The Merchant of Venice Characters

This Study Guide consists of approximately 167 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Merchant of Venice.

The Merchant of Venice Characters

This Study Guide consists of approximately 167 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Merchant of Venice.
This section contains 571 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Merchant of Venice Study Guide

The Merchant of Venice is often considered Shylock's play, for the reading of his character generally influences the interpretation of the drama as a whole. lf Shylock is perceived as a comic villain, with all the stock characteristics associated with such a role, then he receives his due in the trial scene and the work is truly a comedy. However, if Shylock is seen as the hero of the drama, then his humiliation indicates that the work is a tragedy. Both views can be argued based on the content of the play. Numerous commentators have discussed the extent to which Shakespeare was influenced by the anti-Semitic sentiment of his day. While it is true that the playwright began writing his play with the stereotypical Elizabethan conception of a Jewish usurer in mind, he created in Shylock an   ambiguous, yet memorable figure who defies those conventional...

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This section contains 571 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
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