Shylock: Comedic Villain or Tragic Character?

Is Shylock a comedic villain or a tragic character? Please use what you have learned about tragedy and comedy as well as evidence from the text to support your answer.

I believe that Shylock's character is a mixture between a comedic villain and a tragic character. He definitely portrays the stereotype of the Jewish at the time, as he is bloodthirsty and (in the court scene) seems to be incapable of being merciful; but, at the same time, is able to be sympathized with. Being that there were so many negative connotations with the Jewish at the time, he was really set apart and hated by others- this is where the tragic character element comes in. He describes the injustice and his frustration with the system of things by saying:

“If you prick us, do we not bleed?

If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,

do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?

If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.

If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility?

Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his

sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge.

The villainy you teach me, I will execute,

and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”

Shakespeare might not have made this character out to be sympathized with, and that little monologue could've been a way for the audience to laugh at his weakness or something. But, in a time so tolerant of different ethnicities and races as ours, we can't help but feel bad for his experience thus far. That is why I think he is a mixture of the two.

 

TMoV: Tragedy, Comedy, or Tragicomedy?

 I think that The Merchant of Venice is both a tragedy and a comedy, a combination better known by the portmanteau tragicomedy. For The Merchant of Venice to hold this title, it's got to have certain characteristics that define each genre. Tragedies have, well, tragic heroes. These are protagonists or main characters that seem to never be happy- a description that Antonio seems to fit well. Proof of this is easy to find ("In sooth I know not why I am so sad...", etc.) and is displayed quite early in the play. A comedy has a love interest, funny wordplay/metaphors, and a plot with many twists and complexities. These three characteristics show (respectively) through Portia, snarky comments regarding the Jewish, and the fact that we don't know who the true protagonist of the play is yet. It is quite clear that the The Merchant of Venice is a tragicomedy, and choosing one genre or the other to define it wouldn't do it justice. 

Antonio and Bassanio's Relationship

Analyze the relationship between Bassanio and Antonio. What is going on between them? What is the nature of their feelings toward one another? Please provide quote(s) from the text to support your position as well as its Kindle location(s).

Antonio and Bassanio's relationship is somewhat confusing. What I do know about it is that they are very close friends; Antonio gives a lot of money to Bassanio so he can make ends meet, and at another point Bassanio brings up his love life in a conversation with Antonio. From this point of view, they could just be a couple of guys who help each other out and discuss the many problems they have in their lives. Contrary to that set of information are some quotes that hint at a possible sexual relationship between the two. Antonio once says (partial quote), "My purse, my person, my extremest means, lie all unlock'd to your occasions(1.1.8)." It's pretty easy to understand what he's saying there, but it seems like Antonio's affections aren't being effectively reciprocated by Bassanio. In addition to this, Antonio is continuing to lend him money to support his endeavors- even when it comes to wooing other women. I think that Bassanio is trying to keep Antonio wondering about a potential sexual relationship between them so that he can use him for his money. If indeed he is doing this (which we'll find out soon enough), he'll be walking on thin ice if he continues to develop relationships with other women. If not, and Shakespeare is just adding in a taboo of his time period, this is an interesting way to do it.

NOTE: I had to restore my iPad over the weekend. I couldn't access my Kindle app during this time, meaning I couldn't add locations. 

Did the Renaissance Really Happen

Was the Renaissance 'a thing'? In John Green's video, he argues that the Renaissance was not really a thing (re-watch it if you forgot his argument). Do you agree? Make an argument for your side.

In the video, John Green formed his argument of how the Renaissance wasn't 'a thing' by saying that people didn't realize it was happening. He attempts to further strengthen his argument by comparing it to the climbing of the Berlin Wall, which was televised and considered a historically valuable event. This argument is pretty much invalid, because a period is known about through the events that take place within it. Of course people didn't know they were living in the Renaissance- it wasn't a singular event but a series of events spanning three centuries, which can't exactly be compared to the Berlin Wall's many scalings over the course of 20-ish years. The people who lived during that time recognized the individual events that occurred around them, such as the spread of the bubonic plague, but they didn't recognize that they were living in the Renaissance- although, thats only because the term originated in 1785. And if we're really going in-depth with this argument, what constitutes 'a thing'? 

In addition, he also adds that only a small population of Europe was really effected by the occurrences during the Renaissance, which apparently makes it completely insignificant. He is somewhat right in saying that not many were immediately effected by the changes that the Renaissance brought, but eventually many of those changes shaped art and literature in Europe. I did say somewhat right, and what sense would that make without an example of how wrong he was? An example of that is the Gutenberg printing press, which allowed the works of popular authors to be printed in the hundreds of thousands. The printing press was the groundwork for an era of mass communication, which allowed for information to be spread across Europe and increased the literacy percentages of the lower classes. The world would be vastly different had the events of the Renaissance not occurred. Most of the events that took place within this period (excluding the Black Plague) were influential in the molding of the arts, literature and technology of Europe into what they are today.