英语专业毕业论文19.doc

论文题目：（英文） on the character of shylock in the merchant of venice论文题目：（中文）考生姓名： 准考证号：040208300452身份证号： 指导教师：完成日期： abstractthis paper concentrates on an analysis of the conflicting characters of the shylock in the play the merchant of venice. as we known that the merchant of venice is one of shakespeares most important works. it is a comedy. in this work, the authors for us to shape a series of distinctive personality humanism new image, but the most abundant flesh and blood drama, personality and thus the most complex long-term caused by generations of readers and critics are concerned about the negative character shylock. the traditional common about this play is that it reflects “the contradictions between commercial capital and usury capital”. so shylock, the representative of old usury capital, is a profit-seeking, greedy guy, is a sinister cunning, cold-blooded selfish devil. in recent years, people get rid of some interference and restraint and correct a number of prejudices. they made a relatively fair and objective evaluation about the image of shylock. for instance, some critics have argued that shakespeare have shown great sympathy on the oppressed, discriminated against the jewish people and show his idea of national equality and a negative attitude towards the concept of race. in my opinion the second is more important in terms of status. to support the thesis, the paper first gives a brief introduction to both the author and the play. then it concisely describes the social background of this play. the main part of this thesis analyses the conflicting character shylock .followed by my view of shylock. at last we come to the conclusion，restating the thesis of paper: shylock is very worthy of our sympathy.key words: shylock; jewish; the merchant of venice; sympathy 摘 要该论文集中分析了威尼斯商人一戏中夏洛克的主要性格特点。正如我们所知，威尼斯商人是莎士比亚最伟大的喜剧著作之一。在这部著作中，莎翁为我们塑造了一系列个性鲜明的人文主义新人形象，但剧中血肉最丰富、个性最复杂从而长期引起后世读者和评论家关注的却是反面主人公夏洛克。在我国传统评论中长期认定该剧反映的是“商业资本与高利贷资本的矛盾”。 那么，作为旧式高利贷资本的代表人物夏洛克当然就是一个唯利是图、贪婪成性的吝啬鬼的典型，是阴险狡猾、冷酷自私的恶魔。不过近年来，人们摆脱了种种干扰和束缚，纠正了一些偏见，对夏洛克这一形象做出比较公正、客观的评价。比如，有些评论家认为，莎士比亚在这个形象身上寄寓了对被压迫、受歧视的犹太民族的莫大同情，表现了他的民族平等思想和对种族观念的否定态度。我认为在这两方面中，后一种特征占据主要地位。为服务主题，首先该论文对作者和作品做一简要介绍；接下来描述的是故事发生的社会背景；论文的主题部分是对人物夏洛克的详细分析；然后是我对夏洛克的看法；最后为结论，重申主题:夏洛克是非常值得同情的。关键词：夏洛克；犹太人；威尼斯商人；同情contentsintroduction11. the social environment of the play the merchant of venice21.1 the times of elizabeth throne21.2 special social background reflecting in the merchant of venice22. analyzing the character of shylock32.1 the character of shylock32.1.1 shylock as a jewish usurer32.1.2 shylock who endured abuse but forgave easily42.1.3 shylocks attitude towards his eloped daughter62.2 the reasons of shylocks revenge mentality82.2.1 injured national sentiment82.2.2 injured dignity of the individual92.2.3 injured decent family for his eloped daughter93. my opinion of shylock103.1 loan just for living113.2 live with dignity113.3 live against mainstream12conclusion12references13iiiintroductionwilliam shakespeare (baptized 26 april 1564 23 april 1616) was an english poet and playwright who are now regarded as the greatest writer of the english language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. his surviving works include 38 plays, two long narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a few other poems. he is often called englands national poet and the bard of avon (or simply the bard). his plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. his representative has four major tragedy hamlet othello, king lear macbeth, the four major comedy twelfth night a midsummer nights dream the merchant of venice, kicking up a row (human education version of materials that everyone is happy), historical drama henry iv richard ii and so on. also wrote 154 sonnets, three or four heads of poetry. he is the father of english drama, the jones called him the soul of times, marx called him the greatest genius of mankind as one been given a human literature olympus zeus hill. shakespeare forever is classic signs of human art. the merchant of venice is believed to have been written by william shakespeare between 1596 and 1598. it is shakespeares earliest important works and a great satirical comedy. its subject is to extol love, friendship and love, and also reflect the contradictions between commercial bourgeoisie and the usurer. it also expresses the idea of humanities about money, legal and religious issues of the bourgeois society. this plays an important literary achievement that shaped the shylock of the mercenary and ruthless usurer typical image. but i think antonio is just a little role in the play. he is used to set off shylock. shylock is not hateful. it is the society that makes a tragedy of shylock.in order to support my thesis, my paper concentrates on the society background and the conflicting character shylock in the play the merchant of venice. by talking about this we can see that shylock is worthy of our sympathy. 