Have to write an essay on a book i didn't read. anyone willing to help a guy out? 500 words by tomorrow morning

have to write an essay on a book i didn't read. anyone willing to help a guy out? 500 words by tomorrow morning.

pic related its the book i didn't read.

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Only if you PROMISE to read it later

That's my favorite play actually.

go home /pol/

oy vey

Got back to /israel/.

Well here's a basic rundown on the plot:
>Bassanio wishes to get married to a girl named Portia, but needs 3,000 ducats in order to travel to her and to fulfill his obligations as a groom (suits, wedding food, etc)
>Approaches friend Antonio for the money
>Antonio borrows the money from a Jew named Shylock
>Shylock has apparently been antagonized by Antonio before, and uses this as an opportunity for revenge
>Tells Antonio that if Antonio doesn't pay the deal, he will get the right to cut out a pound of Antonio's flesh
>Antonio agrees because his ships are going to come in by the end of the month, and he'll make a lot of money
>Meanwhile, Portia is in a castle waiting for Bassanio
>Portia's rich father is dead and left a will: three chests, one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead, are placed in a room. Two of them have notes saying "you're stupid" if you open them, one of them has a note saying "you get to marry Portia." Suitors must pick one chest to see what's inside, and this is how she will pick her husband. Multiple dudes come to her, and they pick the wrong ones.
>Bassanio comes, and picks lead. He is than married to Portia
>Meanwhile, back in Venice. Someone tells Antonio that all his ships got lost at sea. He is now past the time to pay back the loan. So Shylock, according to a legal contract, can legally cut out a pound of Antonio's flesh
>Also, Shylock's daughter runs off and gets married with Lorenzo, a Christian. She converts to Christianity and sneaks off with him. Lorenzo is a friend of Bassanio, and they are married the same night
>Shylock spergs out and takes Antonio to court saying he deserves a pound of flesh from him
>Bassanio gets a letter telling him Antonio's situation, and he and Lorenzo tell their wives they must leave them and help Antonio
>Their wives both give them rings and tell them "don't give these rings away to anybody." This is to test their love, so if their husbands return with the rings you know they are faithful
>Antonio scrounges up 6,000 (twice the amount owed) and offers it to Shylock, Shylock refuses his offer in favor of taking a pound of flesh
>Bassanio and Lorenzo's new wives knew that Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo wouldn't be able to get out of this, so they disguise themselves as male lawyers and go to save Antonio
>They get Shylock on a technicality, saying "you need to take exactly one pound of flesh, no more or less. If you don't take a pound, you'll be killed and your goods taken" and "you can only take flesh, if you take any blood you'll be killed and your goods taken"
>Shylock realizes he can't get out of this, and says he'll just accept the 6,000 ducats
>They say that if he won't accept the flesh, his contract is void.
>Also, because he's a Jew and tried to kill a Christian, all his goods will be seized by the state
>Also, he has to convert to Christianity and remain a Christian his whole life
>He starts crying as the main characters start celebrating

>Bassanio and Lorenzo ask the "lawyers" (who are their wives in costumes) how they can ever repay them
>They say they'll accept the rings, the rings they were told never to give away
>They give them the ring, after much prodding
>They go home to their wives, who ask them what happened to their rings
>They admit they gave away their rings
>Their wives tell them they slept with the lawyers
>Their husbands become distraught before being told the truth
>Antonio receives a letter saying that his ships were not stranded after all and have come back now
>Everyone's happy except the jew
>The End

Wait, so is MoV red pill or blue pill?

When he doesnt take the money over flesh the dude jew says the best line in shakespeer
>"To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies—and what’s his reason? 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, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a complex character. He's a stereotypical greedy little Jew who loves money and hates goodness, but the play also implies that he has been wronged to make him that way and he is not just pure evil. He demands justice at the trial. He also gives a famous speech called "hath not a Jew eyes" that portrays him in a more sympathetic light.

>greedy little Jew who loves money
Partially wrong, Shylock explains his motivation when when he wont take double the money. Shakespeer added the "hath not a Jew eyes" part to explain that in the end jews are actually just normal people with normal motivation, he specifically targeted the "greedy money loving jew" stereotype in my opinion.

wrong. he's not sympathetic

Jews are thirsty for Christian blood, more than anything else

Stupid post by a stupid person.

thanks user

the essay question is: "What is Shakespeare saying in The Merchant of Venice about the role of mercy and grace in healing the brokenness caused by injustice?" if anyone wants to write this essay better than i can

pic related

answer: you can't heal the withered black heart of the Jew. The Grinch must have been a Gentile.

