Merchant of Venice- Blog#1- Shylock

In the beginning part of the Merchant of Venice, the character Shylock is portrayed as an antagonist for wanting a pound of Antonio's flesh, yet he we find ourselves feeling sympathy for him as he is constantly getting picked on for being a Jew.  Shylock when he threatens to take a pound of Antonio's flesh, meaning his heart if he does not repay his loan to Shylock on time. 

Shylock:If you repay me not on such a day./ In such a place, such a sum or sums as are/Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit/ Be nominated for an equal pound/ Of your fairflesh, to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your body pleaseth me. (1.3.158-163)

In addition to being a severe punishment, taking someone's heart is cruel and evil.  Shylock could have easily chosen a lighter punishment, but he chose Antonio's heart.  Someone who takes another one's heart, has no heart themselves, turning Shylock into an antagonist. Although he is the bad guy, we feel sympathy for him as he is constantly picked on by others for being a Jew.  One of those people happens to be Antonio who has spit on Shylock numerous times and publicly denounced him also.  However, Shylock does not show any hostility towards Antonio and strangely enough wants to be Antonio's friend.  

Shylock: In the Rialto you have rated me/ About my my moneys and usances/ still I have borne it with a patient shrug/ (For suffrance is the badge of all our tribe)./ You call me amisbeliever, cutthroat dog/ And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine/ And all for use of that which is mine own...

Antonio: I am as like to call thee so again,/ To spet on thee again, to spurn thee, too./ Ifthough wilt lend this money, lend it not/ As to thy friends, for when friendship take/A breed for barren metal of his friend?/ But lend it rather to thine enemy...

Shylock: I would be friends with you and have your love,/ Forget the shames you havestained me with...

In this scene, Shylock talks about what Antonio has done to him, including calling him a dog and spitting on him.  Then, Antonio clearly says that he will probably do all of those things again, showing no regret for his actions.  This causes us to feel sorry for Shylock as he is c abused by Antonio, yet he seeks no revenge.  Shylock and most other Jews are constantly discriminated against because of their religion, turning them into victims.  We can't help but feel bad for victims treated unfairly.  Then, we feel more sympathy for Shylock as he asks Antonio and forget everything from the past.  Of course, Antonio turns him down, saying that they will be enemies.  Therefore, we have sympathy for Shylock, although he is in the antagonist in the book.

 

Blog #3 Realizations+ Ramifications+ Future

     In chapters 38-39, a lot happens involving Pip and Estella, causing them to form many realizations.  First, in chapter 38, while visiting Miss Havisham, Estella finds Miss Havisham to be very clingy.  She tries to break away from Miss Havisham's cling, angering Miss Havisham and sparking a big fight between the two of them.  This leads to many realizations for Estella.  First, she realizes that Miss Havisham has made her into who she is.  Miss Havisham has taught her to break men's hearts and to also be very cold and rude.  For example, Estella says, "I am what you have made me.  Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the successes, take all the failure; in short, take me." (p.304).  In this quote, Estella is admitting that Miss Havisham has made her who she is.  In addition, Estella also recognizes that Miss Havisham has taught her not to love anybody, which is why she can't love Miss Havisham.  Estella admits that she owes everything to Miss Havisham, but because of her training she can't not truly love her.  Next, Estella has realizes that she will never be the same because she will never be able to forget Miss Havisham's teachings and all of their wrong causes.  Finally, Estella says, "The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me." (p.306)  In this quote, the success refers to Estella's coldness and cruelty and the failure refers to how Estella can not express emotions or show love.  Here Estella realizes how she has been made and what her successes and failures are.  Although Estella realizes a lot during this fight, it also has some consequences.  First, this fight instills some sort of fear in Miss Havisham, so every time she sees Estella, she is very scared of her.  Therefore, this fight damaged their relationship.  Next, this fight also causes Miss Havisham great pain as Pip hears he crying in the middle of the night.  Estella has caused this, which is bad considering Estella is her prized possession.  While Estella realizes a lot of things in chapter 38, Pip also has a few himself in chapter 39.  A stranger arrives at Pip's house one stormy night and Pip soon recognizes this man as the convict that he helped earlier on in the book.  Soon after, Pip discovers that this man has been his benefactor the whole time.  He has been the mysterious stranger that has been supplying Pip money in order to become a gentleman.  This comes as a big shock to Pip because he never expected the convict to be his benefactor.  This leads to some realizations for Pip.  First, Pip realizes that Miss Havisham is not his benefactor and all the time he spent in the Satis House was for nothing.  He says, "Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream;  Estella not designed for me; I only suffered in the Satis House as a convenience, a sting for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practice on when no other practice at hand." (p.323).  Next, Pip also realizes that he was not meant to marry Estella, which is a huge disappointment to him, considering his huge expectation was to marry Estella.  Also, Pip realizes that he deserted Joe for the convict's money, which is something he feels very ashamed about.  Finally, Pip recognizes what grave danger the convict is in because if he were to be found then he would be hung.  The convict is on the run from the law, which scares Pip.  In addition to theses realizations there are also some consequences.  First, there is no turning back for Pip now and that he must carry on from his present state.  He can never return to Joe or Biddy because he has gotten himself so involved.  He says, " I could never, never, never undo what I had done." (p.323).  Next, Pip feels tainted by the criminal and does not want to be associated with him but he must.  

      It is very hard to tell where Pip and Estella are going to go from here.  First, Estella having realized that she can not love anybody, may try to actually break away from Miss Havisham.  She might try to change what Miss Havisham has made her, which I don't think will work.  I think that Estella will always abide by Miss Havisham's teachings because that is all she knows.  Estella has not learned anything but the cold and heartbreaking lessons Miss Havisham has taught her.  I also think that her relationship may become rocky with Miss Havisham and the fight was only setting the stage for the rest of the book and her relationship with Miss Havisham.  Next, I think Pip also has a very uncertain future, considering his benefactor is on the run from the law and if he is caught, he will be hanged.  Pip feels like the convict is a burden and this feeling will only get worse because he can not tell anyone who is benefactor is.  he is scared for his future and I predict that the rest of the book will be hard for Pip.  He does not know what to do about his benefactor, making matters worse.

Blog 2- Mr. Jaggers

Mr. Jaggers, a powerful criminal lawyer, rips apart others in his testimony as if he were a jagged edge and leaves others to quiver in his path. Mr. Jaggers is a rich, foreboding man that lives in London and is often described as having a cold and impenetrable exterior. He has a large head, dark complexion, deep set eyes, bushy black eyebrows, and his hands smell very strongly of scented soap. In this scene, Pip gets to see Mr. Jaggers, firsthand in in all of his enormity in the courtroom. He witnesses the fear that Mr. Jaggers instills in the witnesses, judges, convicts, just about anyone he comes in contact with. "If anybody, of whatsoever degree, said a word that he didn't approve of, he instantly required to have it 'taken down.' If anybody wouldn't make an admission, he said, 'I'll have it out of you!' and if anybody made an admission, he said, 'Now I have got you!' the magistrates shivered under a single bite of his finger. Thieves and thieftakers hung in dread rapture on his words, and shrank when a hair of his eyebrows turned in their direction. Which side he was on, I couldn't make out, for he seemed to me to be grinding the whole place in a mill; I only know that when I stole out on tiptoe, he was not on the side of the bench; for, he was making the legs of the old gentleman who presided, quite convulsive under the table, by his denunciations of his conduct as the representative of British law and justice in that chair that day. " (p.202) As you can see, Mr. Jaggers is the jagged edge in the courtroom. He has a very sharp wit about him and he rips and cuts others in his words and even a mere look. It seems like everyone quivers in his presence, almost being deathly afraid of him. If someone says a word that he doesn't approve of, he has it removed immediately. No one dares to stand up to him, thus be cut up by his words. He won't take no for an answer, as he manages to get everything out of everybody. Therefore, Mr. Jaggers is appropriately named because he is the jagged edge that no one wants to go near.

Blog one- Mrs. Joe

Mrs. Joe has been established as a stern and hostile woman through her abuse who often resorts to hitting others. Mrs. Joe, the wife of a blacksmith named Joe and and the sister to Pip runs a strict household. In this scene, Joe, Mrs. Joe and Pip are sitting down to their meal of bread and butter. Joe and Pip usually have a fun little contest when they eat their bread and look at their bite marks, however, Pip is not eating his bread. Pip's bread disappears while Joe isn't looking and Joe questions what happens, thinking that Pip ate it in one bite, causing a problem for Mrs. Joe. She wants to know what is going on and Joe apparently doesn't give her a proper answer, which she demands. “By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on”(p.11). As you can see, Mrs. Joe resorts to abuse when she demands something she wants. This quote shows how she runs her house: intimidating and hitting others others. She wants to know the answer and knocks Joe's head against the wall until he tells her. She is clearly the head of the house, taking control of Joe and Pip. She treats them both like children even though Joe is the male in the house. Both Joe and Pip are inferior to her. But the weird thing is that Joe allows her to abuse and hit them, instead of telling her to stop. This shows how Mrs. Joe is superior to him, proving how she uses abuse to run her household. Therefore, this shows that Mrs. Joe is violent and abusive because of the way she treats others, especially Joe and Pip.

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