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Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Self-Interest versus Love

On the surface, the main difference between the Christian characters and Shylock appears to be that the Christian characters value human relationships over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money. The Christian characters certainly view the matter this way. Merchants like Antonio lend money free of interest and put themselves at risk for those they love, whereas Shylock agonizes over the loss of his money and is reported to run through the streets crying, “O, my ducats! O, my daughter!” (II.viii.15). with these words, he apparently values his money at least as much as his daughter, suggesting that his greed outweighs his love. However, upon closer inspection, this supposed difference between Christian and Jew breaks down. When we see Shylock in Act III, scene I, he seems more hurt by the fact that his daughter sold......

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Approximate Word Count: 2353
Approximate Pages: 10 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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