I am in agreement.

>>/tv/

>What is Shakespeare saying in The Merchant of Venice about the role of mercy and grace in healing the brokenness caused by injustice?

This is kind of priming you for a misreading.

There's a famous speech in the trial scene, by Portia, on the 'quality of mercy'. What is often over-looked or just simply missed is that the entire thing is SATURATED in irony. The whole thing is a send-up of the base hypocrisy of the Christian characters.

I would say start there, but you'd have had to have read the play to successfully make the point.

>base hypocrisy of the Christian characters.
fuck off. The Christians like Jessica just fine. Shylock is trash.

>He ruined my friends
>I better ask him for money

I can agree with the 1st part if we assume Antonio is being forthright and not just running his mouth, everything else is pure speculation and money being shylocks prime motivation is just plain not true.

You can say Shylock is a cunt because he literally wants a pound of flesh from some guy over a bit of bantz.

Antonio's friends seduce his daughter and then coax her into burgling his house of all his jewels.

The 'use rate' Shylock offers Antonio is basically a joke until Shylock realizes he's been ruined by him and his friends, at which point he 'takes his revenge' But he is thwarted even at that, and is robbed AGAIN, of ALL HIS PROPERTY, and forced to convert or suffer execution.

Kind of a raw deal, no?

he gets to keep like half until he dies

also: what is a dowry

>he had every right to resort to retributive physical force

No, he didn't.

>This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
>The words expressly are 'a pound of flesh:'
>Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;
>But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed
>One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
>Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate
>Unto the state of Venice.

Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate/ Unto the state of Venice.

Very little ambiguity there.

No, he doesn't. It all goes to Antonio, whom bequeaths half of it to Jessica.

So please my lord the duke and all the court
To quit the fine for one half of his goods,
I am content; so he will let me have
The other half in use, to render it,
Upon his death, unto the gentleman
That lately stole his daughter:

Read the fucking play.

>What is Shakespeare saying in The Merchant of Venice about the role of mercy and grace in healing the brokenness caused by injustice?
That's a big source of conflict in the trial scene. The Jew demands justice and the Christians demand mercy. Read Act 4, scene 1, at least. Basically, Shylock says that because of his bond he is entitled to take a pound of Antonio's flesh because of his bond. He wants "justice," meaning he wants what was agreed to. The Christians appeal to mercy, stating that it's just fucking wrong to cut a pound of someones flesh from their body. In the end, mercy "wins" by taking advantage of loopholes in the justice system. That's what I got right now

I should say, half goes to the state, half goes to Antonio. Antonio requests the court to relinquish its claim on the condition he, Antonio, is allowed the other half 'in use'--i.e. to lend, which is supposed to be forbidden to him.

>Antonio just spit on Shylock for literally no reason!
pic related

I also never said money was Shylock's prime motivation, I said it was a powerful motivator, but subservient to his pride and his gentile blood-lust: Yes he is a cunt. The tribunal urges him over and over to reconsider, and yet his hard heart, like Pharaoh's, will not be moved.

>Antonio's friends seduce his daughter
I believe it's Lorenzo? In any case, he legitimately loves her. Taking her has nothing to do with punishing Shylock; he just won't marry her to a Gentile.

>No he doesn't.
Yes, he did.
>Duke: For half thy wealth, it is Antonio's;
>The other half comes to the general state,
>Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.

>Antonio:
>So please my lord the duke and all the court
>To quit the fine for one half of his goods,
>I am content; so he will let me have
>The other half in use, to render it,
>Upon his death, unto the gentleman
>That lately stole his daughter:
>Two things provided more, that, for this favour,
>He presently become a Christian;
>The other, that he do record a gift,
>Here in the court, of all he dies possess'd,
>Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.

Antonio asks the Court to cancel the fine; on the condition that upon Shylock's death his estate is handed over to his daughter. It is for this favor that Shylock must convert to Christianity.

Semitophiles can't read, color me unsurprised.

>No, he didn't.
I'm saying when Antonio spit on him; Shylock could have spat back at the very least. But no, he's a pussy who wants to take opportunistic legal action, just like Oswald in Lear.

Again, semitophiles can't read.

