On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice【英语论文】.doc

On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice By Zhang Xiaoming A 2006 Undergraduate of the School of Foreign Languages of Anqing Teachers College Supervisor: Li Ming May 25th, 2006 On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice Thesis statement: Shylock is not a complete villain, but a tragic figure who is more sinned against than sinning. Outline I. Brief introduction about the comedy and Shylock II. Analysis of the character of Shylock Shylock as a Jewish usurer Shylock who endured abuse but forgave easily Shylock’s attitude towards his eloped daughter Shylock’s attitude towards the customs and the law III. My view of Shylock On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice Author: Zhang Xiaoming Supervisor: Li Ming I. Brief introduction about the comedy and Shylock Shylock is the most vivid and memorable character in The Merchant of Venice, and he is one of Shakespeare’s greatest dramatic creations. On stage, it is Shylock who makes the play, and almost all of the great actors of the English and Continental stage have attempted the role. But the character of Shylock has also been the subject of much critical debate: Is he a bloodthirsty villain? Or is he a man “more sinned against than sinning”? In my opinion,?though Shylock is technically the antagonist in the play, it is easy to sympathize him with his plight. During this period in history, Jews were harassed, killed, spit upon, and treated little better than animals (unless of course someone wanted to borrow some money). Antonio had spit upon him in the past, stolen his customers by lending money to them without interest, stolen one of Shylock’s servants, whose friend then eloped with his only daughter. (中间段落已被省略！范文仅供参考！) II. Analysis of the Character of Shylock Shylock as a Jewish usurer Shakespeare created a living portrait that has caused critics to wonder whether Shylock is merely a comic villain or the tragic victim of Christian cruelty.