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Q1: How does Shakespeare portray friendship to be noble and true in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Q1: How does Shakespeare portray friendship to be noble and true in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Write 2 PEEAL paragraphs to answer this question. Write your question number as well as the names of the pair doing this question.

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Q2: How does Shakespeare prioritise love and attraction above other relationships in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Q2: How does Shakespeare prioritise love and attraction above other relationships in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Write 2 PEEAL Paragraphs to answer this question. Write the question number and the pair name.

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P: Shakespeare portrays love and attraction over family ties in the Merchant of Venice.

E: Shakespeare explores how love and attraction can clash with blood relations. In a typical household, a daughter was expected to remain loyal to her family until marriage. However, Jessica’s love for Lorenzo drives her to abandon both her father and her religion, eloping with him and converting to his faith.

E+A: This can be seen from Jessica's elopement with Lorenzo. Jessica says in Act 2 Scene 3, "Oh, how terrible it is that I am ashamed to be my father's child... I shall become a Christian, and your loving wife."

Shakespeare also uses the literary device diction. The diction “ashamed” shows that Jessica was willing to leave her father and her old religion in order to pursue a new identity defined by her love for Lorenzo. This shows how much more important love was compared to family ties in Jessica's eyes.

Shakespeare uses the literary device irony in Jessica's words. The irony is that Jessica rejected her father and his spiritual beliefs and declared that she will convert to Christianity for love. Through irony, Shakespeare questions the extent to which love can compel Jessica to reject her father and renounce her former faith.

L: Thus, Shakespeare shows that love and attraction is powerful enough to override family loyalty and religious identity. This shows the impact that romantic love has on traditional bonds.

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Q3: How does Shakespeare depict racial discrimination in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Q3: How does Shakespeare depict racial discrimination in the play Merchant of Venice? 

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Write 2 PEEAL paragraphs to answer this question. Write the question number and the pair name.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy or supremacy. Shakespeare uses diction and irony to show that Christian is always above the Jews. In the passage, Antonio told Shylock that 'I am sure that I shall probably call you dog again, spit on you and turn my back on you.' The diction dog highlights the cruelty of Antonio, who was a Christian, with his prejudice through his abuse of Shylock. This shows how hatred of Christian to Jews is normalized and legitimized. In the passage, Shylock also said 'I am sure that I will probably call you dog again' The diction 'dog' shows the prejudice of Christians towards the jews were normalized. The word dog is often treated at something that is unclean worthless. This shows how Antonio is dehumanizing Shylock, this shows how Christian is authoritative towards the jews, as the Christian compares the Jews as if they are worthless like a dog.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination by highlighting the cruelty of Christian prejudice through their abuse of Shylock. He uses diction, "call you dog", to show how hatred towards Jews is normalized and legitamised, comparing them to animals and treating them as inhuman. From the text, Antonio openly admits to Shylock, "I am sure that I will probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you". From this, I can infer that Antonio looks down on Jews, and he does not even mince his words before mocking Shylock, a Jew, showing how marginalized Jews like Shylock feel in dominant Christian society.

Shakespeare also uses the hyperbole, "No, take my life and everything!", through Shylock's line after he is forced to convert, leaving Shylock to groan about his fate, showing how defeated Shylock feels as he is forced to change his religion entirely, changing him as a person himself when he does not even want to, and that he has no choice and no say over the superior Christian. From the text, Shylock laments, "No, take my life and everything! Don't leave me just with that!". This shows my how prejudice reflects the deep divisions between justice, religion and humanity, and how being discriminated leaves Jews such as Shylock stripped of identity, wealth and dignity as superior races such as Christianity stay superior over the hated Jews, showing how badly Shylock was treated in the Merchant of Venice through racial discrimination.

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Shakespeare portrays racial discrimination through the cruelty of Christian prejudice through their abuse of Shylock. The evidence of 'I am sure that I will probably call you 'dog' again' The diction of 'dog' shows how hatred and prejudice of Christians against Jews are normalized and legitimated. The word dog is commonly associated with uncleanliness and low life, hence showing just how lowly Antonio views Shylock as, hence verbally abusing him. Antonio's views also portray and generalise the views of majority of Christians against Jews as unclean and unworthy of mercy or anything of good quality. The disrespect and dehumanisation of Shylock show the high levels of discrimination of Jews in Venice. Secondly, the evidence of disgraced me, made fun of my winnings and laughed at my losses" shows how bitter and cruel Antonio and Christians in general treat Jews like Shylock. The disgracement and how Antonio belittles him show how much they disrespect Shylock, further enhancing Christian prejudice. Hence, he portrays racial discrimination.

