The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti-Semetic play by some critics, but this is far from the only way to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. However, is the story deeper than this? Has Shakespeare given reasons for Shylock’s actions-if they are acts of hatred, is it unfounded hatred? Has Antonio given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge?
Give your opinion on this topic and share your own philosophies on revenge. Is there ever a right time to seek revenge? Have you ever gotten revenge? How did you feel afterwards?
jenniferroot
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In “The Merchant of Venice”, Shylock has a noticeable hatred of Antonio. His hatred is not unfounded however. There are reasons for his hatred and why he had created the bond the way it was. Firstly, Antonio had always disrespected the Jews, and in the beginning of the play, Shylock says “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine,”, Antonio had disgraced Shylock in public, which fuels his hatred of Antonio. Since at the time, Christians did not respect Jews and vice versa, Shylock already has a hate for Antonio, which then becomes much more when Antonio insults Shylock. The racism was a strong motivator in Shylock’s revenge. When Shylock says “If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”, we know that Shylock believes it is right to seek revenge on Antonio because that is what the Christians would do, and had done. Shylock is outraged by the racism against his religion.
Also, we learn in the play that Antonio is also a enemy of Shylock in business. When Shylock talks with Salarino and Salanio, he says “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; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew.” Antonio had interfered with Shylock’s business, and had cost him lots of money, and had turned his own friends against him and strengthened Shylock’s enemies.
Also, when Antonio’s friend Lorenzo takes away his daughter and more of his wealth, Shylock becomes vengeful and has even more reason to seek revenge on Antonio, who had cost him much.
I think that revenge is a very strange thing, but it is what humans do all the time. When something happens to us, say someone steals your belongings, would you not want to take them back or attack the robber, or call the police and try to imprison the robber? However, in modern human society, revenge is only acceptable when it’s on a small scale in small conflicts. If someone took the life of someone dear to you, does that give you the right to take that person’s life? Revenge is usually just when the human mind is frustrated and believes that because of the way a person is being treated, the person responsible for it should pay for that. However, it is a good idea to just forgive people who wrong you. If they had done something to you, does that mean that they want the same thing, or something worse, done to them? They could have their reasons for committing whatever they did. Forgiveness is the most preferable way of dealing with any situation that evokes revenge.
There are right times to seek revenge. What if your revenge would benefit the local or global community? What if it was a serial killer who had taken the life of a loved one. Is not calling the police and reporting this a way of “revenge”?
I have taken revenge on others before, but only in small ways. For example, when someone takes something from me, I just take something of theirs. Later we just give them back to each other anyway. I would never take revenge on another person if it was a larger issue. When it is a larger issue, it is best to be forgiving then vengeful. If I took revenge, I myself could be more affected than the person I am exacting revenge on. Solving the problem in other ways or simply forgiving improves the situation, while revenge could make the situation much worse than it was before.
“The Merchant of Venice” might be portrayed as an anti-Jewish play by some critics, but there is definitely another way to look at the story. Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who is painted as a villain by Shakespeare definitely has another side to him and his hatred for Antonio was definitely justified. Antonio who may seem like a good christian at first has another ugly side to him who is racist towards Jews. Antonio has spat at Shylock, humiliated him in public and called him a dog, and the reason for all this hatred from Antonio was because of one simple reason– Shylock is a Jew. Furthermore Shylock’s daughter and servant both ran away from him for someone else. If I was Shylock, I would definitely be feeling really depressed and motivated to go after people that are responsible for my misfortune.
In the play ” The Merchant of Venice” Shakespeare was trying to send us a message using these 2 characters, Antonio and Shylock. Shakespeare was trying to tell us that there are 2 sides to everything and not everything is simply black and white, there are lots of gray in between. Antonio who is a loving friend and a kind Christian at first, is actually very racist and discriminates towards people of the Jewish belief. Shylock who is painted as a villain and is so eager to seek revenge is actually driven towards this by unfortunate things happening in his life, being hated for his religion and his daughter and servant leaving him. Someone may look like something at first, but deep down they may be someone totally different.
I believe that revenge may sound sweet at first, but after you are going to feel bad for your actions. If you take revenge, then he takes revenge, then you take revenge again, it’ll never end. Revenge does not really solve anything because it will only increase the hate between you and the person you are gaining revenge on. If you take revenge, you are no better than the person who did something bad towards you, in fact, you are worse…
There can be a right time to seek revenge, but it depends on your beliefs. If you feel that taking revenge is something you wish for, then nobody can stop you.
