Questions tagged [the-merchant-of-venice]
A play by William Shakespeare, focusing on the Jew Shylock. Use this tag with the [william-shakespeare] tag.
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Meaning of “But mercy is above this sceptred sway” from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
In Act IV, Scene I of The Merchant of Venice, Portia says to Shylock these lines (rendered in blank verses)
The quality of mercy is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the ...
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Why is there a courtroom scene?
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4 begins with a courtroom scene. During this scene, the contract between Antonio and Shylock is discussed.
But why is there a courtroom scene at all? Was every contract ...
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What does the Idiom "pound of flesh" mean to "Shylock"? Was this a sense of humor of Shylock?
Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, hates Antonio. Bassanio, in need of money, approaches Antonio for a loan so that he can pursue Portia, as he is in love with her, and wants to marry her. Antonio at that ...
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How is it possible for Antonio to go bankrupt?
In The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare, Act I Scene I
Antonio : Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it, My ventures are ...
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Are there earlier incidences than Merchant of Venice of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other?
In act 2, scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice, Launcelot Gobbo is conflicted regarding whether to run from Shylock, or continue working for him. Shakespeare expresses this internal conflict by ...
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Shorter version of The Merchant of Venice for school play
İs there any short version of the The Merchant of Venice to play?
We are going to play it in our class but the problem is that the story is too long and we don't have enough time for all of it. I need ...
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What's the meaning of the text in the scroll that the Prince of Arragon finds in the silver casket in Act 2, Scene 9 of The Merchant of Venice?
This is the exact text (The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 9):
Arragon:
The fire seven times tried this,
Seven times tried that judgment is,
That did never choose amiss.
Some there be that shadows ...
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In the 1983 adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, why doesn't Portia know Jessica's name?
The 1983 National Theater production of The Merchant of Venice has an interesting take on a moment in act 3 scene 4. According to Shakespeare's script, Portia is giving Lorenzo instructions, and in ...
user111
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Is there any evidence for a gay relationship in The Merchant of Venice?
A couple of years ago, I went to a stage performance of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which Antonio and Bassanio were portrayed as being in a gay relationship together since before the ...
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Does Portia subconsciously influence Bassanio's choice of casket?
When Bassanio is about to make his choice of the three caskets at Belmont - a choice upon which rests his chances of marriage to Portia - she calls for music and singing while he ponders.
Music, ...
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Why does Portia say this to Bassanio in Act III Scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice?
In Act III Scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare,
Portia : One half of me is yours, the other half yours. Mine own, I would say; but if mine then yours.
Roughly translated it ...
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Was Shakespeare a religious fanatic?
In the play The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is pretty much disdained and humiliated only because he was a Jew. His thirst for revenge against Antonio is fuelled by the fact that Antonio constantly ...
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