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P: Shakespeare depicts friendship as a bond of sacrifice, most clearly in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio through hyperbole and foreshadowing.

E: This suggests that friendship in the play is not casual but something deep and binding. Antonio values Bassanio’s happiness above his own safety, showing that true friendship involves selflessness and personal risk. By making Antonio so willing to endanger himself, Shakespeare portrays it as more precious than wealth, business, or even life itself.

E+A: The evidence "You know that I would do anything I can for you" shows hyperbole that Antonio offers his money and his life to his friend Bassanio. This establishes friendship as selfless and noble, elevating it above business concerns. Later, even when Bassanio begs him not to sign the bond, Antonio insists: "Yes Shylock, I will sign this bond." This highlights the fact that true friendship is tested under extreme pressure, yet Antonio's loyalty remains unwavering and he remains steadfast. Antonio's loyalty persists, showing that friendship can demand immense personal cost. His insistence also foreshadows the danger he’ll face later when the bond becomes life-threatening.

L: To link it up, Shakespeare uses Antonio and Bassanio to portray how true friendship can be selfless, loyal and sacrificial even when facing death.

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P: Shakespeare portrays love and attraction over family ties in the Merchant of Venice.

E: Shakespeare explores how love and attraction can clash with blood relations. In a typical household, a daughter was expected to remain loyal to her family until marriage. However, Jessica’s love for Lorenzo drives her to abandon both her father and her religion, eloping with him and converting to his faith.

E+A: This can be seen from Jessica's elopement with Lorenzo. Jessica says in Act 2 Scene 3, "Oh, how terrible it is that I am ashamed to be my father's child... I shall become a Christian, and your loving wife."

Shakespeare uses the literary device irony in Jessica's words. The irony is that Jessica rejected her father and his spiritual beliefs and declared that she will convert to Christianity for love. Through irony, Shakespeare questions the extent to which love can compel Jessica to reject her father and renounce her former faith.

Shakespeare also uses the literary device diction. The diction “ashamed” shows that Jessica was willing to leave her father and her old religion in order to pursue a new identity defined by her love for Lorenzo. This shows how much more important love was compared to family ties in Jessica's eyes.

L: Thus, Shakespeare shows that love and attraction is powerful enough to override family loyalty and religious identity. This shows the impact that romantic love has on traditional bonds.

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Shakespeare portrays friendship as noble by presenting it s a bond of sacrifice, most clearly in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio. In Act 1 Scene 1, Antonio readily offers his life and money, saying, "You know that I would do anything I can for you." The diction of "anything" emphasises how there is no limit to what Antonio would give to Bassanio in order to assist him. This establishes friendship as a bond of self sacrifice and selflessness, elevating it above business concerns. In Act 4 Scene 1, Antonio bids Bassanio farewell during the trial, saying "Fortune has saved me from this long, painful path to death. Give my greetings to your wife." The alliteration of "painful path" showcases how Antonio believes that he does not regret sacrificing his life to help Bassanio and that he would rather die sacrificing himself for his friend than to continue living with the guilt of not having done so. This shows how he is willing to die a noble death, rather then leaving his friend to suffer, he embraces death with serenity, showing how friendship ennobles sacrifice. Therefore, I can say that Shakespeare portrays friendship as noble through Antonio's selflessness and willingness to sacrifice himself for his friend Bassanio.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy. The Duke himself calls Shylock "a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy." Yet later, Christians deny mercy to Shylock, forcing him to convert - showing selective compassion. This irony shows how hypocritical Christians were, the Duke saying that Shylock does not show any mercy, yet Christians also denied mercy towards Shylock, forcing him to convert to a Christian. This also shows that the Christians preach mercy but do not practice it. Hence, Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy.

Shakespeare also depicts racial discrimination through Christian supremacy. Shakespeare highlights the cruelty of Christian prejudice through their abuse of Shylock. Antonio openly admits: "I am sure that I shall probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you." This shows how hatred between Christians and Jews are normalised and legitamised. The diction in "dog" suggests that Antonio is dehumanising Shylock, calling Shylock, a human being, an animal. This means that Antonio thinks he was superior to Shylock, looking down on him, showing the hatred between Antonio, a Christian, and Shylock, a Jew. Hence, Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian supremacy.

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Shakespear prioritises friendship over love using diction and visual imagery. Through Antonio's speech in Act 1 scene 1, he says " You know that I would do anything I can for you". There is diction in the word "anything", as Antonio would go to extreme extents to help Bassanio. This shows that Antonio’s friendship is like unconditional loyalty. It feels more powerful than romantic love, which in the play comes across as uncertain and sometimes selfish. By focusing on sacrifice, Shakespeare makes friendship seem like the real bond that proves who actually cares. Shakespear presents friendship as a band of sacrifice, mostly clearly in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio. This shows that friendship is selfless, making it more important than love. Through Bassanio's anguish in the trail scene, Shakespear suggests that friendship can outweigh love. There is visual imagery used when Bassanio says "give him the ring and bring him, if you can, to Antonio's house". Bassanio is willing to sacrifice the ring that Portia gave him and made him promise that he would not give or sell the ring. At first, he did not want to give the lawyer ( Portia ) the ring, but in the end he valued friendship more than his love for Portia. This highlights how Shakespeare challenges the usual idea of marriage being the strongest bond, showing instead that friendship can override social and romantic commitments. This shows that Bassanio's dedication to Antonio is very strong, suggesting that friendship is prioritised over love.

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Shakespeare portrays love and attraction as above other relationships through revealing how love can lead to defiance of family and tradition. Shakespeare shows inside the play how love can lead to the defiance of family relations through Jessica abandoning her father and completely defying her relationship with him, instead choosing to run away to spend the rest of her life with her lover, Lorenzo, instead. This is evident from the play which states "But although I am his daughter in blood, I am certainly not like his daughter in the way we live our lives." and "Oh Lorenzo, if you keep your promise, all this will be over. I shall become a Christian, and your loving wife!". Shakespeare uses contrast to show how even though Jessica is Shylock's daughter in blood, she doesn't feel like she acts a lot like her father, thus resenting the way he acts and wanting to abandon him and their father-daughter relationship for Lorenzo instead. Shakespeare also uses the diction 'loving' to show that Jessica is dedicated to their relationship, and is willing to abandon her father and their relationship in order to marry Lorenzo and spend their lives together. It also shows how love in this case demands the sacrifice of family bonds and religion, showcasing how it can be disruptive to one's life, drastically changing how one lives. Thus, this shows how Shakespeare portrays love and attraction above other relationships by showing how love can make one turn away from family relationships.

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Shakespeare depicts friendship as a bond of sacrifice, which is most clearly in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio. "You know that I would do anything I can for you". Antonio readily offers his money and even his life for Bassanio, showing the depth in the friendship between Bassanio and Antonio. This establishes friendship as selfless and noble, elevating it above business concerns. Antonio is so loyal to Bassanio that he is concerned about and prioritises the well-being of Bassanio over his own personal needs and welfare. Friendship is also idealised as selfless and enduring. Antonio bids Bassanio farewell : "Fortune has saved me from this long, painful path to death. Give my greetings to your wife". Antonio embraces death with serenity, showing how friendship ennobles sacrifice. Moreover, Antonio did not blame Bassanio for the circumstances that brought him to the brink of death. All in all, Shakespeare uses Antonio and Bassanio to depict how true friendship is a noble and selfless bond.

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How does Shakespeare depict racial discrimination in the play of Merchant of Venice?

Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy, supremacy and dehumanisation. The Christians believe that they are better than the Jews. The irony "a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy" shows how although the Duke calls Shylock heartless, he and the other Christians deny mercy to Shylock, forcing him to convert, simultaneously ostracizing him. They talk about how Shylock is merciless although they themselves are merciless in his punishment,, thus highlighting their hypocrisy. The diction "dog", "spit", in "I am sure that I shall probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you" highlights the cruelty of the Christian prejudice through their abuse. This shows how hatred is normalised and legitimised by the Christian majority. Hence, Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through contradictions and degradation.

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Shakespeare prioritises love and attraction above all other relationships in the play. Firstly, Jessica's elopement with Lorenzo reveals how love can lead to defiance of family and tradition. This is evident from Jessica's statement, "Oh, how terrible it is that I am ashamed to be my father's child... I shall become a Christian, and your loving wife." This shows that to Jessica, love is more important than anything else, for example, family ties. Love here demands sacrifice of family bonds and religion, all of which Jessica was willing to sacrifice in order to elope with her true love, Lorenzo. Secondly, love in the play is shown through risk and sacrifice from all of Portia's suitors. The casket test demands suitors to "risk everything", emphasising the love Bassanio had for Portia to want to put himself at the risk of choosing the wrong casket and not being able to marry anyone else ever again. It showed how Bassanio was willing to sacrifice that for trying to choose the right casket.

Shakespeare portrays friendship above love and attraction. This is shown through the quote by Bassanio, "But life itself, my wife, and all the world are not more important to me than your life. I would give everything to this devil, to save you." This quote emphasises how Bassanio prioritises his best friend, Antonio, before anyone or anything else, love and attraction for his wife included. The diction of "everything" shows how Bassanio was willing to give anything for his friendship with Antonio. This shows how Shakespeare does not prioritise love and attraction above other relationships in the play, but prioritises friendship instead. It is also evident from the quote, "I shall hurry away", where Bassanio delays his marriage with Portia in order to go for Antonio's trial. This shows that Bassanio prioritises his friendship with Antonio over his love and attraction to Portia, even delaying his marriage to Portia, emphasizing how Shakespeare portrays friendship above love.

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Shakespeare portrays racial discrimination between the Christians and Shylock through cruelty of Christian prejudice throghh their abuse of shylock. Antonio openly admits "I am sure that i will probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you" The diction of "I am sure" and "again" of Antonio's certainty shows how the Christians hatred for the jews are normalisedd and legitimised. Hence showing the Christiann Supremacy over the jews.

Furthermore, the duke calls Shylock :"a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy" There is irony in the sentence as although the duke asks Shylock for mercy, yet when the duke asks for Shylock's mercy, Antonio told him to convert into a Christian. This cruelty has shown the Christian Hypocrisy and irony as although the duke asks Shylock to give mercy, later when Shylock is being given maximum punishment, no one gives any mercy to him. Through this 2 evidences, can there be shown the racial discrimination of the jews in venetian society through christian hypocrisy and supremacy

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Q1

P: Shakespeare depicts friendship as a bond of sacrifice, most clearly in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassiano.

E: In the play, Antonio is portrayed as a character who places friendship above everything else, Antonio was able to lend money to Bassiano for him to court Portia, and later on risk his own life for Bassiano's sake.

E+A: Shakespeare uses diction "do anything" in "You know that I would do anything I can for you" to illustrate how Antonio readily offers his money and even his life. This establishes friendship as selfless and noble, elevating it above business concerns. Shakespeare also uses diction "yes, Shylock, I will sign this bond" to convey how even while the friendship between Antonio and Bassiano was being tested under pressure when Antonio was asked to sign the bond, he remained steadfast and insisted on signing the bond. This shows how Antonio's continued loyalty, showing that friendship can demand immense cost.

L: Therefore, Shakespeare presents friendship to be selfless and noble

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy and supremacy. The irony of the duke calling Shylock " a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy, " while later Antonio punishes Shylock by forcing him to convert into a Christian. While Christians preach about how showing mercy is an important Christian value, however, when they punished Shylock, showing of mercy was denied towards him as Christians took revenge against him by forcing him to convert against his own will. The showing of selective compassion towards Shylock, contradicts Christian teachings of love and forgiveness by being bias and hypocritical towards him as they themselves do not practice mercy as what they say. Additionally, the diction of "dog" and "spit", in " I am sure that I shall probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you, " highlights that Christians don't see jews like Shylock as human beings. Christians believe that they are superior towards jews and degrades them by calling Shylock an animal and spitting on him. Christians don't view Shylock as a person, looking down and dehumanising him as one. The hatred against jews are normalised and legitimised that they are willing to humiliate Shylock and even call him insults again. Therefore, this shows that Shakespeare depicts the racial discrimination against jews by the Christian hypocrisy and supremacy they show.

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Shakespeare depicts friendship to be noble through presenting it as a bond of sacrifice which is most clearly seen in Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio. In Act 1, Scene 1, " You know that I would do anything I can for you". The diction of "anything" shows how Antonio is willing to sacrifice anything he can for Bassanio and readily offers his money and even his life just for him. Antonio's sacrificial actions for Bassanio establishes their friendship as selfless and noble, elevating it above business concerns. Friendship is also idealized as selfless and enduring, contrasting with self-interested ties. In Act 4 scene 1, " Fortune has saved me from this long, painful path to death. Give my greetings to your wife" This is ironic as at first, Antonio did not expect to have to pay the price of the bond and had full confidence he did not need to pay the full price and in the end he had to pay the price. However, he did not once blame Bassanio and took the punishment for himself, willing to sacrifice his own life for him since Bassanio was able to get the lover he had wished for. Antonio embraces death with serenity, which shows how friendship ennobles sacrifice.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination in the play through hypocrisy by highlighting how hypocritical Christians can be. The Duke even calls Shylock “a very hard man who doesn’t care about others and has no mercy at all.” But later, the Christians themselves refuse to show him mercy, forcing him to convert, which shows they only practice compassion when it suits them. This irony highlights their hypocrisy — the Duke accuses Shylock of lacking mercy, yet the Christians also deny him mercy in the end. It shows that they preach about mercy but don’t actually live by it. So, Shakespeare is showing racial discrimination through how the Christians act so hypocritically.

Shakespeare shows racial discrimination by pointing out Christian hypocrisy. The Duke even calls Shylock “a very hard man who doesn’t care about others and has no mercy at all.” But later, the Christians themselves refuse to show him mercy, forcing him to convert, which shows they only practice compassion when it suits them. This irony highlights their hypocrisy — the Duke accuses Shylock of lacking mercy, yet the Christians also deny him mercy in the end. It shows that they preach about mercy but don’t actually live by it. So, Shakespeare is showing racial discrimination through how the Christians act so hypocritically.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination in the play of Merchant Of Venice by highlighting the Christian's supremacy and hypocrisy. This is shown in the play using irony when the Duke calls Shylock "a very hard man who does not care about who does not have the smallest drop of mercy" but then later denied mercy to Shylock, punishing him and forcing him to convert. This shows that although the Christians had already demanded mercy from Shylock, they are hypocritical in their belief of mercy and when it was time to decide on Shylock's punishment, not only did they sentenced him with many punishments, they forced him to convert from being a Jew to being a Christian, which is totally unfair and unreasonable for Shylock. This shows the selective compassion Christians have towards their own religion and when facing the Jews, disregard all their beliefs and become hypocritical of everything. This therefore shows the Christians hypocrisy, showing that they believe they themselves are the upper class and can treat themselves with mercy but with others, treat them with the justice they deserve. The Christians' supremacy and hypocrisy is also depicted when the play used the diction of "dog" and "spit" when Antonio told Shylock "I am sure that I shall probably call you dog again, spit on you and turn my back on you". The diction "dog" highlights the amount of hatred the Christians have towards the Jews to not even criticize them with human traits but call them an animal, showing the huge amount of disrespect. The diction of "spit" shows that Antonio has a deep level of disrespect towards Shylock to do such an offensive act. Although Shylock wanted to lend the money to Antonio, Antonio still said those stuff which shows the genuine hatred Antonio has towards Shylock, and also shows that the hatred is normalized and legitimized. This emphasizes the Christians' hypocrisy and supremacy as they believe that they are of higher standard and of a higher class as they are allowed to just disrespect the Jews like that and insult them. Hence, Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination in the play of Merchant Of Venice by highlighting the Christian's supremacy and hypocrisy.

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Q3

Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy and supremacy. The trial scene serves to depict the ironic decision made in court that led to Shylock, who had always been the aggressor, being the victim at the end of the play - he lost everything he had and had to convert to his religion to Christianity by the demand of Antonio. The irony is evident from Act 4, in the trial scene Portia elevates mercy as divine. "Mercy falls like gentle rain from the skies onto the ground below...It blesses those that give it, and those that take it". However, her words contradicted to her actions. It is ironic that she doesn't stop Antonio from his absurd demands to punish Shylock by converting his religion - which he deemed as mercy. This shows how Portia was also supportive of the discrimination against Jews. Just like every other Christian in the court, Portia did not stand up to Antonio's idiotic request. Portia did not display mercy by defending Shylock in fact, she supported Antonio's demand which contracts to her speech of the importance of showing mercy. Additionally, Antonio adds harsh conditions to Shylock’s survival beside the punishment already given by law. The Duke confirms Antonio's request and said “He(Shylock) must do this, or I shall not give the mercy that I promised.” The diction "mercy" is ironic as the "mercy" given by the Duke was for Shylock to immediately convert to "Christian, and that he makes a will giving everything he has to his son Lorenzo and his daughter when he dies". If Shylock does not agree to the punishment given at the mercy of the Duke, his life will be taken instead. This left Shylock with no choice but to admit defeat. Once again, the Jews are depicted to have fallen to their knees and acknowledge defeat to Christianity. This moment shows Christian supremacy at its height where mercy is conditional upon Shylock’s forced conversion and the loss of his legacy to a Christian son-in-law. The ironic is shown in how the Venice Law could allow for such brutal punishment to be considered as mercy by Chrisitan who are supposedly meant to be god-like and compassionate. In conclusion, Shakespeare vividly portray racial prejudice through predomination of Chrisitan population in Venice society.

Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through verbal abuse and dehumanising actions. When Antonio - a Christian, interact with Shylock - a Jew, racial prejudice can be seen in how he humiliate and treat Shylock worse than an animal. This is evident in Act 1, where Antonio replied to Shylock when borrowing money from him "I am sure that I shall call you 'dog' again, spit on you". The diction 'again' conveys how Antonio has already called Shylock derogatory terms numerous times before and claims he will continue to do so. This illustrates how Antonio exhibits a racial superiority complex, as he does not respect Shylock as a human and calls him rude, belittling names. Additionally, the diction "spits" evokes a sense of disgust and distaste. It is a physical action typically done to harass and disrespect others. This showcases how Antonio looks down on Shylock, constantly mistreating and emitting hostility towards him. He treats Shylock like he is an animal, stripping him of his humanity. Antonio finds Shylock unworthy of his respect which can be seen in how Antonio looks down on Shylock for being a different religion and having a lower social status. In conclusion, by belittling and disrespecting Jews like Shylock, Antonio reveals his religious prejudice views.

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shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy and supremacy. this can be scene through act 4 scene 1, where the duke himself calls shylock "a very hard man who does not care about other people. he does not have the smallest drop of mercy." this shows how they mention shylock as one who is merciless and lacks empathy for others. yet later, the Christians deny mercy to shylock forcing him to "become a Christian and make a will giving everything to his son lorenzo and his daughter jessica after he dies" and the duke asks shylock to "give half of his possessions to Antonio and the other half to the city..." the irony highlights how the Christians in the play preach about giving others mercy as it is an important christian value, while not giving shylock mercy during his punishment, giving him inhumane punishments that goes against his religion and stripping him entirely of his dignity and identity. This suggests how two faced the christians in this scene are.

Shakespeare portrays racial discrimination through verbal and physical abuse. In the merchant of venice act 1, shakespeare paints vivid picture of how the others in the play treat shylock, from calling shylock names like “devil”, “cut-thorat dog” to physically assaulting him. In act 1 scene 1, shylock voices out his inner thoughts. “You call me a cut-throat dog – someone who unfairly takes from others. You spit on my Jewish coat. And all this is because of how I use my own money.” the metaphor of “cut-throat dog” compares shylock to that of a dog. By this comparison, Antonio strips shylock’s identity entirely. This was not just a mere insult, but a deliberate reduction of personhood to that of an animal. Furthermore, it goes against his religion as dogs are seen as unclean. This strips shylock entirely of his identity as a jew. “…shall probably call you ‘dog’ again, spit on you and turn my back on you.” the diction of “again” shows how this name calling and physical assault will happen numerous times. It further emphasizes the repetitive nature of the name-calling and physical assault. It suggests that antonio will allow these harmful actions to occur multiple times, highlighting a cycle of abuse or conflict between religions, in this case, between Christians and jews. This diction choice intensifies the sense of ongoing hostility and the likelihood that the abusive behavior is not going to be a one-time event but rather a recurring pattern.

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy and supremacy. This is seen in the contradiction between Christian ideals of mercy and love, and their actual treatment of Shylock, who is a minority. The Christians preach charity but practice cruelty, and assume the right to dominate, punish, or erase non-Christians. For example, in the court, the Duke himself calls Shylock "a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy." This is ironic as yet later, Christians deny mercy to Shylock, forcing him to convert- showing selective compassion. This is a blatant act of hypocrisy as they are no similar to Shylock by not displaying any mercy at all. Another example is in "I am sure that I shall probably call you 'dog' again, spit on you and turn my back on you." This is a display of how Antonio treats Shylock, a Jew, lowly because of his different ethnicity and religion. Antonio and many other Christian Venetians freely borrow money from Shylock but simultaneously spit on him, mock his faith and curse him publicly. This shows how the Christian society enjoys the supremacy: they use Shylock when it benefits them, while still upholding him as racially and religiously inferior. In short, Shakespeare vividly portrays racial discrimination through Christian superiority and supremacy.

Shakespeare portrays racial discrimination through the legal system and justice itself, which is shown to favour Christians and marginalize Jews. The Venetian law, supposedly equal, is manipulated to protect Christian dominance and crush Jewish resistance, exposing systemic discrimination masked as righteousness.

This is evident in Portia's speech of mercy, "Mercy falls like gentle rain from the skies onto the ground below..." Mercy is praised by Christians as a divine value and is meant to elevate Christian justice. Yet, when the verdict turns, they show Shylock no mercy: his fortune is seized, and he is forced to convert. This shows the unequal application of mercy. In the legal system, mercy is preached but not practiced- because he is Jewish, his humanity is discounted. Another example is in the trial scene. Shylock enters the trial demanding what the law grants him: a pound of Antonio’s flesh. He relies on Venetian law, which supposedly upholds contracts equally, regardless of religion. However, once the Duke, Antonio, and the other Christians are threatened by the bond, the court bends the law against Shylock. Portia, disguised as a lawyer, twists legal technicalities to defeat him. What is presented as clever mercy is actually racial discrimination—Shylock is denied the same impartial justice that a Christian might expect. In conclusion, Shakespeare shows racial discrimination not just in personal prejudice but in the very structure of Venetian justice.

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Shakespeare prioritises love to be of utmost importance by foregrounding the selflessness between Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio's selflessness manifests in the way that he is willing to loan Bassanio the means to repay his debts, even the one that he owes Antonio. Beyond financial assistance, Antonio is willing to give "myself, or anything I can give to help you". Antonio's eagerness to give "anything" emphasises the strength of their relationship. It is clear that his sincerity elucidates the trust and love between the two friends. When Bassanio confesses that he actually needs to borrow money from Antonio to court Portia, Antonio encourages him to "Go and borrow some money in my name [...] Borrow as much as you need to take you to Belmont to fair Portia." The confident tone of his encouragement again underscores his wholehearted trust in Bassanio although acting as his guarantor would place him in a considerable state of precarity. Therefore, through the bond between two friends, Shakespeare demonstrates that love is a compelling force, one that even transcends the risk of financial ruin.

Shakespeare prioritises love and attraction above other relationships by emphasising how strong Jessica and Lorenzo's love is. Their love is demonstrated when Jessica elopes with Lorenzo. Because of him, she becomes "a Christian, and your loving wife". "loving wife" elucidates that she prioritises love more than her relationship with her father, running away to get married to Lorenzo, leaving her father and her religion, behind, which displays how her love for him is so strong that it even affects her relationship with her biological family. The irony when Jessica is "certainly not his daughter in the way we live our lives" shows how even though Jessica is Shylock's biological daughter, she denies it just because of how unlike they are in the way that they live. She forsakes and rejects her father just to be with Lorenzo, which shows how love is being portrayed as a greater force than all other relationships. Therefore, Shakespeare displays love as a powerful force by Jessica and Lorenzo's relationship, even though Jessica has to leave her family behind to be with Lorenzo.

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Shakespeare portrays friendship as noble and true through Antonio’s selfless devotion to Bassanio. In Act 1 Scene 1, Antonio tells Bassanio, “You know that I would do anything for you,” which highlights the depth of his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for his friend. Antonio readily offers his money and even his life. The word “anything” emphasises the unconditional nature of Antonio’s love, showing that his friendship is boundless and sincere. This establishes friendship as selfless and noble, elevating it above business concerns. In Act 4 Scene 1 when Antonio was facing death he declared, “Fortune has saved me from this long, painful path to death. Give my greetings to your wife.” Instead of expressing bitterness or fear, Antonio accepts his fate with dignity, thinking only of Bassanio’s happiness by sending his regards to his wife. Antonio embraces his death with serenity, showing how friendship ennobles sacrifice. All in all, Shakespeare presents friendship as a bond that is self-sacrificial, unwavering, and noble, proving that Antonio is willing to endure suffering and even death for Bassanio.

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Shakespeare depicts friendship as a bond of sacrifice. This is shown clearly in Antonio's friendship with Bassanio, Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassanio highlights the self sacrificial friendship. "You shall have my money, myself or anything I can give to help you". The diction of "anything" highlights that Antonio is willing to give everything he possesses for his friend Bassanio. From his money, himself to everything he has. Antonio readily offers his money and even his life for Bassanio. The tone and lsiting of all he can offer Bassanio shows that Antonio willingly risks everything for Bassanio, even if it involved his own personal reputation or fortune. Antonio prioritizes his friendship with Bassanio over his own life and possessions, further highlighting the riskiness and sacrifice in their friendship.

"Life itself, my wife, and all the world are not more important to me than your life." Shakespeare uses contrast to compare life, wife and the world with Antonio's life. This makes the friendship seem extremely loyal and sacrificial as it outweighs everything else including romantic life, further showing the importance of the friendship to Antonio and Bassanio. Bassanio's declaration to Antonio highlights the emotional primacy of friendship in the play.

By depicting Antonio and Bassanio valuing their friendship above wealth, love, and even life itself, this therefore concludes how Shakespeare depicts friendship as a bond of sacrifice.

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Shakespeare shows that love and attraction can be more powerful than family and tradition by showing how love leads Jessica to defy her father. Jessica abandons Shylock to be with Lorenzo, showing how deeply love can affect her choices. This is shown when the poet writes: "But although I am his daughter in blood, I am certainly not like his daughter in the way we live our lives." and "Oh Lorenzo, if you keep your promise, all this will be over. I shall become a Christian, and your loving wife!" The contrast between blood ties and lifestyle shows her rejection of her father's values, while the word "loving" highlights her commitment to Lorenzo. Her actions show how love can lead someone to sacrifice family bonds and religion, suggesting that romantic love can overpower all other relationships.

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Caylee Siew

P: Shakespeare portrays friendship over love and attraction in the play of merchant of Venice. Shakespear explores how friendship can clash with love and attraction by the relationship of Bassanio and Portia and the friendship of Bassanio and Antonio. This is evidence from the book, where Bassanio prioritises to save Antonio when he is getting murdered by Shylock to pay for his own bond. Since Antonio couldn't pay Shylock as his ships did not come in time. Shylock is about to take Antonio's heart. After Bassanio gets engaged with Portia, he receives a letter from Antonio about his situation, Bassanio then decides to postpone his marriage with Portia to witness Antonio's case in court. Which shows how he prioritises his friendship with Antonio over his marriage with Portia. Shakespeare uses visual imagery, " this letter is like the body of my friend and every word in it is a bleeding wound." This highlights how Bassanio visualises the pain of Antonio through the letter, showing the importance of Antonio to Bassanio. Shakespeare also uses repetition, " The kindest man. The best natured man." This emphasises how Bassanio thinks of Antonio, a kind man and the best natured friend, showing how Bassanio thinks that Antonio is a good and kind man. Therefore I think that Shakespeare prioritises friendship over love and atreaction in Merchant of Venice

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Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination through Christian hypocrisy and supremacy.

Shakespeare highlights Christian hypocrisy during the trial scene by juxtaposing the Christians' words with their actions towards Shylock, who is a Jew. Shakespeare uses the literary device of irony in the Duke's words to Shylock of "a very hard man who does not care about other people. He does not have the smallest drop of mercy" and in the words of Antonio when he is asked what mercy he can show to Shylock, "he immediately becomes a Christian". These dialogues emphasise how the Christians, though ask Shylock to be merciful and call him to be the devoid of mercy, Antonio shows Shylock "mercy" by making him convert from a Jew to a Christian, making him believe on something he does not want to. The irony of the Christians treating a Shylock, a Jew, discriminatively highlights their hidden religious discrimination against Judaism and the Jew, Shylock, conveying how the Christians in Merchant of Venice are hypocrites.

Next, the literary device of when Antonio openly admitted that he will "call [Shylock] 'dog' again, spit on [him] and turn [his own] back on [Shylock]" in Act 1, Scene 3 of Merchant of Venice highlights how Antonio, as a Christian, treats Shylock, who is a Jew, with cruelty, and blatantly abuses him, highlighting how Antonio and the Christians in the Merchant of Venice have a sense of superiority and supremacy over the Jews, and indicating how Christians hate and bias against the Jews is normalised and legitimised, further illustrating the fact that the Christians have a higher social standing than the Jews in the Merchant of Venice.

All in all, Shakespeare depicts racial discrimination of Christians against Jews by illustrating their superiority over and biased actions against the Jews.

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P: Shakespeare portrays racial discrimination between Shylock and the Christians as prejudiced as a majority of Venice were Christians, which led to Shylock's bitter hatred. The text states that "You call me a cut-throat dog – someone who unfairly takes from others. You spit on my Jewish coat." This shows the utterly cruel treatment that Shylock received and how normalised the hatred shown by Christians toward Jews are. This means that due to Shylock being a part of the minority population, he was bullied and abused by the Christians

This can also be observed from when Shylock was interrogating him about the bond for lending money, saying "Goodbye! He is turning into a Christian - he is becoming kind." This shows that Antonio, a Christian, only believes that people can only be kind and compassionate if they are a Christian and have the same beliefs and morals as him. This also exposes how Christians views all Jews and other people of different religions not as real and sincere people, but rather sinners that could or could not be redeemed. Antonio, a christian, regards any non-Christian negatively with conniving remarks and disrespect, displaying a clear discrimination and dislike towards them.