1. the social environment of the play the merchant of venicewe all know that england is a developed country. it also obtains very important status in the world today. so it is very necessary to talk about the history of the growth of capitalism in england, especially in 16th century.1.1 the times of elizabeth thronehenry viii died in 1547 and his nine-year-old son succeeded him. the son was known in history, edward . the boy-kings reign was a time of extreme protestantism, for the regency council for him consisted almost entirely of the protestant faction. edward died in 1553. only 15 years old. then his half-sister, mary, a catholic, became queen. the new queen came to the throne at the age of twenty-five. after the coronation, her parliament passed the necessary legislation to abolish the papal supremacy over the church, and gave elizabeth all the powers over the church which her father had held, though with the more modest title of “supreme government” of the church of england instead of “supreme head” elizabeth died on 24 march, 1603 at the age of sixty-nine. her forty-four-year reign had not only ensured the triumph of protestantism in britain and in northern europe, but had greatly increased the wealth, power and prestige of england. her navy triumphed over the great armada of the king of spain; her sailors circum navigated the world, and established a colony on the north american continent which they named virginia after their virgin queen. at home, the merchants were prosperous; the common people enjoyed a higher standard of living than in most other european countries, and her reign was also full of achievements in literature and other arts. after all, elizabeth was one of the most successful despots to govern england in english history.1.2 special social background reflecting in the merchant of venicewe can see from history that the jews are indeed the protagonist of the middle ages lending industry. the financial activities of european countries are mostly borne by the jews. however, they are not born of jewish financiers. why they engage this occupation? one of the most important reasons is the existence of anti-semitism.in the 16th century, even in the venice, the europes most powerful and free country, the inferior status of jews is also the truth that can not be changed. in accordance with the law, jews are forced to live in ancient factory buildings or slums which isolated by walls. after sunset; the gate will be locked by the christian. during the day, any one who wants to leave the slum has to wear a red hat to express their jewish identity. jews are prohibited from owning property, so they can only loan. they charged the interest on borrowed money, which would be against the law of christ. the venice businessmen dont care about this. but for those religious zealots, the matter is entirely different. they will hit or abuse the jew and even deprive their right to live.2. analyzing the character of shylockshylock is the most vivid and memorable character in the merchant of venice, and he is one of shakespeares greatest dramatic creations. 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? i feel that shakespeare intended shylock to be victim; he was created to challenge the pre-conceptions and ideologies of the elizabethan era.2.1 the character of shylocklet us now analyze todays protagonists - shylock.2.1.1 shylock as a jewish usurerwhy does shylock engage in lending money rather than other occupation? because of the existence of anti-semitism, jews room in the occupational choice was getting smaller and smaller. from the end of the century onwards, the decree of the prohibition of the european jews to own land appeared, which made agriculture became the first areas that jewish economy was restricted. by the 11th century, in order to monopolize the local handicraft industry, the jewish artisan formed guilds and got the jew out the crafts and workshops. afterwards, with the rise of commercial city-states in italy etc, the crusades opened up the business road from the europe to the east. the rise of european non-jews in the commercial area made the jewish way of doing business blocked. at that time, the christian was prohibited from lending money, so there is a vacuum in this respect. people had no choice but to go to fill any jews, so more and more jews marginalized in the commercial areas began to shift lending industry. by lending money without interest, antonio was depriving shylock of his only source of income.2.1.2 shylock who endured abuse but forgave easilybefore his discovery of jessicas betrayal, there is no evidence of evil intent in shylocks attitude when he is discussing the requested loan with bassano:shylock: three thousand ducats; well. bassanio: ay, sir, for three months. shylock: for three months; well. bassanio: for the which, as i told you, antonio shall be bound. shylock: antonio shall become bound; well. bassanio: may you stead me? will you pleasure me? shall i know your answer? shylock: three thousand ducats, for thee months, and antonio bound. antonio is a good man3it is a matter of fact business interview, neither of the parties wasting words. with the curt but not impolite manner of the professional banker, shylock simply reiterates the sum requested“three thousand ducats.” but he is a business man. there is no reason for him to fall on bassanios neck and express his eagerness to do a deal. he must go cautiously, and see how urgent bassanio is, and how much therefore he can increase his own gains in the deal by stipulating a more or even a much more profitable rate of interest.there is no suggestion of sarcasm in the word “antonio is a good man”, although it certainly can be played that way. shylock explains what he means: that antonio is sufficient as a guarantor, even though his ships are at sea and their fate is uncertain. he concludes, “i think i may take his bond. i will be assured i may may i speak with antonio?”4 bassanio then asks shylock to dine with them, and shylock declines; he assures bassanio that “i will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you”, but because of his religious constraints, “i will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.” to soften the harshness of his refusal, he returns immediately to a neutral social question“what news on the rialto?” to indicate that he did not intend to be rude. when he meets