Treatment of Shylock by the Christians in William...

Treatment of Shylock by the Christians in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice Two thousand years ago Jews were known as Hebrews or Israelites and lived in Israel. At the time their land was occupied by Romans who tried to crush the Jewish faith and culture. Due to this, Jewish people fled Israel to make new lives and Jewish communities in other countries. In these communities Jews were known for their intelligence and business sense which led to them being mistrusted and resented. This was especially the case in Christian terms; where anti-Semitic feelings were very strong. This is shown in a Merchant of Venice by Shylock who constantly suffers verbal abuse and gives a vivid account of†¦show more content†¦In Act 2, Scene 3 the audience is shown how Shylock is treated abusively by some local boys, when Solario and Salerio give an account of what happened in the streets. They say how it starts by Shylock being seen in the street lamenting the loss of his daughter and his ducats, and how he is being publicly humiliated. Solario and Salerio are totally d isrespectful to Shylock and imitate and mock him. Solario says, ‘My daughter, O my ducats! O my daughter. Fled with a Christian!’ They also disrespect him by calling him, ‘ the dog Jew’ and not using his name, which is anti-semitic as Solario and Salerio are both Christians and hate Shylock as he is a Jew. This is an example of the hatred and prejudice shown by Antonio, Bassanio and Gratiano in the play. The way Shylock is treated in this scene I don’t feel is justified and they are disrespectful without a justified reason. In Act 3, Scene 1 Shylock tells Solario and Salerio why he wants a pound of flesh from Antonio. ‘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’. This is a very strong speech and is aimed to get sympathy for how Christians has treatedShow MoreRelatedAntisemitism in the Middle Ages1616 Words   |  7 PagesChristianity’s view of other religions as inferior is portrayed in many well-known pieces of literature, including one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, The Merchant of Venice. Towering over Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Merchant of Venice is the tragic figure of Shylock, a man who represents the treatment of the Jewish people in his time period. Before beginning to understand Shylock, it is vital to understand the historical and dramatic influences under which Shakespeare wrote. These feelingsRead MoreMerchant of Venice and the Crucible Comparison Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagesmaintain balance and stability. 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It will also commentRead More The Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice1583 Words   |  7 PagesThe Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice In his chapter â€Å"Shakespeare and Dissident Reading,† Alan Sinfield argues that viewing Shylock as anything but an evil villain is â€Å"achieved only by leaning, tendentiously, on the text† (Sinfield 1994, 6). This is an oversimplification of Shylock’s character as portrayed in The Merchant of Venice. Sinfield portrays Shylock as static and unchanging. However, emotions and portrayal of Shylock are not as forward as Sinfield claims. Constantly

Movie Summary Swing Kids Essay Example For Students

Movie Summary Swing Kids Essay The 1993 drama Swing Kids, starring Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale, is overall a very good movie. The film is set in Nazi ruled Germany in the year 1939 and tells the incredible story of three boys and their love and fight for swing music. Swing Kids is a remarkable display of directing and acting talent. Thomas Carters eye for camera technique lends the feeling of actually being alongside the characters throughout their struggle. From the moment the movie began with a remarkable dance sequence, to possibly one of the most dramatic and heart wrenching final scenes in movie history, I was unable to take my eyes away from the screen. The emotions that Swing Kids delivers to the viewers range from happiness and excitement, to anger and sadness. I highly encourage all that have a passion for good film to sit back, relax, and enjoy Swing Kids ?. I give Swing Kids two thumbs up, and a 9/10. Germany in 1939 was a horrible place to be for some people. The Nazi Government head by Adolf Hitler outlawed everything that wasnt pure German, this included swing music from the United States. Peter MA?ller (played by Leonard) and his friends Thomas (Bale), and Arvid (Frank Whaley) had a very strong love and passion for swing music and broke the laws to listen to it. Not only was swing music banned because of it not being pure German, but many swing musicians were African American such as Duke Ellington, and Jewish such as Benny Goodman. People of these ethnic and religious backgrounds were considered inferior in Germany at the time. During the movie, as the Nazis grip on prohibited items grows tighter, Thomas joins the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth). The Hitler Jugend, or HJ as it was commonly known, was an organization that trained children and teenagers to be soldiers. The HJ strongly influenced Thomas to the point where he reports his own father for making negative remarks about the Fuhrer. These young boys and girls were actually trained to report theyre parents and friends if they did not fully support the Nazi ways. Peter takes a big risk speaking freely about his views on the German government and his love of swing music, which ultimately, lands him in hot water. After watching Swing Kids ? I have learned quite a bit about what it was like to live in Germany at the time that I didnt know before. For example, I had no idea that being in possession of ANYTHING that wasnt pure German was a crime, which was usually punishable by death. I find this ridiculous. Something else I learned which I found quite interesting is the way that the dance clubs would discreetly play swing music. These clubs would have a person looking out for any Nazi officers patrolling the street, then if they saw one coming they would give the band a signal and they would quickly switch from playing to swing to playing some traditional German tunes. Possibly the thing that I found the most interesting is how amazing the Nazi propaganda was. Through propaganda, the government was able to completely change peoples views on the Nazis and on Western culture. Also, the government could use the HJ to do certain tasks for them. I can recall a scene in the movie where Peter was given three small packages and told to deliver them to various addresses. Peter delivers two of them and can tell by the people who are receiving them that something is awry. He decides to find a secluded spot and open the remaining package. Inside he finds a small oak box with the swastika inlayed on the top. Further investigation by Peter leads to a horrific discovery. Inside of that box, and the other boxes, contained the ashes of traitors ? as they were labeled. These traitors ? were people who were sent away to concentration camps because they were not 100 percent loyal to the Fuhrer. Horrific acts such as this really happened, and make you realize what a horrible place Germany was at the time. As far as historical accuracy goes, it was fairly accurate. .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .postImageUrl , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:hover , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:visited , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:active { border:0!important; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:active , .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub93f5a723511961502086db22c1672ab:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How is Clueless a youth picture genre film? EssayThere were a few certain things that I didnt quite manage to wrap my head around. One of them, was the fact that not one actor in the entire movie spoke German, or had an even slight German accent. I believe that if they did speak with an accent that it would lend a great deal more of believability to the movie. Although the movie did depict most things pretty accurately. They showed how members of the gestapo (which were the secret Nazi police) could pretty much do whatever they please. In one scene it shows a raid being taken place at a Jewish persons house. They were clearing the contents of the house, and the one member of the gestapo was taking items to keep for himself. In any Canadian police force an act like that would be completely unacceptable. The film also focused a lot on the HJ. As far as my research goes, the way they depicted the activities that the HJ members would take part in such as boxing, and their duties, was completely accurate. I will say before as I said earlier on, Swing Kids ? is an all around excellent period movie. It really makes you feel as though youve travelled back in time.