Why do I have to put Veeky Forums on my back every fucking day?

It's called sparknotes

Who the fuck teaches Merchant of Venice anyways?

(((merchant)))

bump

I am content; so he will let me have
>The other half in use, to render it,
>Upon his death, unto the gentleman
>That lately stole his daughter:

Half his wealth goes to Antonio to be put to use until Shylock dies, at which point it goes to Lorenzo.

He presently become a Christian;
>The other, that he do record a gift,
>Here in the court, of all he [does] possess'd,
>Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.

The other half, the half Antonio asked the court to renounce, goes IMMEDIATELY to Lorenzo.

Shylock is now Antonio's dependent in toto.

Not that this matters to you. Not that meaning means anything to you.

This is the same Lorenzo, mind, that has ALREADY stolen a bunch of jewels from Shylock.

Shakespeare for Dummies

court:
>we get half (the state), you get half (Antonio)

shylock:
>bro i cant live if you take away my means of living

antonio:
>let me keep my half (in use) until he dies at which point i will give it to lorenzo, but let him keep the half you planned to take.
>to repay this favor: Shylock must become a Christian, and promise to bequeath the half of the money I am letting him keep to his daughter upon his death

court:
>okay

shylock:
>okay

This must be why they invented emoji shakespeare--for retards like you, Mordecai

shylock never pleaded this, and thus it was never litigated; thus it is irrelevant

please dont step to me

>Antonio: lemme have half to lend out at will, even though this is the very thing I have been haranguing Shylock for
>Also, make him convert to Christianity, that when he does/dies [i.e. when he 'ends his life' as a Jew] the half I had you leave him goes to Lorenzo

>Court: sounds fair

>Shylock: Okay. Excuse me, I feel ill, please let me leave.

It is relevant because it is a crime, regardless if charges were pressed.

This is a comedy. Further, t's a Shakespearean comedy. None of the humor makes any sense if you take this scene and this dialogue straight and literal and on-the-level. The humor is in the irony and the hypocrisy. Shylock isn't a nice person, but he isn't pretending to be. The Christians are not only terrible people, they are trying to convince Shylock, and themselves, that what they are doing-- robbing a man of everything, including his religion--is mercy.

point 1.) Antonio literally staked his life on his friends venture, with no thought of reward (or return). The fact that he can invest his money (there are all sorts of speculation that don't involve usury, which is lending at a ruinous rate), rather than hold it in trust, doesn't somehow detract from his character. He'll probably use it to charter more trade expeditions.

point 2.) It's formally a comedy because it ends with a marriage. It's humorous because Portia was the lawyer, and the way Shylock gets reversal'd in the courtroom is good cause for hearty laughter. You live in an irony-saturated jew-culture; don't project your warped aesthetic sensibilities onto Shakespeare.

It was a dowry, and Jessica (daughter and heiress of the estate) was the thief- not Lorenzo. In Shylock's own words (as communicated via Salanio):
>A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats,
>Of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter!
>And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones,
>Stolen by my daughter! Justice! find the girl;
>She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats.'

And in case you're not convinced yet...
>Jessica:
>I will make fast the doors, and gild myself
>With some more ducats, and be with you straight.

>500 words

Are you in middle school?

i think its bait my dude
either that or he has takehome short answers

Antonio is a fool and a gull. All of his friends are deceitful money-grubbers. They use scripture and law to turn the language of contract to their advantage, as they use Antonio (a parodic Christ figure) and Shylock (a scapegoat) to obtain the material wealth they covet.

That Jessica was the one that literally secreted the money and jewels from Shylock's house doesn't absolve Lorenzo of his culpability. It certainly didn't prevent him from spending what he knew to be stolen.

It is not formerly a comedy, it is a comedy straight through. Very broad humor interspersed with a very sophisticated critique of Christian mores when it comes to wealth and happiness.

re: irony in Shakespeare

youtu.be/a2VVD6pND1g

It's his modus primus as a dramatist.

>doesn't absolve Lorenzo of his culpability
Lorenzo:
>I must needs tell thee all. She hath directed
>How I shall take her from her father's house,
>What gold and jewels she is furnish'd with,
complicity is a common law (anglosphere) principle.

>a very sophisticated critique of Christian mores when it comes to wealth and happiness.
Antonio:
>Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow
>By taking nor by giving of excess,
>Yet, to supply the ripe wants of my friend,
>I'll break a custom.

