A Closer Look at Shylock vs. Antonio
The play is set in Venice, Italy. During this time, Venice was full of wealth, royal merchants, luxuriously dressed people, and distinguished culture. An example of this description would be Antonio. Even though the society seemed perfect, there was also a downside to them. The play revealed prejudices of a society that practiced the religious persecution of Jews and Christian dignity and the cruel moneymaking and legal side of Venice.
In the play, “Merchant of Venice” a strong rivalry is discovered between Antonio and Shylock. Antonio portrays the good man, a loyal and honest Christian, while Shylock comes off as the villain. Both the people of Venice and the audience hate shylock because they see him as a crafty and untrustworthy Jew. Early on in the play, it is almost as if Antonio could represent the villain because Antonio bullies Shylock. Antonio does this by spitting on him, calling him a dog, and just being abusive......
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Approximate Word Count: 830
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |