The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

...play but thought I knew the story. Shylock is often a name given to any money grabbing thug. The story I thought was good bloke has a cash flow crisis, borrows money from a loan shark, who then set vicious forfeiture claims which he then tries to enforce when the good bloke has a bit of a hard time, but luckily the law sorts out the problem and the good bloke wins and the bad bloke gets his just deserts. That's what I thought.... This production ...
...get "Merchant" and "Taming of The Shrew". I love outdoor theatre. We got some take away pizza's , several bottl3es of Grolsch , got a bench , sat under a tree and the rain held off. The atmosphere and production were excellent. But back to the play , this is what it is really about , so read and learn. By the way, Drusilla has written an excellent op on this play so check that out as well as it has a more detailed synopsis of the plot., but for ...

mikeydred 10.08.2001 (28.08.2001) · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

One of the reasons no one reads Shakespeare anymore is because it can often be very hard to get to grips with the language. But having studied and seen several of Shakespeare’s plays I now look upon this as being a sort of puzzle I must unravel. This process is both enjoyable and rewarding, and for me, sparked off a love for Shakespeare’s wonderful plays. This particular play is one I am currently studying for GCSE coursework, and is most famous ...
...not bleed?” The story, in my opinion, is a little silly. It is about two men: Antonio, a Christian and Shylock, a Jew. Because of the difference in beliefs and clashing ideas on the money-lending business, the men have an on-going feud, and for years Shylock has been subjected to both physical and verbal abuse from the Christians. But there came a time when Antonio needed Shylocks help. His good friend Bassanio needed 3000 ducats so that he may ...

drusilla 09.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice is probably Shakespeares most controversial play, this is principally because of the usurious money-lender Shylock. Shylock, a Jew, is depicted as bloodthirsty, unmerciful and murderous. Many therefore regard this play as anti-semitic. This view has been countered by a sympathetic reading of the play, which regards Shylock as simply of product of his environment, who is clearly treated with disdain in the early part of the ...
...of the argument you fall on, one fact is almost undeniable and that is the brilliance of Shakespeares wit and wondrous creativity. The Merchant of Venice revolves around the story of Bassanio, suitor to Portia, a lady of Belmont. Bassanio wishes to make a vist to her, however first he must find a merchant fleet in order to do so. Because Bassanio's good friend Antonio has no merchant fleet to offer him, Bassanio is forced to make a deal with Shylock. ...

hijameswilhelm 19.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

...of Venice' we meet Shylock the Jewish money lender who fits that description perfectly. The decadent adventurer, Bassanio, has lost the money his friend, Antonio has lent him and has the cheek to borrow more. Antonio is forced to borrow off Shylock in order to make the loan. The condition Shylock stipulates is a pound of flesh should the loan not be repaid when agreed. It's an odd choice but the Christians are pretty nasty to him so he is very bitter. ...
...fancies him so she cheats the test with a poem in which all the rhymes end in 'ed' and therefore point him to the lead casket. Bassanio and Antonio pair up with Portia and her servant, Nerissa. Dressed as a lawyer and clerk, the two ladies con the court and defend Antonio by offering Shylock the famous opportunity to be merciful. He wants to know what can compell him to be so and Portia says, 'Mercy is not strain'd. It droppeth as the gentle rain ...

FlameDruid 12.09.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

...undertone of normality and leave the reader/viewer with a very poignant message. I began reading 'The Merchant of Venice' with high expectations (which was possibly a bad move) and was left feeling bitter when I reached the conclusion. I found the first half to be satisfactory but after the scene involving Antonio's trial I felt very let down and this feeling was heightened after the play reached its very undramatic ending. Many people believe the ...
...outwitting her male counterparts... until the final scene. Here we witness Portia, along with many of the others, betray all their characters have been made to be in favour of a swift and happy ending. I found this to be wholly unsatisfactory. If you are looking for a light comedy that will keep yourself and audiences reasonably entertained then 'The Merchant of Venice' may be for you. However if you are looking for a coherent story with lifelike ...

mcsteveo 08.06.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

...customary for students to hate the books forced upon them but, whether it be me, this book or something else entirely, it is simply not so with the Merchant of Venice. I had never read Shakespeare prior to this book, except a quick, heavily simplified teaching of The Tempest at the beginning of secondary school; and yet, even so, I was captured from the first page: "In sooth, I know not why I am so sad". There's so many glorious quotes throughout ...
...blurt them out haphazardly. The pulling feature of this book is, of course, Shylock. He's a character of pure duality and this is perhaps why we, as a modern society, have been able to twist and turn him into a character of sympathy rather than the comic villain that was arguably intended by Shakespeare. We simply cannot look past the character of Shylock and the ferocious prejudice exhibited by the Christian characters of the play - each time a ...

mmmblah 01.06.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

...readin about it very much. The characters were terrificly potryed and the settings were described vivdly which enhances the readers appreciation of the book. The story is about Bassanio a failed Venice merchant in love with a rich woman named Portia who lives in Belmont. He needs money so that he can travel to Belmont and convince her to marry him. Portia has a problem as well, because her father died without choosing a husband for her, a potential ...
...borrow money to pay for the trip. Unfortunately, the loan shark, Shylock, has a grudge against Antonio - Antonio had interfered with his business, and insulted his religion at every opportunity. - Shylock plans to use this opportunity to take revenge on him. He loans Antonio the money on the condition that if he does not repay the loan, Shylock will get a pound of his flesh. Antonio agrees, not taking the consequences seriously. Portia is unhappy ...

griff09 30.06.2007 (09.07.2007) · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

the merchant of venice is really an exciting and an interesting story. i would have given you'll a short description of the play if i have remembered it but i don't remember it unfortunately. But it is the story of two people who love each other and there occurs some problem for them. I remember the last part wherein the clever lawyer says that you can only take the body and not the blood from it. I will soon buy it and read. i have earlier read ...

ranjiths 13.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare