Merchant of Venice essays

Merchant of Venice essays In the Merchant of Venice, there are many differences and similarities. The three topics to compare and contrast are; characters including Antonio vs. Shylock, theme which is love vs. business, and setting such as Belmont vs. Venice. First, the characters Antonio and Shylock both have similarities and differences. Their similarities they share are to seek fortune; they both love money, and they both are moneylenders. In contrast, Shylock seems to love his money more then Antonio does. In the scene when Jessica ran away, she stole some of her fathers gold and jewels. Shylock was upset with his daughter Jessica for leaving but at the same time he was upset that his gold and jewels were gone. Similarly, Shylock and Antonio are both moneylenders, which is lending money to people who are in need. However, Antonio and Shylock have different ways in lending out their money. Shylock earns profit when he lends out his money and receives interest from the money he lends, but Antonio thinks its wrong making interest since it goes against his Christian religion. Another similarity is that they both care about there loved ones. Antonio shows that he loves Bassanio when he sacrifices his own flesh and Shylock shows that he lo ves Jessica when she runs away and Shylock develops sorrowful feelings that his daughter ran away. Another difference between Antonio and Shylock is that Antonio hates Jews, and Shylock is a Jew. Shylock is proud to be Jewish and resents Christianity. Antonio is a Christian and as a result, conflict of interest is why they have such hatred for one another. Also, another difference is that Antonio loves his family more then his money and Shylock loves his family but at the same time loves his money just as much. In conclusion, Antonio and Shylock both have similarities and difference. Second, love and business have always been thought of being opposites, but in the Merchant of Venice they have their similarities and...