The Merchant of Venice Response Project

Blogpost 18
For my response project to The Merchant of Venice I wrote an exploratory essay on the roles of women in the play then did a slideshow presentation. I believe that my project went very well. I think it was very successful considering I didn't know what that kind of essay was. I learned a lot about the topic and I also learned a new, different way of writing an essay. The only ting I would change would be for me to do a better job on my rough draft by writing it more in the form of the essay I was writing so then I could have had more edits instead of just doing it in my final draft. I would definitely do this kind of project again since I learned so much. This kind of essay would great to do again on a topic I don't know much about to be able to explore and learn a lot more about the topic.

The Merchant of Venice

Write about anything having to do with The Merchant of Venice that you did not already write about that interests you.

Something I found really interesting in The Merchant of Venice was how it all ended for Shylock. I kind of touched on it but I didn't truly get to talk about it. I feel like shylock's being in the play ended very abruptly, after his punishment he didn't really have any say or anything like that after. I think his punishment was crazy, his whole identity was taken away, basically everything that made him Shylock. I think there must have been so much he was thinking and it's I think its unfortunate see didn't get to hear any more from his. I wonder how he felt. He was in court for something that he was thinking wasn't his fault but then he got the severe punishment. It really makes me think of how plots can twist and turn so easily like that. A small twist in the in the story affected Shylock's life forever.

Was Shylock's punishment in "The Merchant of Venice" fair?

I, as a modern-day reader, don't think that Shylock was given a fair punishment. Even though I think he should have shown mercy to Antonio, I don't think he deserved what he received. I think it was wrong for Shylock to be punished to the extent he was. I think that Antonio should have been at least a little bit punished as well since he didn't pay Shylock back in time. Where as instead, Antonio was just set free. I think an Elizabethan audience would have totally thought that Shylock deserved his punishment because they didn't like Jews and saw them as lesser people. I think they would have liked the ending since the Jew gets a harsh punishment and turns Christian.

Shylock's Speech in "The Merchant of Venice"

Blogpost 15
Towards the beginning of Act 3, Shylock makes a long speech that has to do with him being a Jew and the difficulty of being a Jew during the time. There was a lot of anti-semitism going on and Jews were very looked down on by Christians. I think this was very risky and controversial thing for Shakespeare to put this in the play considering the audience mainly consisting of white Christians. It was a new perspective on Jews that people had never really thought of. During Shylock's speech he really gave a true insight of what it would be like to be a Jew. I think this, while being extremely controversial within the audience, could have potentially really opened their eyes and let them think about it a bit more. In my opinion, this speech is a very important part of the play and also put Shylock's character in a much more deep and profound state.