even attending the guards who arrested him, and openly announces his right to the flesh, against any sense of common humankind, in a public court. He also values his money extremely highly; when he seems to value his ducats more than his daughter, you have to be suspicious. Shylock is greedy, vengeful and cruel. Towards the beginning of the play, when Bassanio asks to borrow the money, it is hard to find any "positive features" of Shylock for many statements he makes it seems he is just an opinionated, prejudiced and selfish man. Shylock is cruel as he hates Antonio for the plain reason he is a Christian. This, in the modern day world is seen as racism, and it is, but no less so than the racism of those that hate Shylock for being a Jew. In Shylock's speech he says that Antonio "hates our sacred nation" which help give the audiences make their own opinions on which man should be disliked; Shylock hates Antonio for being Christian whereas Antonio hates Shylock for being Jewish. Antonio then goes on to say, "I am as like to call thee so again, To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too!" showing no regret of calling Shylock names, spitting on him or kicking him even whilst still asking to borrow money off him. It is these attitudes from Antonio that may make the audience feel for Shylock. Shylock's relationship with Jessica was very distant; when Shylock's wife died they were both distraught but Jessica was not at upset as Shylock. She had found the love of her life who she wanted to be with. Shylock was very angry at this thought because this man she had fallen in love with was a Christian called Lorenzo and Jessica was going to turn Christian in order to marry him. However Jessica fell keenly in love with Lorenzo, and she was very determined and eager to be with him. It was as if she was trying to prove something to her father. Maybe she just wanted to rub in the fact that he did not like Christians. Maybe she hoped he would start to like Christians himself. Jessica has a very enthusiastic and opinionated character and she is very determined so if she wants something she will strive until she gains what she wants. You can also find Jessica to be a shy self- conscious character who cares what others think about her. Shylock is a greedy, self-obsessed man who cares a bit too much about his money and gains more than the things which matter more, like Jessica. In "The Merchant of Venice" you will see that there are different ways of interpreting things, different sections which can mean different things. The first way which the audience can understand Jessica's character is as a victim, This is shown in the book in many ways some of which are; when it is said by Jessica 'I may be a daughter to his blood, but I am not related to his lifestyle', This quote shows how Jessica is showing how she is completely individual to her father and although she is his daughter this does not mean that she necessarily agrees with him. Later we see that Shylock is victimized by Jessica, when he finds that she stole her mother's wedding ring and traded it for a monkey. He says, "I would not have traded it for a wilderness of monkeys!" Sometimes Shylock is less materialistic than you might think. Shylock was humiliated in the court room an awful lot because he was desperately trying to tell the judge and all of the people there that Antonio and he had made a bond which means a contract. Antonio was also ready for the consequences by dealing with shylock in the first place but going to the court room was a chance he was willing to take. Shylock did not know the full consequences of the bond though, he felt the law should let him cut the pound of flesh, weigh it and then leave to go home, leaving Antonio to die. The judge (who was really Portia pretending to be a lawyer) said "take then your bond, take then your pound of flesh, but in the cutting of it, if you do shed one drop of Christian blood, your lands and goods are by the laws of Venice confiscated" meaning that if he was to shed one single drop of Antonio's blood when cutting the pound of flesh then as a upright punishment all of his goods would be confiscated. Next Portia had told Shylock this: "if the scale do turn within the estimation of a hair, then you will die" because he was only entitled to one pound. At this point Shylock is prepared to go home and say goodbye to his loan, which would be punishment enough. But the Christians now show their cruel side. They take half of Shylock's wealth, force him to will the rest of it to Lorenzo, whom he despises, and force him to adopt a religion he despises and abandon the one he cares about. They show no mercy to him. To conclude, I sympathise with shylock in many ways because he is constantly referred to as "the Jew" throughout the play except when the Duke calls him by name once. This shows how Jews were not treated as equals by the Christians and allows some reason for Shylock's plans to get revenge. Shylock is revealed as a hard-hearted, stubborn and merciless man in the play as he refuses to show Antonio any mercy and lessen his demands even though offers from Bassanio to pay twice as many ducats as he was originally owed. Shylock still refuses to take the money instead of the pound of flesh. Contrary to the stereotypical view of Jews as miserly and money grubbing, the refusal of the money in place of the flesh emphasises Shylock's strong desire for revenge on Antonio.
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 do they brush their teeth in space?
Astronauts can either spit into a towel or swallow it! i talked to a realy astronaut and she said that!
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.
