THESIS: The high-class environment of Belmont and Portia’s elevated status allow her to address those different from her with frivolity and jokes since she has nothing to lose where they are concerned while Shylock is subject to the physicality and rawness of true xenophobia due to the fact that he and the common Venetians stand on nearly equal ground.
Q: How does the theme of love and betrayal inform how Portia’s relationships condemn her to a cycle of misfortune? T: Portia manipulates those whom she loves and who love her to play the system, which ultimately condemns her to a cycle of misfortune.
Question: Is Shylock the villain of The Merchant of Venice? What is Shylock’s role in a modern interpretation of the play?
Thesis: Although Shylock may have been considered a villain to older audiences due to the exaggerated nature of his character, a modern interpretation of Shylock would find him a very sympathetic character, a victim of great persecution merely lashing out against an unjust world.
Q: Which characters possess the most control throughout the play, men or women?
T: By acknowledging the limitations of a woman’s influence in the Elizabethan era, Portia and Nerissa find creative ways to manipulate their circumstances to maximize power, and in doing so, prove to have more control over the course of the text than their male counterparts.
Question: How does Portia’s language in the casket scenes reveal the level of control she has over the situation? Does the language indicate that her level of control changes with different suitors or does it stay the same?
Thesis: The contrast between the casual and ironic language Portia uses when addressing her princely suitors and her overly emotional speeches in Bassanio’s casket scene demonstrates that she possesses a lot of control over which casket the suitors choose, but gives up that control when it comes to Bassanio because she is afraid of making the wrong decision.
Shlock becomes the villain in the Merchant of Venice because his priorities as a father, and his reasoning for taking a pound of Antonio's flesh outlay the maltreatment that has come to him. -Aidan
How does Shylock's identity and influence change over time?
Fueled by Antonio’s hate, Shylock’s lack of self-control causes him to snap and begin a downward spiral into depression and of loss of identity, stripping him of all influence he once had.
How does Portia interact with men as a woman v as a man, and who holds the power?
As a man, Portia uses direct and forceful language in the court to assert her command of the proceedings; whereas, as a woman, she uses guile and her sexuality to manipulate her husband when she is once again a woman.
Do the female characters conform or defy gender norms by both Elizabethan and contemporary standards?
The women of Merchant of Venice defy gender norms by assuming the man’s role in the tale Patient Griselda, rebelling against their fathers’ wishes, and garnering respect from others without the disguise of a man.
To what extent do laws and rules inform Portia’s decisions and actions?
From the beginning to the end of the play laws and rules essentially dictate Portia’s every action though she does whatever it takes to get what she wants despite them.
Fueled by Antonio’s hate, Shylock’s lack of self-control causes him to snap and begin a downward spiral into a loss of identity, stripping him of all influence he once had.
How does Portia interact with men as a woman v as a man, and who has control?
As a man, Portia uses direct and forceful language in the court to assert her command of the proceedings; whereas, she uses guile and her sexuality to manipulate her husband in a manner that shows that she still has control of the scene when she is a woman instead of a man.
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THESIS: The high-class environment of Belmont and Portia’s elevated status allow her to address those different from her with frivolity and jokes since she has nothing to lose where they are concerned while Shylock is subject to the physicality and rawness of true xenophobia due to the fact that he and the common Venetians stand on nearly equal ground.
Q: How does the theme of love and betrayal inform how Portia’s relationships condemn her to a cycle of misfortune?
T: Portia manipulates those whom she loves and who love her to play the system, which ultimately condemns her to a cycle of misfortune.
Question: Is Shylock the villain of The Merchant of Venice? What is Shylock’s role in a modern interpretation of the play?
Thesis: Although Shylock may have been considered a villain to older audiences due to the exaggerated nature of his character, a modern interpretation of Shylock would find him a very sympathetic character, a victim of great persecution merely lashing out against an unjust world.
Q: Which characters possess the most control throughout the play, men or women?
T: By acknowledging the limitations of a woman’s influence in the Elizabethan era, Portia and Nerissa find creative ways to manipulate their circumstances to maximize power, and in doing so, prove to have more control over the course of the text than their male counterparts.
Question: How does Portia’s language in the casket scenes reveal the level of control she has over the situation? Does the language indicate that her level of control changes with different suitors or does it stay the same?
Thesis: The contrast between the casual and ironic language Portia uses when addressing her princely suitors and her overly emotional speeches in Bassanio’s casket scene demonstrates that she possesses a lot of control over which casket the suitors choose, but gives up that control when it comes to Bassanio because she is afraid of making the wrong decision.
-Renee
Is Shylock a hero or a Villain?
Shlock becomes the villain in the Merchant of Venice because his priorities as a father, and his reasoning for taking a pound of Antonio's flesh outlay the maltreatment that has come to him.
-Aidan
How does Shylock's identity and influence change over time?
Fueled by Antonio’s hate, Shylock’s lack of self-control causes him to snap and begin a downward spiral into depression and of loss of identity, stripping him of all influence he once had.
How does Portia interact with men as a woman v as a man, and who holds the power?
As a man, Portia uses direct and forceful language in the court to assert her command of the proceedings; whereas, as a woman, she uses guile and her sexuality to manipulate her husband when she is once again a woman.
-Gray
Do the female characters conform or defy gender norms by both Elizabethan and contemporary standards?
The women of Merchant of Venice defy gender norms by assuming the man’s role in the tale Patient Griselda, rebelling against their fathers’ wishes, and garnering respect from others without the disguise of a man.
To what extent do laws and rules inform Portia’s decisions and actions?
From the beginning to the end of the play laws and rules essentially dictate Portia’s every action though she does whatever it takes to get what she wants despite them.
What is the significance of Shylock's treatment at the end of the play?
When compared to the fairytale ending of the "main" characters, Shylock's unjust treatment sends the message that justice is not truly just.
Fueled by Antonio’s hate, Shylock’s lack of self-control causes him to snap and begin a downward spiral into a loss of identity, stripping him of all influence he once had.
How does Portia interact with men as a woman v as a man, and who has control?
As a man, Portia uses direct and forceful language in the court to assert her command of the proceedings; whereas, she uses guile and her sexuality to manipulate her husband in a manner that shows that she still has control of the scene when she is a woman instead of a man.
-Gray
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