scholarly journals Trails of Cultural Memory: Rediscovering Shylock as a Father Figure in the 21st Century

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-215
Author(s):  
Elena Ancuța Ștefan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Father Figure ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Theoretical Premise ◽  
Canonical Texts

Given that in the last few decades theories of adaptation have advanced enormously, with such names as Linda Hutcheon setting the theoretical premise of these ideas, it is essential to see how certain aspects present in canonical texts have been translated into present-day literature. In this paper, I discuss how the father-daughter relationship in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, has been (re)interpreted through the carrying of similar characters and situations in the novel Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson. The novel does not only serve as a means of projecting old ideas as new, but it also provides the stage of resolution for such prominent characters as Shylock. In order to have a broader understanding of the (re)interpreted father-daughter relationship, this chapter will take into account the sociological symbolism of the contemporary text, with Erik Erikson’s descriptions of adolescence in the foreground.

scholarly journals Deconstruction of the Construction: Derridean Study of Selected Shakespeare’s Comedies

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 90-120
Author(s):  
Seyyedeh Zahra Nozen ◽  
Pegah Sheikhalipour
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
The Other ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Twelfth Night ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
As You Like It ◽  
Historical Figure ◽  
The One

Since it was first introduced by Jacques Derrida in the late 1960s, deconstruction, as a method of reading, has been applied to literary texts by critics to reveal the hidden messages of texts and provide opportunities to rethink textual and cultural norms and conventions. While the western tradition has always prioritized tragedy over comedy due to its elegance and graveness, this research tends to focus on comedy as an entity in itself. Tragedy, especially in the Shakespearean sense of the word, has been considered by critics as a “construction” that is well-wrought and perfect in nature. Comedy, on the other hand, is notable for laughing at the laughable and mocking the unfit. Put differently, there has always been a latent, freewheeling “deconstruction” within comedy, especially the Shakespearean. There is, thus, an attempt here to prove, on the one hand, how comedy can be put forth not as an inferior genre but as a supplement to tragedy and, on the other, how comedy moves toward deconstruction and how it tends to subvert or deconstruct the constructions. Investigating a selection of Shakespeare’s comedies including As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night, this study compares and contrasts Shakespearean comedy in light of some Derridean concepts. Along with it, Shakespearean ideas and concepts which are interconnected with those of Derrida are introduced and are buttressed through some meticulously chosen excerpts. Bearing in mind that Derrida is in a habit of deconstructing the so-called established creeds, Shakespeare’s texts are exposed to a deconstructive reading to examine how deceptively simple ideas are dealt with in his selected comedies. Also, as numerous enigmas have for years revolved around the personality of William Shakespeare, this study also aims to take up certain critical idioms of the Derridean canon, elaborate on them and then relate them to the selected plays from the Shakespearean oeuvre in order to disclose some personal aspects of Shakespeare’s personality as a historical figure.

scholarly journals Religion and violence: Shutup Shylock!

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaco Beyers
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Response ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Unique Identity ◽  
Religious Differences

Violence is not only because of religious differences. Violence is part of human nature. While expressing and living a unique identity, people may experience animosity from ‘the other’ in society. The natural human response upon infliction is retaliation. To this effect, the play of William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, is taken as an example of conflict in society because of social, financial and religious differences. From the plot in the play, it is deduced that violent actions beget violent responses. The Dutch philosopher, Hans Achterhuis, provides valuable information so as to provide perspectives on violence in society. Achterhuis suggests that instead of seeking the absence of violence in society, one should rather seek how to differ responsible and peaceful from one another. Violence cannot be ignored or eradicated. Violence can however be tamed by fighting with one another peacefully. Society is in need of volunteers who will act as powerful buffers between conflicting societies, thus preventing differences becoming reasons for violence.

scholarly journals Na cidade historiada: justiça e outros conflitos em O Mercador de Veneza, de William Shakespeare

Diálogos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Maria Clara Versiani Galery
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Central Importance ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The City ◽  
The Universe

RESUMO: Na época em que Shakespeare escolheu Veneza para cenário de Otelo e O Mercador de Veneza, a cidade-república correspondia aos ideais renascentistas de liberdade e estabilidade. Descobertas no âmbito da geografia e da astronomia exigiam uma reavaliação do lugar ocupado por mulheres e homens na nova concepção do universo. Este ensaio pretende refletir sobre a Veneza mítica do imaginário shakespeariano, uma paisagem simbólica, menos física e concreta que ideológica. Nesse sentido, o trabalho recorre ao conceito foucauldiano de heterotopia para ilustrar como, na representação da cidade, se projetavam os anseios de uma época. Aqui, a jurisprudência é de importância central. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Shakespeare, Mercador de Veneza, Renascimento, Veneza, heterotopia, jurisprudência In the storied city: justice and other conflicts of The Merchant of Venice ABSTRACT: When Shakespeare chose Venice as the location for Othello and The Merchant of Venice, the republic corresponded to Renaissance ideals of freedom and stability. Discoveries in the realm of geography and astronomy required a re-evaluation of the place occupied by women and men in the new conception of the universe. This essay intends to discuss the mythical Venice of Shakespeare’s imagination, a symbolic landscape, less physical and concrete than ideological. In this sense, this paper turns to Foucault’s concept of heterotopia to illustrate how the anxieties of an epoch were projected in the representation of the city. Here, jurisprudence is of central importance. KEYWORDS: Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Renaissance, Venice, heterotopia, jurisprudence En la ciudad historiada: justicia y otros conflictos del Mercader de Venecia RESUMEN: En la época en que Shakespeare escogió Venecia como escenario de Otelo y El Mercader de Venecia, la ciudad-república correspondía a los ideales renacentistas de libertad y estabilidad. Los descubrimientos en el ámbito de la geografía y de la astronomía exigían una reevaluación del lugar ocupado por mujeres y hombres en la nueva concepción del universo. Este ensayo pretende reflexionar sobre la Venecia mítica del imaginario shakespeariano, un paisaje simbólico, menos físico y concreto que ideológico. En este sentido, el trabajo recurre al concepto foucauldiano de heterotopía para ilustrar cómo, en la representación de la ciudad, se proyectaban los anhelos de una época. Aquí, la jurisprudencia es de central importancia. PALABRAS CLAVE: Shakespeare, Mercader de Venecia, Renacimiento, Venecia, heterotopía, jurisprudencia

scholarly journals 'The Merchant of Venice': de guetos, espacios y ética y su tratamiento en el aula del nivel superior

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 107-111
Author(s):  
Silvana Noelí Fernández
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Cultural Space ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Michael Radford

En tiempos de incertidumbre política en Europa y en el resto del mundo es nuestra intención en este trabajo recuperar la dimensión espacial y la singular espacialidad de The Merchant of Venice (1600) para el análisis de esta obra en el aula del nivel superior, es decir, el ámbito de formación de los futuros docentes. En este marco serán objeto de nuestras indagaciones y propuestas didácticas el texto dramático de William Shakespeare, la versión cinematográfica dirigida por Michael Radford (2004) y el documental Imagine … Shylock’s Ghost (2015). Nuestro objetivo es actualizar y reponer en el análisis del espacio veneciano de The Merchant of Venice algunos sentidos de lo que se ha dado en llamar una “ética del gueto”, entendiendo por ésta lo que Stephen Greenblatt y Shaul Bassi denomian “a lived cultural space, a lived religious space,”. En este sentido, aspiramos a, por un lado, problematizar el proceso referencial que lleva a los alumnos a identificar de manera unívoca e irreductible a la Venecia de la obra con un espacio hoy día mayoritariamente caracterizado por una mono cultura turística y, por otro, a direccionar sus trayectorias de lectura y prácticas pedagógicas hacia espacios de compromisos duraderos con la dignidad del Otro.

scholarly journals Reading Shakespeare's mind

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Sohmer
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Twelfth Night ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Inns Of Court

This book will come as a revelation to Shakespeare scholars everywhere. It reveals the identity of the playwright and Shakespeare’s colleague behind the mask of Jaques in As You Like It. It pinpoints the true first night of Twelfth Night and reveals why the play’s performance at the Inns of Court was a momentous occasion for Shakespeare. It also the identities Quinapalus, the Vapians, Pigrogromitus and Feste, as well as the ‘Dark Lady’ of the Sonnets and the inspiration for Jessica in The Merchant of Venice. And it solves Shakespeare’s greatest riddle: the meaning of M.O.A.I. in Twelfth Night. In sum, this book reveals William Shakespeare as a far more personal writer than we have ever imagined.

scholarly journals Is The Merchant of Venice a Comedy or a Tragicomedy?

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. e36937
Author(s):  
Carlos Roberto Ludwig
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Literary Genre ◽  
Merchant Of Venice ◽  
The Merchant Of Venice ◽  
Problematic Issue ◽  
The Moment

This essay aims at discussing some issues in the play The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare. Even though some may assume that the play is a comedy, the problem of its literary genre is a rather problematic issue today. Some critics debate its inclusion in the comedies, because it is not at all a funny play. The label ‘comedy’ did not suggest that it was a funny play in Shakespeare’s age. If some critics think that it is not a funny play, Shakespeare may have designed Shylock as a tragic character. In fact, the play’s effects of Shylock’s energy and tragic dimensions deeply influenced the audience in the moment when it was first staged. This essay first discusses the problem pathos and inwardness in Shylock’s speech. After that, it discusses the issue of literary genre and argues that it should be classified as a tragicomedy.

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