I have definitely taken revenge before, especially in football. If someone has hurt me in a match, I used to always go after that person and hurt him twice as badly. But as I matured, I understood that revenge is a terrible thing to do and it will not solve anything, only increase the hate. Therefore I decided to stop gaining revenge no matter what has happened to me. Gaining revenge has felt great for me before because of the triumph you get when you take your revenge, but inside you will feel guilty because you understand that revenge is no way to solve a problem.
The Merchant of Venice has been portrayed as an anti-semitism play since Shylock, the Jewish money lender who was shown to be the villain of the play. While the Christians of the play such as Antonio and Bassanio seemed to be smart and kind Characters. But after further investigation and study of the play, shakespeare is actually trying to tell the readers that no matter which race people are, they still have two sides. Shakespeare is trying to show the reality that there are never just heroes and villains. Often times there are people in the middle even though they might look extremely evil to you. The readers have to understand that Shylock was treated very badly by almost everyone he knows. His daughter betrayed him, christians call him cut-throat dog and spits on him, even the Duke dislikes him. I cannot imagine myself even being in that situation, so it is not exactly right to say that he is wrong and that he is acting “evil” because he has already lost his mind after everything that happened to him. On the other side, Antonio, who was portrayed as the Hero of the play is not exactly nice either. It is true that he is a very good friend to his fellow Christians, but he does not even know how to respect a Jew, he humiliates people he doesn’t know on the streets. I also think that Shakespeare was using Irony here since the Bible says in Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” And being such strong believers of Christ they don’t even obey what the LORD says. Think about it, if you were treated like that and humiliated in public, how would you feel?
Revenge to me is acceptable if it is used well. To me I think that as long as the revenge does not harm the other person it is alright. To me, revenge does not only mean hurting the person who harmed you back. It is to help the person to escape from the sin itself. I’ve heard from somewhere a phrase I really like: “Hate the sin, Love the sinner.” I think that revenge is alright as long as it is revenge towards the sin and not the sinner. I have once gotten revenge towards a friend that treated me badly and I regretted greatly. Now whenever I face difficulties on hating someone, I will try to calm down and usually I would read the bible or some phrases to think about the consequences. Now, every once in a while ill often remind myself, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”
There are many meanings in the play The Merchant of Venice. We see at least two sides to each character. The way we see Antonio is that he is a very good friend to his fellow Christians, yet he is very nasty to Shylock, who is Jewish. We want to dislike people who seek revenge, because we think that trying to do something bad to someone who has wronged you is bad. However, we need to look at the back story – why the person is seeking revenge.
Shakespeare has given reasons for Shylock’s actions for revenge. The hatred he holds for Antonio is not unreasonable. Antonio has spat on Shylock in public and called him a dog. He has humiliated him in public. Furthermore, Shylock believes that Antonio helped Jessica run away with Lorenzo. Shylock has lost everything. If I were Shylock, I would’ve wanted to kill Antonio, too.
In an ideal world, no one would want revenge. I don’t believe that there is a right time to seek revenge. I have taken revenge on someone before, and after that I felt really satisfied. However, I slowly felt regret for taking revenge, since I don’t believe that an eye for an eye is right. It only ends up making the whole world blind. It’s natural for people to want to seek revenge on those who have wronged him/her.
Yes, I think that the story is a lot deeper than this. There is a reason for Shylock’s actions of hatred. He hates Antonio a lot is all because how the Christians treat the Jews and how Antonio treats him, very disrespectful. For example, Antonio humiliates Shylock in public, spitted at him, called him a dog and said a lot more terrible things to Shylock. That is why Shylock to seek revenge from Antonio. Sometimes I feel bad for Shylock thinking that just because he is a Jew and every Christian hates him when he did nothing wrong, he is born to be a Jew and he can’t change that. I think that everyone should be equal, without racism, everything will be a lot better.
I think that whoever that wants revenge from someone has their own reason and mostly is when the other did something really bad to them and they want to get back on them. Yes, there are times that I want to seek revenge, and yes I did got revenge but after I did it, I felt really awful and thinking back, I should have thought a while more before I did that. It would made the other person feel bad and also, if I hated that much what they did to me why am I doing that to them too.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti- Semetic play by some critics, but this far from the only way to look at it. The character of shylock seems, outwardly, to be the vilain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good christian. However, is the story deeper than this? Has Shakespeare given reasons for shylock’s action- if they are acts of hatred, is it unfounded hatred? Has Antonio given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge?
In shylock case, he seeks for revenge for Antonio is a christian. He is extremely discriminated to Antonio and is not willing to let go of Antonio’s debt. Instead he made a deal with him if he doesnt have his money on time. He will get a pound of flesh from his chest. According to Shakespear, i believe he wants to make the reader feels that Shylock maybe is a good father on the other side, he could be an evil villain. Shylock actions are unexplainable and had feared a lot of the characters in the story and readers. His anger leads him to confidence and won’t be regretting that there is no turning back after what he has done.
Give your opinion on this topic and share your own philosophies on revenge. Is there ever a right time to seek revenge? Have you ever gotten revenge? How did you feel afterwards?
According to the dictionary revenge is an action of inflicting hurt or harm someone for an injury or wrong suffred at their hands. But in my opinion, anything could be revenge too not just hurting people with an object. For example, Blackmailing is something you face in complicated situation and revenge is something that leads it to happen. And i believe that revenge shouldn’t be existing. We should all forgive each other like how other’s forgive you in certain cases.
Looking back few years ago, I had done something that i wasn’t suppose to do and wishing not to do it anymore. I had a fight with my brother and he would immitate and insult me using extreme words. i went back to hit him and poured drinks on his head and blaming him to my mom that he started the fight first. And ending up being punished and grounded for a week. As i am growing up as a young adult, i know what is right and wrong and i regret that i shouldn’t have done.
After thinking through this subject, I still think of Antonio as the “hero” of the story and Shylock as the “villain”. Both of these characters have are in the “gray zone”, as both of them have good and bad character traits. Personally, if I were Shylock, I might have thought the same way, but I wouldn’t have been so determined to kill someone just because they discriminated me. Antonio has treated Shylock unfairly and discriminated him in the past, but that just isn’t a good enough reason to kill him. Shylock has taken this hatred to a new level, where it is not relevant to the way he has been treated in the past, but just for the sake of pure revenge.
Revenge is a complicated subject – it is heavily opinionated, and there is no “correct” or “wrong” for revenge. Human emotions are complex, that is why people react differently when they are treated the same way. One person might be quiet, while the other one will seek revenge and take action. After reading the Merchant of Venice, it seems that Shylock is the one who would seek revenge, but not for what Antonio did, but instead doing it for the sake of pure hatred. Many people would like to think that revenge is bad and turn a blind eye to it, but unfortunately it does exist. Getting vengeance is usually negative, and is usually considered to be “bad” and “evil” by the society. It is human nature to get revenge, and not something we need to be taught or given an example to do. Again, there is no “right” time to seek revenge, it’s just about you doing it or not in the end.
In the past, I have gotten revenge on several things. After you get revenge, you usually feel a sense of accomplishment, but also feel guilt while doing it, because it is usually a negative thing you are doing. Shylock in the Merchant of Venice probably also thinks the same way, but since we don’t see his thoughts in the play, it is impossible to know. Maybe he doesn’t want to kill Antonio after saying it, but doesn’t want to make himself look like a coward? Maybe he does want to kill him, but feels guilt and pity within? That we do not know, and probably never will understand.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti-Semetic play by some critics, but this is far from the only way to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. However, is the story deeper than this? Has Shakespeare given reasons for Shylock’s actions-if they are acts of hatred, is it unfounded hatred? Has Antonio given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge?
In my opinion, Shylock is a pretty evil person, but it makes sense that he would want to kill Antonio. Shylock’s reasons are definitely valid, as Antonio has spat on him, called him a cur, said he would go to hell, and more importantly, Antonio made Shylock the one thing he never wanted to be and hated the most, a Christian. Without a doubt, this hatred is backed up with the prejudice and racism in old Venice.
Give your opinion on this topic and share your own philosophies on revenge. Is there ever a right time to seek revenge? Have you ever gotten revenge? How did you feel afterwards?
I think sometimes it is right to seek revenge. It is only fair for a person to reap what he sows. But i think that revenge should not get too out of hand, like wanting to kill someone just because he/she called you names, or punching someone who seems gives you evil looks. I have gotten revenge before, as I punched someone for calling me names. I used to not care, but now, I think what i did was something very stupid and immature.
The Merchant of Venice can be labeled as an anti-Semitic play as the victim of the story is a Jewish money lender Shylock. All the laws of Venice also are in favor of the Christians and do not give the Jews fair treatment, hence the label of the play being anti-Semitic. Despite how the play may seem on the surface, Shakespeare uses The Merchant of Venice to also send us a message about revenge, forgiveness, friendship and love, all of which are deep topics that are ones who offer great lessons.
When you read the Merchant of Venice, you must think deeper than what is on the page and consider the background of the story and step into different characters’ shoes, especially Shylock’s, in order to really understand Shakespeare’s intentions. Shylock’s actions, words and intentions are explained, but Shakespeare does not put emphasis on Shylock’s justified reasons. Shakespeare subtly causes us to side with Antonio by making Shylock seem like he is evil and Antonio has done nothing wrong. However, Antonio has definitely given ample reason for Shylock to seek revenge. As Shylock states “you call me a misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine…you that did void your rheum upon my beard and foot me as a spurn a stranger cur over you threshold…‘fair sir, you spat on me Wednesday last, you spurn’d me such a day. Another time you call’d me dog…” All of the hurtful, insulting and inexcusable actions committed towards Shylock would offend anyone, whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu and it would seem reasonable for someone to want to seek revenge. It is only because Shakespeare places Christians and Antonio on a pedestal and in the process deceives the audience causing us to think Antonio is the victim.
The meaning of revenge is to inflict retribution on behalf of someone or yourself. It may be because of something that someone has done to you physically or emotionally, but you have been violated and therefore want to give pay back. Although it may seem like it is bad to seek revenge and it is not the best option, you cannot blame the people who want to seek revenge. Those kinds of people have most likely have been wronged tremendously in order to have the need or want for revenge. If you have not been in the same situation as the person who has been wronged, it is not reasonable for someone to say that they are wrong for wanting to seek revenge. It is human nature to want to get back at someone. However, it is not good to seek revenge as it will most probably lead to something even worse. There is a quote from Confucius that states “Before you embark a journey of revenge, dig two graves”. This means that revenge may hurt the seeker as much as the victim. In Shylock’s case, he ends up being hurt, whereas Antonio benefits from Shylock’s attempt to hurt him.
I have done small things in retaliation towards my brother a few years back because when I was growing up, he would always insult, hit and kick me and would sometimes twist my arm till I cried. By the time I was 9 or 10, I started to be less innocent and thought of ways to get back at my brother. I would sometimes start a fight with him and pretend that it was his fault and my parents would punish him. I would also exaggerate things that my brother did and tell him off when I caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to. As teenagers now, I’ve forgiven him and we have a good relationship with each other and the pushing, shoving and kicking are long behind us.
Around the world, the play has been criticized for being overly anti-semetic. This can be shown by the resolution of Shylock’s case against Antonio, in which of course, being Jewish, it is Shylock which ends up paying the price. On top of this, Shylock’s actions were driven 100% from revenge, as he was discriminated against for his religious believes. Antonio spits, and calls Shylock by names, to show his superiority over his “class”. All of these emotions are exactly what Shakespeare wants us to feel, as it makes us reflect on various topics, such as the qualities of a hero and a villain. The reader will have a debate take place within their head, trying to come to a conclusion, on wether Shylock’s action were tolerable under these certain circumstances. His anger is most definitely not unfounded. Of course we must understand Shylock’s ruthless and unforgiving side, in which his confidence and desire for revenge, leads him to wanting a human being dead. At this extent, he feels as though there is no turning back.
All of these questions we ask ourselves, improve our connections to the real world, as we realize that some conflicts within this play, occur around us everyday. This personal sense of evolvement in the play will encourage the reader to continue on. By the writer, this feelings is hard to give to the readers. However, Shakespeare uses the art wording and syntax arrangements to overcome this problem.
This “double character” occurrence can be found in many characters throughout the play, such as Portia. When meeting the prince of Morocco, Portia is rude, and racist. This gives a reader a feeling of pity towards her personality. However, later on, as the court case is taking place, Portia is found as being a lovely, playful woman. It is important to know that people are not simply single sided, and will often show different emotions, depending on the situation. From nice and gentle, one could turn harsh and rude. This sense of connection to the real world engages the reader in the play, giving him the feeling of involvement.
Revenge is released in many different ways, depending on the person, or situation. One might find that a simple apology will do, while some might resort to violence, as Shylock does. Personally, I believe that violence should not be tolerable under any circumstances, as it can lead to even further tensions. On the other hand, an apology will not be sufficient, as the offender must often be punished to prevent the incident from re-occuring. For example, a murderer must be sent to jail, were he can learn form his mistakes, get rehabilitated, and show some sympathy towards the family or friends of the victim. When I get revenge, I seek out for apologies, or often punishment. Not only is getting revenge for the purpose of releasing inner tensions, but to prevent dilemmas from repeating themselves in the future. Of course revenge is not always the solution, as the offender might feel the humiliation, and re-commit a crime. This is why morals are a big part in the act of revenge.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled as an anti-Semitic play by most critics, because the story has showed quite a lot of prejudice against Jews. However, there are other ways to look at the story other than it being against Jews and that outwardly the villain of the play seems to be Shylock (the Jew). The reason Shylock seems to be the villain, because he sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, the Christian who outwardly seems to be the good hero in the play.
The story is obviously deeper than this and there are many examples in the story to prove it. One of the many includes in the beginning, where Antonio seems to be a nice guy and helps his best friend again even when Bassanio never returned his money. He also seems to be well-liked by a number of people and he also agrees to his end of the deal with his worst enemy just for his best friend. He seems to be a pretty good guy until he is with Shylock. Then, all his goodness will be replaced by meanness, hatred and disgust for Shylock and basically Jews. Shakespeare have given plenty of reasons for Shylock’s actions of hatred and they all had a pretty good reason for it, which is the way Antonio treats him. According to Shylock, Antonio has called him “misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine…” and not only has he done that, he has caused Shylock’s friends to alienate him, making his enemies angry at him and stopped him from doing business and to actually live. Antonio has definitely given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge, and that’s why Shylock came up with gruesome demand if the money wasn’t paid back in time. It would also have been sweet revenge for Shylock if the plan went accordingly.
According to the Apple dictionary, revenge is “the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands”. I think that taking revenge on people is normal, since all human beings always want justice when the law cannot provide it to us. It also happens when people aren’t thinking straight and during the spur of a moment that the person wants to get back at somebody real bad just so they can release their anger. There is always a right time for revenge, but only if that person has done something to ruin somebody’s reputation or wellbeing, harmed or killed somebody. I think I have gotten revenge, but only petty ones that don’t even really count. Because, everytime I want to do something big back to somebody, I eventually can’t bring myself to do it or I just can’t find the perfect moment for it to happen. Sometimes I think back on it, I think maybe I should have done it just so it can give me some sense of satisfaction instead of letting someone get away with it. But, I guess it’s because of my guilt that I haven’t been able to take revenge.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled as an anti-Semitic play, as the villain of the play seems to be the Jewish money lender of Shylock. He clearly states that he wishes to extract a pound of flesh from Antonio, who seems to be a good christian. However, the story of the revenge is much deeper than Antonio simply not being able to repay the bond. The story behind Shylock’s revenge is definitely due to the hatred he has been shown as a Jew. In the time period this story is set, Jews were separated from the rest of society and were forced to live in areas called the “ghetto,” when they were out they would have to wear different things to signify that they were jews. More importantly, jews were allowed to charge interest when lending money, however Christians believed that this was wrong. Lastly, jews were also often spitted upon. In the story, Antonio badly mistreats Shylock, as he spits on him, calls him a dog as well as help the people who owe Shylock money. Thus causing Shylock to feel a sense of hatred towards Antonio. Therefore, it could be said that Shakespeare has definitely given reasons to justify Shylock’s actions, as they were acts of hatred rather than unfounded hatred. Moreover, because of his acts, Antonio has definitely given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge.
Revenge is a natural human behavior, though it is frowned upon, it is natural for many of us to seek revenge once betrayed or hurt by others. We believe that through revenge we will be able to seek justice and to finally be relieved of the hurt of others. However, revenge never seems to work out the way we want it to be. The idea of revenge is so that at the end everyone is on an equal playing field, however often, after revenge has been sought, equality never comes about but rather more hurt and more injustice. I had once tried seeking revenge on someone, as I was hurt by how they treated me. Though, after seeking revenge I felt a sense of accomplishment and equality, the feeling of hurting someone never seemed to overtake the joy. I realized, that though I felt like I was finally equal with them, I was just allowing them to mistreat me again. Therefore, I realized that there was never a good time to seek revenge as it would never really help a situation. More importantly I understood that revenge often does not work, as it could be said that by attempting to hurt someone, you are ultimately hurting yourself. Moreover, when attempting to seek revenge, consider understanding why you were treated this way and how could you find a solution without hurting one another. Due to the fact that, revenge is not the solution to end the cycle of hatred but rather to allow it to continue.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti-Semetic play by some critics, but this is far from the only way to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. However, is the story deeper than this? Has Shakespeare given reasons for Shylock’s actions-if they are acts of hatred, is it unfounded hatred? Has Antonio given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge?
Give your opinion on this topic and share your own philosophies on revenge. Is there ever a right time to seek revenge? Have you ever gotten revenge? How did you feel afterwards?
In my opinion of the story, The Merchant of Venice, does have a story deeper than the example given because throughout the whole story, we were able to see the different faces of each of the characters, the good and the bad sides of them. Antonio was first seen as the good, generous friend that will do anything to help his friends and will always put himself after everyone else. But as the story proceeds, we found out that Antonio can be very rude and prejudice, because he insulted Shylock in public and judges him from his first impressions. Shylock on the other hand started in the story as a greedy, mean Jew that wants to take revenge on Antonio by making a very risky bond with him. Later on, we show sympathy towards him because of the way people judge him just of something that was decided a pond the fait- his religion. Shakespeare’s reasons for Shylock’s hatred actions was that he thinks that it is unfair how everyone gets to treat him differently just because he is a Jew, but he is not allow to do the same thing back. I think it is partly unfounded hatred because no one would have understood or knew why Shylock wanted revenge so badly if he never told us in the story. Yes, Antonio did give Shylock plenty of reasons to seek revenge. Firstly, Antonio insulted Shylock and called him a ‘dog’ in public. Secondly, he thinks that just because he is a Christian and Shylock is Jew, Jews are nothing and that they go straight to hell when they die. Lastly, Antonio had been very unfair with Shylock by being prejudice and racist towards him.
The definition of Revenge is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. Revenge had never really placed a spot in my life because I do not think revenge is the right way to get back at someone that made you look and feel bad. I think there are certain times that are right for revenge, such as when it is a really bad action and the revenge is made to teach them a lesson. I never had gotten revenge because as I mentioned above, I do not believe that revenge is something worth doing. Just because someone did harm to you, it doesn’t mean that you can do the same back to them. I also don’t think that taking revenge will make yourself feel good about it, let alone the other person. I know people might think that the opponent deserves it because they did the same to you, but in my opinion; look at the bright side, what can you do to make the best out of that moment instead of taking revenge? Once, my friend told me something another girl said about me. The other girl didn’t know me well but she still talked behind my back and told everyone that I was a hater and I don’t have any friends. When I heard about the rumor, I was furious but I didn’t do anything back. I held my head high, accepted the rumor and moved on. I could have made rumors back about her and made her feel bad about herself, but instead I ignored it because I know I am not those traits she mentioned and that I can do much better than having my mind stuck in that situation.
The Merchant of Venice has been labeled as an anti-Jew play by most critics, but there are many other ways to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian.
However, the story is much more deeper than this. At the very beginning of the story when we had a shallow understanding of each character, Antonio played the “nice guy.” He was the ideal best friend who was willing to do anything to help you (e.g. agreeing with the harsh terms of Shylock’s loan). Antonio’s perfect image was displayed until we met Shylock. Shakespeare have given plenty of reasons for Shylock’s actions of hatred, and much of Shylock’s hate towards Antonio is because of Antonio himself. In the aspect of business, Antonio has been Shylock’s major business rival for a long time, stealing a lot his customers, and with this loan, it is Shylock’s perfect chance to seek revenge, a sweet revenge. As Shylock clearly states, “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine…” Antonio sees nothing in Shylock, and even refers to him with bitter terms, calling Shylock a dog. If I were Shylock, I would’ve done the same as Shylock. It is of human nature to seek revenge when someone has done you wrong, and of all the sick things Antonio’s done to Shylock, I find it reasonable of Shylock to come up with such gruesome terms.
In my opinion, there is sometimes a right time to seek revenge. The right time would be when someone does something that is unforgivable TWICE. I think they should be given a chance to say sorry the first time, but if they don’t follow through and commits the same faults again, they should be punished. I have gotten revenge before back when I was really young. I remember it was during art class and this boy in my group and I were arguing. I was really mad because he proved me wrong, so I poured glue all over his art piece. Unfortunately for me, the teacher found out and I got “in trouble.” Reflecting back upon it now, it was a really silly thing I shouldn’t even have done in the first place. He’s proven me wrong and I’m supposed to gladly accept it, and thank him for teaching me something from another brand new perspective, his perspective.
“There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness,” a quote well said by Josh Billings. Sometimes, it’s better to forgive and leave the dark past behind, and move on to brighter futures, starting new friendships, and building on the ones that have been broken.
In the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare is often seen as an anti-Semetic play. Moreover, the most important theme in the play is: revenge. Revenge is shown very heavily in this play when Shylock (the villain of the play) wants to take a pound of flesh from Antonio (who seems like a good Christian) if Antonio couldn’t pay back the bond. Shakespeare has given reasons for Shylock to seek revenge because Antonio was treating Shylock with a lack of respect. Shylock was trying to prove to Antonio and the rest of Venice that Jews are the same as Christians, they are still human and should not be looked down upon or treated any different. Moreover, in the play, Antonio did give Shylock ample reason to seek revenge because Antonio spat on Shylock, called him names and I think that this is a horrible way to treat a person.
I think revenge is something in human nature, we sometimes think everything should be equal. For example, if someone stole something from you, you would have to steal something from him or her. Revenge is something that is avoidable and is not what people are supposed to be seeking or doing. However, what people don’t know is that revenge creates more problems for you sometimes than the other person.
In my point of view, there is no right or wrong time to seek revenge because revenge is something we do when we aren’t thinking straight or when something bothers us too much that anger takes over our actions. I have never gotten revenge but there was once some people were really unkind to me and I felt angry. Therefore, I wanted them to feel as bad as I did. However, I never really took action because I thought about how this was wrong and how I shouldn’t want to it. It made me feel immature and I regretted thinking to do so because if I did it, I would never be able to forgive myself being so selfish and only thinking about my feelings.
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is often viewed as an anti-Semetic play. One of the play’s main conflicts is between the characters of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender and Antonio, a Christian merchant. Their tense and hateful relationship is a result of the prejudice and hostility Antonio expresses towards Shylock, which then urges him to seek revenge at the first opportunity. Shylock is perceived, outwardly, to be the villain of the play, however upon closer inspection, you could say that his appearance and actions are deceiving of his true character. In fact, Shylock’s vengefulness was originally provoked by Antonio, who has given him ample reasoning to seek revenge. In Act 3 Scene 1, a villainous side to Antonio’s “good Christian” character is revealed when Shylock says to him “you call me a misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine…you that did void your rheum upon my beard and foot me as a spurn a stranger cur over you threshold…‘fair sir, you spat on me Wednesday last, you spurn’d me such a day. Another time you call’d me dog…” We learn that Antonio’s character may not be as “good” as we had initially thought and that Shylock’s hatred is not unfound. It is revealed that Antonio has countlessly humiliated Shylock by spitting on him and physically abusing him in public. Antonio is also a rival to Shylock’s moneylending business as he has often loaned money to Shylock’s customers without interest to help them out of debt. Therefore, Shylock tries to use the bond they created to fulfill his need to seek revenge on Antonio by including a clause stating that if the money wasn’t fully repaid by the set date, he would be entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh. In Shylock’s mind, this would be “sweet revenge.”
According to the dictionary, revenge is “the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for injury or wrong suffered at their hands.” It is about making a person suffer because they have at some point hurt you. In my opinion, there is never a right time to seek revenge as it is not the way to resolve a problem effectively. I view revenge as fighting “fire with fire”, which leads to a never ending battle. You cannot extinguish a blazing fire by adding more heat. This will only escalate the problem and make it harder to manage. Fires can only properly be put out by using water, which symbolizes forgiveness, understanding, communication and tolerance. Take for example, war. When one country invades another, the country under attack naturally tries to fight back or seek revenge. However, this doesn’t solve the problem nor create peace, instead, the fighting usually grows until a nation is forced to surrender. In the end, neither country participating truly wins as thousands of lives are lost during the war period, cities are destroyed and nations fall apart. Is it really worth it to try to fight back for your own satisfaction? Does it really make the situation better?
Personally, I have never gotten revenge on anyone. There have been times where I have been urged or provoked to seek revenge, however have never been able to carry through with my plans. Guilt has always overridden the desire or need for revenge and I feel that it is our moral conscience that tells us that revenge won’t change or make anything better. In the end, it is more important to forgive than try to fight back. Revenge isn’t so sweet after all.
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is seen throughout the globe as a play displaying a strong sense of anti-Semitism. Although the ideology may be correct justifying the outcome of Shylock’s court case, Shakespeare has most definitely given strong motives for Shylock to commit the actions he did for revenge. Antonio has financially been a rival to Shylock alluring his customers to borrow money from him limiting Shylock’s business. Antonio is oblivious or takes no heed of the jewish regulations in which deprives Shylock in earning a reputable income. Not only as a rival but as a customer he has caused misery to Shylock. He has helped many of Shylock’s previous customers to pay their debt, thereby disabling Shylock to earn any possessions as a consequence of their debt. If that is not enough, Antonio has commited many more foul crimes to Shylock that just in the aspects of business. As Shylock says in the play: “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, And all for use of that which is mine own… You that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur… Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last, You spurn’d me such a day, another time You call’d me dog…” Antonio has regarded Shylock as an animal, not a human afflicting pain to him in every humanly way possible. Therefore when Shylock sees his chance of revenge, there is no question in why he asks for Antonio’s death; because he is a human being. Any person even on our earth today who has been treated to such a horrible extent would have the urge to seek revenge, it seems as one of our desires and later if the habit becomes to strong, revenge will turn into our instinct. For Shylock, it was simply an urge; yet a strong one by seeking Antonio’s painful death in which he wishes to carry out himself, as an act of sweet revenge.
Nonetheless revenge is a word itself that speaks of immoral and unrighteous actions. Revenge is never the right thing to do. It is one’s ill-will and becomes a motivation to do something to hurt another. It perpetuates and escalates a conflict allowing our anger to be uncontrollable over our actions. Revenge and punishment are 2 different things, yet we are not the one’s to judge them; fate is. Revenge itself is a horrible thing to commit, 2 wrongs do not create a right. Punishment will be done by karma, we will let God judge one’s fate. Revenge can be used as a term of “sinking below another.” It is an unethical judgement and action to engage in. If we can control ourselves and refuse to take any action of revenge, we become of higher stature than our opponent. That itself is taking not revenge, but receiving a gift to control ourselves and one will be rewarded in doing so. In general, there has never been and there will never be a lawfully right time to act by revenge. Never.
I, myself, have had particular instances where I have gotten revenge, but seeing someone else drowning in the urge served as an awakening moment of the terrors I had accomplished before. By seeing him, I was looking through a deadly mirror and only then did I understand my actions were wrong. I could see the urge for revenge build up on his face and his eyes become full of anger. It soon became unbearable for him to control any of his emotions. He started deceitfully planning out his criminal plan. His breath was heavy and visualizing the blood and pain of another seemed to be his ultimate source of happiness. The words that came out of his mouth seemed impossible for any human being to think of, the demonic things he would do for revenge was horrifying. He became a person I knew to a stranger, he became a whole different person. I became afraid and terrified. A friend, someone I cared about, was turning mad! I tried to comfort him at the best of my abilities. Yet it was no use as I could see how hard it was for him to control himself. It seemed as if what he said he would do, he would be adamant to do so. However, at the end he managed to control his revenge and fate was on his side. Not he but God had punished his enemy and I was proud of him. Only through seeing that state did I understand what hatred could do to a human being, but we are all humans and we are not perfect. Yet we can never use that as an excuse. Revenge may be what we strive for yet at the end, “the tree of revenge does not carry fruit.” – Dutch Proverb. I will always stand adamant to the fact that fools are the only ones who say that revenge is sweet as “revenge proves its own executioner.” I guess it’s because what I’ve experienced to someone so close to me turn into someone I never knew and became terrified of. The next phrase will always belong with me as whenever I have the urge to hurt another for what they have done to me, I will always remind myself that “forgiveness is greater than vengeance.”
Thank you.