MERCHANT OF VENICE Flashcards
‘’Dog’’, Devil’’ Alien’’
‘’The jew’’
‘’The Dog Jew’’
animialistic imagery
Collective experience of oppression, marginalisation, discrimination
Stripped of his identity
Reinforces negative portrayal of Shylock
The devil can cite Scripture for his purposes,
biblical allusion helps create a grotesque and villainous image of Shylock.
Ironic as Antonio is implying that Christians are inherently kind however not reflective of how Shylock was treated throughout the play
Hie thee, gentle Jew./The Hebrew will turn Christian, he grows kind’’.- Antonio
- irony
- foreshadows Shylocks fate- gentle/gentile
- It reflects the notion that Shylock’s Jewishness is perceived as inherently unkind or undesirable, while Christianity is idealized as a superior religion.
- highlights Shylock’s ‘‘otherness’’
'’I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond’’
The pound of flesh, which I demand of him, Is dearly bought; ‘tis mine and I will have it.
- repetition
- determination for vengenance
- Reinforces the sterotype of him as an evil merciless villian
- Sylock’s actions are partly influenced by a lifetime of persecution and marginalization as a Jewish moneylender in a predominantly Christian society.
*reflects his yearning for a measure of power and agency in a society that continuously marginalizes him. -
’’
'’But since I am a dog beware of my fangs
- succumbs to the collective view of him as evil
- accepting metaphor of him as a dog
*. By adopting this metaphor, Shylock reluctantly embraces the prejudiced image projected onto him, understanding that he is seen as an outsider and treated as less than human due to his Jewish heritage.
however demonstrates his assertiveness and unwillingess to let them walk over him
asserting his identity and agency in the face of adversity.
I hate him for he is a christiam
- dramatic aside
*highlights extent of his hatred
deceptive
“a lady richly left” (
consumerist imagery
emphasises her wealth rather than who she is
highlights transactional nature of their relationship