Just accept that Shakespeare was a Catholic, and took an opportunity to lionize his religion in an environment where it was increasingly unpopular.

Antonio (to Bassanio [aggregated]):
>be assured,
>My purse, my person, my extremest means,
>Lie all unlock'd to your occasions.

>Thou know'st that all my fortunes are at sea;
>Neither have I money nor commodity
>To raise a present sum: therefore go forth;
>Try what my credit can in Venice do:
>That shall be rack'd, even to the uttermost,
>To furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Portia.
>Go, presently inquire, and so will I,
>Where money is, and I no question make
>To have it of my trust or for my sake.

yeah, what an awful guy

>50 minute youtube video
no thanks. the dramatic irony is all in portia's action; how the tables turn on Shylock, and the affair with the ring.

There is NOTHING sympathetic about Shylock, who said this as a CRITICISM of Antonio:
>he was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy
the "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" monologue is literally just him playing the anti-semite card.
>I'm an asshole and everyone hates me for it oy vey it's another shoah!

You'd have a lot easier time arguing that Merchant was a feminist play than you would that it's in any way/shape/form a "critique" of Christian culture. You're viewing history through holocaust-tinted glasses.

Shakespeare was s Catholic on a country in which it was illegal to be a Catholic, you fucking idiot. If he were to publicly 'lionize' Catholicism he would have been arrested, tortured, and then executed.

>complicity is a common law (anglosphere) principle.

And who was Shakespeare's audience? Not the fucking Venetians.

>the "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" monologue is literally just him playing the anti-semite card.

Dude this wasn't written by hollywood and endorsed by jewish bankers post ww2 dumb shit, you have to look at it from Shakespears perspective. The church was breathing down shakespears neck his whole life and he maybe knew 1 or 2 jews

I'm not saying he's a sympathetic chatacter; I'm saying he's a scapegoat.

If Shakespeare wanted to write a typical jew-baiting piece, he would have wrote the Jew of Malta. But he didn't. He wrote The Merchant of Venice, whose very title leaves ambiguous who the protagonist/ antagonist actually is, as both Antonio AND Shylock are merchants, and it's their entanglement that drives the plot.

this board is a fucking embarrassment. professor rosenberg didnt do you any favors in your intro to shakespeare classes

and yet the play was set in venice
shakespeare wasnt retarded

>the point
>your head

its shylock playing the anti-semite card, not shakespeare

>im too stupid to formulate my own opinion so i read the introduction and adopted its points for my own

yeah but "playing the anti-semite card" was a legitimate card to play back then.

>and yet the play was set in venice
>shakespeare wasnt retarded

There aren't ant fixing deserts in Bohemia, not does it border a coastline, yet there it is in The Winter's Tale

>the point
>your head

Actually irony.

>im too stupid to formulate my own opinion so i read the introduction and adopted its points for my own

Two unintended uses in a row! You're getting good at this.

Are we done here?

This is the intro to my copy, by the way.

>be me
>quote the text
>make points that are demonstrably true and support them with evidence
>get REEE'd at by Veeky Forums retards with no foreskin

>be you
>have zero comprehension of English, theatre, dramatic convention or Shakespeare's place within the tradition
>take the most basic bitch, reductive reading of this particular play as canonical
>can't handle anyone with a differing opinion so I call them a jew and redt my case
>pat myself on the back for another job well done

read the book and stop being a pleb

>what is the selective exercise of artistic license
>what is it doesn't matter anyways because the whole point is that virtue isn't just about what is/isn't legal

>actually irony
no, its not. you obviously dont understand what irony is. if you think i got my opinion on the piece from some academicuck's commentary you're obviously wrong. i read it myself, and the intention is clear

no introductory essay? or was it at the end? or did you read it on jstor? or did you hear it in undergrad? either way, you have a garbage + milquetoast opinion on the play. It's not called "The Tragic History of the Jew of Venice" for a reason.

>make no argument other than "dude morality is complex bro" b/c reading your 21st century sensibilities into a hundreds-of-years-old piece
>still make no argument

Neither Antonio, nor Portia, did anything wrong.
Shylock is unsalvageable

Portia was racist this book is problematic don't post it.

did you know jews in those days were kangclownwitchez and that the ratsmetaphor came later, around winter? now your nutsobad with your racism are you, chinknogook. #dontdodrugstheygetsowordie