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Jessica's Flight. When Jessica flees Venice to elope with Lorenzo, Solanio describes Shylock's reaction. He says, "And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledged; and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam" (3.1). Here, Solanio uses a metaphor to compare Jessica to a bird who is ready to fly, as it is a natural part of ...
- The Three Caskets
- The Pound of Flesh
- Leah’s Ring
The contest for Portia’s hand, in which suitors from variouscountries choose among a gold, a silver, and a lead casket, resemblesthe cultural and legal system of Venice in some respects. Like theVenice of the play, the casket contest presents the same opportunitiesand the same rules to men of various nations, ethnicities, and religions. Alsolike Ve...
The pound of flesh that Shylock seeks lends itself tomultiple interpretations: it emerges most as a metaphor for twoof the play’s closest relationships, but also calls attention toShylock’s inflexible adherence to the law. The fact that Bassanio’sdebt is to be paid with Antonio’s flesh is significant, showinghow their friendship is so binding it ha...
The ring given to Shylock in his bachelor days by a womannamed Leah, who is most likely Shylock’s wife and Jessica’s mother,gets only a brief mention in the play, but is still an object ofgreat importance. When told that Jessica has stolen it and tradedit for a monkey, Shylock very poignantly laments its loss: “I wouldnot have given it for a wilder...
5 days ago · Summary: In Act 1, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses figurative language and symbols to establish themes and character dynamics.Metaphors like "argosies with portly sail ...
Oct 14, 2020 · For Harold Bloom, in a persuasive analysis of The Merchant of Venice in his book Shakespeare: The Invention Of The Human, The Merchant of Venice presents a number of difficult problems. First, there’s no denying it is an anti-Semitic play; second, for Bloom, Shylock should be played as a comic villain and not a sympathetic character for the ...
Even Shylock has accepted the canine metaphor that his enemies use against him, and he is ready to exact a harsh revenge. But he has become vicious primarily due to the mistreatment he has faced, demonstrating the cycle of hate that exists in Venice. Unlock with LitCharts A.
Analysing Portia's Language. Portia has the largest speaking role in the entire play, with 22 per cent of the text spoken by her and she appears in more scenes than any of the other characters. She plays a crucial part in a number of different strands in the plot. Ultimately she is the reason that Antonio ends up ‘bound’ to Shylock, because ...
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Full Play Analysis. The Merchant of Venice is essentially a play about property: in telling the story of a merchant who treats his own flesh as property to secure a loan, and the moneylender who calls in the debt, the play asks questions about the value of life itself. Throughout the play, tangible objects such as rings and caskets stand in for ...
