Merchant of Venice Rhetorical Analysis - 1055 Words

Religious discrimination has been present for centuries. It was present at the time of Shakespeare, just as it is present today, centuries later. In Shakespeares time, Jews were a typical target of discrimination by Christians. As a result of constant Christian torment and humiliation, many Jews spurned the Christians. If given the opportunity, many Jews would retaliate against Christians with the same treatment Christians submitted them to. In William Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice, this opportunity arises for one particular Jew, Shylock. Shylock stirs up a range of emotions in the audience, when giving a speech to support his claim that he is entitled to regard the Christians with the same ill-treatment they have shown†¦show more content†¦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. (I.i:65-72) Once Shylock concludes his speech with theses lines, the audience has come to understand Shylocks motivation of revenge for wanting his bond, but in the process Shylock reveals flaws in people of the Christian faith. This revelation of Shylocks motivation most likely would have turned the Christians feelings of compassion into feelings of contempt. Although his audience may not empathize with him any longer, Shylock was wise and included rhetorical questions throughout his speech, which made his listeners reflect on the comparisons he was making between the Christians and the Jews. By using asyndeton to avoid conjunctions in each of his rhetorical questions, Shylock was able to make his questions more forceful and dramatic. However, Shylocks speech is not as effective when delivered to a Christian audience as it would have been had his audience been Jewish. Shylock claims that since the Christians had treated Jews so appallingly, Jews are justified to follow Christian example and return that sam e treatment to the Christians. Although the Christians now recognize why Shylock wants revenge, they will most likely never approve of his reasoning. At the start of his speech, Shylock had addressed his audience effectivelyShow MoreRelatedThe Dangers Of Blaxploitation Films Essay1520 Words   |  7 Pagesand Breakpoints, 1970-1975, â€Å"The Poitier persona was obviously unable and incapable of addressing the growing desires and expectations for a liberated and empowered Black male able to reflect, articulate and represent the changing times.† In this analysis of Sydney Portier, it is expressed that black audiences were disappointed in him because he appeared to assimilate into white society and did not satisfy the liberated and empowered black males. Even after the civil right movement, which was a movementRead MoreAp European History Outline Chapter 10 Essay example5639 Words   |  23 Pagescentralization, an urban economy based on organized commerce and capitalism, and growing lay control of secular thought and culture * The Italian City State * Growth of City-States * When commerce revived in the eleventh century, Italian merchants mastered the organizational skills needed for trade: book-keeping, scouting new markets, securing new markets, and banking * During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, trade-rich cities became powerful city-states, dominating the politicalRead More Francis Petrarch: Leader of the Humanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance2215 Words   |  9 Pagesthe dawn of a new Roman Empire way of thinking.. Humanism is the intellectual, literary and scientific movement of the 14th to the 16th centuries without which the Renaissance would never have evolved. Humanism is a rediscovery and reevaluation (analysis) of classical civilization and the application of the aspects of this civilization to intellectual and social culture in the current time. It is a blend of concern for the history and actions of human beings, mainly the ancient Greeks and Romans