antonio, his first words to him are “rest you fair, good signior; your worship was the last man in our mouths.”but as we know, shylock endured much of antonios abuse, over a long period of time. this can be seen by the sheer volume of disgraces he has born. a good example is in act 3 scene 1, beginning with line 50:“he hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies ”in his next significant speech, shylock recounts how antonio has abused him in the past. in these lines shylock sounds quite rational, even though he has reason to be angry and frustrated. he says, in effect, that antonio has scolded him many times in the marketplace about his money and his interest, and he always bears it with a patient shrug; you called me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my jewish gaberdine, and all for use of that which is mine own. well then, it now appears you need my help: what should i say to you? should i not say, hath a dog money? is it possible a cur can lend three thousand ducats? orshall i bend low, and in a bondmans key, with bated breath, and whispering humbleness, say this: fair sir, you spat on me on wednesday last; you spurnd me such a day; another timeyou calld me dog-and for these courtesies ill lend you thus much moneys? shylock had such a magnanimous spirit, that he even offered antonio, who had abused him terribly, a loan, free of interest. shylock was willing to loan money to one who totally ruined him in public, on terms that were nicer than his normal business terms. this kind, forgiving heart can be seen in act 1 scene 3, beginning with line 134:“why, look how you storm ! i would be friends with you, and have your love, forget the names that you have staind me with, supply your present wants and take no doit of usance for my moneys, and youll not hear me: this is kind i offer.” and just in case the audience or reader thinks shylock is exaggerating, antonio answers: “i am as like to call thee so again/to spet on thee again, to spurn thee too.” even after antonios admission, shylock still claims, “i would be friends with you and have no doit of usance for my moneys.” in lieu of interest, he suggests that “in a merry sport” they will draw up a bond under which antonio will be required to forfeit a pound of his flesh if the loan is not repaid.what could shylock mean by this strange arrangement? what did shakespeare want us to think he means? since we cannot guess motives, let us take it at face value: shylock really meant it as a joke. as shylock explains, what could he gain by exacting a pound of flesh? he is a businessman, and a pound of flesh is not worth anything! antonio accepts the bond, calls shylock a “gentle jew”, and says to bassanio, “the hebrew will turn christian: he grows kind.”all in all, shylock has broad-minded, and very easy to forget hatred2.1.3 shylocks attitude towards his eloped daughtershylock is invited to dinner by bassanio. then shylock calls to jessica; when she finally comes, he shows no sign of being upset (as many parents would justifiably be) that he had to call her three times. he tells her he has been invited to supper with bassanio and says：jessica, my girl, look to my house. i am right loath to go: there is some ill a-brewing towards my rest, for i did dream of money-bags tonight18 and then later in the same scene: well, jessica, go in perhaps i will return immediately do as i bid you; shut doors after you these lines, and especially the phrase “jessica, my girl,” prove that there is nothing amid the relationship as far as shylock is concerned. he repeats his requestit is certainly not a harsh demandthat she take care of his property by shutting the doors. the worst thing that can be said about shylock is that he is concerned about his money being stolen, which, under the circumstances, was a reasonable worry. he obviously trusts jessica with all that he has, and she violates that trust as soon as he has gone.but the friends of bassanio are planning to steal away his daughter, and as a perfectly gratuitous piece of cruel fun, are bringing her disguised as torch bearer to the very banquet where her father is a guest. all that prevents the enactment of this revolting joke is not anybodys thought for shylocks feelings, but a mere veering of the winds which makes it necessary to put off the masque and get abroad. the veering wind, however, does not save him from the loss of his daughter. in scene 6 jessica says one line about her fathers entire fortune“here, catch this casket; it is worth the pains”and the rest of her rather immature speech (excuse my bias) is about how ashamed she is to be dressed as a boy. she is not ashamed, however, to be stealing from her father; and in fact, the casket wasnt enough, for she says to lorenzo, “i will make fast the doors, and gild myself/ with some more ducats, and be with you straight.” she apparently has no compunctions about running off with someone not of her own faith, without her fathers knowledge or permission, with his gold and jewels, including a turquoise ring given to him by his wife, leah, which jessica later trades for a monkey. lorenzo the magnificent has no problem with the theft, either; he loves her heartily and thinks she is wise. lorenzo calls shylock a faithless jewwhen the christians are the ones who are faithless.often, this quote from act 3 scene 1 line 79, “why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats in frankfurt! the curse never fell upon our nation till now; i never felt it till now: two thousand ducats in that, and other precious jewels. i would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!” portraying shylocks treatment of his daughter, after