Merchant Of Venice - Tumblr Posts

we're doing The Merchant of Venice and why do I lowkey fw shylock. my brother in christ I'd do the same. he's been discriminated against systematically, shunned, isolated, belittled, had his emotions and thoughts regarded as below consideration. of COURSE he won't be 100% unbiased !!!!!! he said HIMSELF (act 4, scene 1) that he is NOT claiming any moral superiority. he KNOWS he's emotional and not perfect at all, but neither are they (arguably he's the BETTER one moral-wise than Antonio/Bassanio).

OBVIOUSLY HE DOESN'T NEED A POUND OF FLESH FOR A PRACTICAL PURPOSE !!!!

"If you had offered me 6 thousand ducats [double his original loan] or my bond [pound of flesh], I'd choose the bond."

HE'S ACTING OUT OF SPITE AND NEVER FUCKING DENIED IT. HE HAS EMOTIONS, HE HAS ANGER AND PAIN AND FEAR.

and for that I ADMIRE HIM. everyone else brushes off their own faults, their biases, has a crowd of aristocrats-- white, Catholic, straight billionaires on their side, someone to contest every single word coming out of Shylock's mouth and claim that he's "cold hearted, cruel, unforgiving."

the islamophobia/antisemitism is RAMPANT in this play to the point I feel almost physically ill. I'm not even fucking Jewish, but I'm queer, mentally ill and disabled- not exactly favoured by society either as someone "palatable" or remotely "normal."

I mean OBVIOUSLY I might get people saying "shylock was a cruel, heartless character he literally wanted Antonio dead for trying to reach his love" I DONT CARE !!! DOOOONT CAREEEE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my opinion on a FICTIONAL story. obviously this would be so much more different if it was a real crime case or whatever but yeah. I believe he should've gotten a little bit of Blood of His Enemies. as a treat. a little at least

can we also talk about how much everyone praises Portia and Antonio in Merchant of Venice please? They're racist n anti-semitic. Why does everyone keep praising them so much?? Why does everyone find Shylock so horrible for trying to kill the guy who SPIT on him, called him a dog, manipulated his friends into hating him, kicked him and so on??

I want Shylock to get that pound of flesh from Antonio. I want Portia to die. I want to give Shylock a hug and I wanna scream at my English teacher cause she (most likely) hates Jews and keeps defending that idiot Antonio.

I totally agree. There's a lot of stories that are amazing and quickly discounted because they're old.

When COVID-19 caused the shutdown in the US, school was still on, but the needed time investment tanked for the end of the school year. This gave me a lot of time to read, and I read a whole lot of Shakespeare's plays.

While some were skipped (Rape of Lucreta was not something I was going near), some were lighthearted (Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona), some were traditional comedies (Winter's Tale), and some were unquestionably tragedies (Romeo and Juliet, King Lear).

And some plays were very obviously products of the political culture of the time (fun fact, in Henry VI, the actress who plays La Pucelle (Jeanne d'Arc) in Part 1 usually also plays Queen Margaret in later parts, because they're both the "villainous women" in the play). Richard III is very obviously pro-Tudor, and the political climate in Hamlet's Elsinor more closely resembles England's court of the time than any contemporary Danish court.

Other plays are most definitely not something publishable today. And this is okay, as long as we (the readers) understand that the attitudes expressed, while prevalent in Shakespeare's time, are no longer acceptable. Othello and Merchant of Venice are definitely the most obvious examples of this, though Prospero's treatment of Caliban and Ariel in the Tempest are also questionable. (None of these plays are accurate representations of real people, or groups of people. However, it is important to note that Shakespeare gives these characters more depth than any of his contemporaries.)

Shakespeare remains one of the most impressive authors of his day, and truly an extraordinary playwright. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while some of his work hasn't aged well, it remains important to teach his work in schools, and the content that hasn't aged well, and the content that is obviously politically biased, remain important to teach as well. (Please hear me out before commenting/bashing)

Shakespeare's Henry VI presents an English perspective on events of the 100 Year War, and due to this perspective introduces narrative bias, which is especially present in the character of La Pucelle, who readers will be more familiar with as Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc). Joan, in the modern understanding of events, was a female civilian who joined the French in working to fight against the English, and was eventually burned at the stake. In the religious context, she has since been canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. However, in the play, she is written as a witch who is also (in colloquial terms) "sleeping her way to the top." Because Shakespeare is being sponsored by the English crown, and thus must support the English side in his "History" on the war, he has Joan represent a malevolent force.

Even more interesting is that Richard III, about the War of the Roses, has had elements (that could actually be just propaganda, there's not enough historical evidence either way) become part of the prevailing historical narrative. Specifically, the "boys in the tower" story, about how he arranged to have his nephews killed.

Othello could never work in the modern day, but it is representative of historical attitudes. Despite these attitudes, Othello remains a very real character, who, while incredibly competent at his job, remains open to manipulation. Iago takes advantage of social isolation and fear to exacerbate jealousy, and Othello remains a man who is deeply in love. While there are issues with racial attitudes in the story, it could serve as an important lesson about manipulation. Iago finds what Othello cares about (Desdemona), helps to set up the idea that Othello should no longer be secure in Desdemona's love for him, and helps the situation to blow up in Othello's face, so Iago can have what he wants (the job of Cassio, who he sets up as the "other man" in the supposed affair). The lesson that people may not always have your best interests at heart can be a hard one, and is often overlooked by detractors of the play.

Merchant of Venice might paint Shylock as it's villain, but he gets the opportunity to leave the audience with a line that emphasizes the equality of all humanity ("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?"). Additionally, he is remarkably three-dimensional by the end, which makes him much more intriguing as a character, and increases the attention the audience pays to the validity of his lines.

TL;DR, even some of the more "problematic" of Shakespeare's plays remain relevant today (and important to read), even if no longer for the same reasons as before.

(Exit Stage Right, pursued by a bear)

This is how it feels to read a classic that everyone in the world has already read and loves

You're all dramatic as hell this Shakespeare shit goes hard

I am baffled by the uncertainty of the next moment. It wouldn't be a big deal if right now I am sitting in a comfortable blanket, all warm and happy and the next moment, the world comes crashing down upon me. In the worst way possible.

I might be enjoying my most favourite song on the radio, and the next moment my heart may give up. In a literal way.

I might be thanking God, at this particular moment, of all I have, and the next moment I receive a call of a loved one gone.

I might be walking down the meadow breathing fresh air, and next moment my leg may slip, breaking me(and my leg) in the worst way possible.

I might be eating my favourite food right now, and the next moment, I may choke to death, when some particle constricts my trachea.

Such uncertainty in life and still I have such big plans, and continue to make some everyday. This uncertainty clouds my mind in the worst way possible. And probably this was the reason of Antonio's melancholy as well as mine.

Antonio and Bassanio from the merchant of Venice are a #1 example of “historians say they had a very close friendship “

Initially thought Succession would be like King Lear/Hamlet but it turned out to be Titus Andronicus/Merchant of Venice