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The Role of Prejudice In The Merchant of Venice


This paper discusses the subject of prejudice in the William Shakespeare
play, The Merchant of Venice.

I. Introduction

William Shakespeare's satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, believed
to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and greed.The premise
deals with the antagonistic relationship between Shylock, a Jewish money-lender
and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who is as generous as Shylock is greedy,
particularly with his friend, Bassanio.The two have cemented a history of
personal insults, and Shylock's loathing of Antonio intensifies when Antonio
refuses to collect interest on loans.Bassanio wishes to borrow 3,000 ducats from
Antonio so that he may journey to Belmont and ask the beautiful and wealthy
Portia to marry him.Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, and knowing he will
soon have several ships in port, agrees to part with a pound of flesh if the
loan is not repaid within three......

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Approximate Word Count: 2113
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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