【毕业论文】对威尼斯商人人物性格特征的分析.docVIP

【标题】?对威尼斯商人人物性格特征的分析 【作者】徐晓莉 【关键词】威尼斯商人??主要人物??性格特征??社会背景 【指导老师】廖东红 【专业】英语教育 【正文】1. Introduction1.1 The brief introduction of Shakespeare?William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights in human history. The works of William Shakespeare are a great landmark in the history of world literature for he was one of the first founders of realism, a master hand at realistic portrayal of human characters and relations. During the 22 years of his literary work, he produced 37 plays; the Merchant of Venice is one of his works in his early period. Nowadays many scholars studied the character of persons in the Merchant of Venice through various means such as the social background of that time, especially for the Jewish usurer Shylock.?1.2. The brief introduction of the Merchant of VeniceIn the past 300 years or more, no one, who has read or see the Merchant of Venice, could not deny that protagonist Antonio and the antagonist Shylock differ greatly in their religious beliefs, values and attitudes toward money and friendship. Their difference as best manifested in the pound of flesh bond is the dominant one that unifies the drama, thrills the audience and readers and reveals the implied victory of Christianity over Judaism.Their conflict is created when Bassanio comes to Antonio to borrow money to woo a richly left lady Portia in Belmont. Though Antonio has no cash on him as he has invested all his money on outgoing ships that sail to several parts of the world, but he don’t want his friend lose this opportunity to get Portia’s love and wealthy. So he uses his credit to borrow 3000 ducats from the Jewish usurer Shylock, who has been Antonio’s business rival and who holds different religious beliefs. Taking this as an opportunity to take revenge on Antonio, Shylock agrees to lend this money at no interest for the first time in his life, on the condition that they sign a contract that if Antonio fails to pay?“such sum of money at such a place”, he would cut