The Merchant Of Venice And The Crucible - 1491 Words

Self-interest forms the basis of every relationship, whether it is related to friendship, marriage or trade. Although human beings ostensibly love and care for each other, in reality they expect some sort of benefit from every relationship. Both William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller depict the role of self-interest in human relationships in their literary works: The Merchant of Venice and The Crucible respectively. They emphasize this thesis through examples of love, friendship, power and Christianity. Even though love and friendship are regarded as two forms of relationships where no one seeks any pragmatical purpose, in fact they covertly embody different sorts of self-interest. The triangular relationship among Antonio, Bassanio and Portia in The Merchant of Venice and the friendship between Abigail Williams and the girls in The Crucible are both based on selfish motives. Bassanio asks Antonio for money in order to marry Portia. However, his motive for this marriage consists of not solely his love for Portia but mostly his desire to have Portia’s wealth and be able to pay his debts. He reveals this motive in Act 1, Scene 1 when he tells Antonio that he will be able to pay his debts when he marries Portia. Also Bassanio’s asking his friend, Antonio, for money contributes to the claim that friendship can be used for self-seeking economic purposes. Similarly, the indirect relationship between Portia and Antonio serves to an analogous purpose. Since Portia knows that h erShow MoreRelatedThe Merchant Of Venice And The Crucible1337 Words   |  6 Pagesof many humans that can lead them into doing such â€Å"unforgivable† acts. In both the plays, William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller with their famous novels, The Merchant of Venice and The Crucible, have shown how Grudges and Rivalries can cause such destruction in the lives of the people and the society in this play. In The Merchant of Venice, Grudges and Personal Rivalries in the trial scene has clearly been expressed with Shylock and Antonio. The central part and the twist of this novel are primarilyRead MoreMerchant of Venice and the Crucible Comparison Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagessociety will fall apart and be unable to maintain balance and stability. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the reader sees examples of injustice inflicted on the victims within the plays through the people with power within the community. The Christians in The Merchant of Venice mock Shylock the Jew countless times while the high court in The Crucible believe citizens are practicing witchcraft without a proper testimony. In both situations, the ChristiansRead MoreSelf Interest : The Enemy Of True Affection1086 Words   |  5 Pagesseemingly many humans enter into a relationship for that purpose. In both the plays, the Merchant of Venice and The Crucibl e has depicted the role of self-interest in human relationships. They emphasize this theme through examples of love, friendship, power. The relationship between Portia, Bassanio and Antonio in The Merchant of Venice and the friendship between Abigail Williams and all the girls in The Crucible are both based on selfish motives. Bassanio asks Antonio for money in order to marry PortiaRead MoreSelf Interest, The Enemy Of True Affection1228 Words   |  5 Pagesboth the plays, William Shakespeare with his famous piece, the Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller with his famous play, The Crucible have depicted the role of self-interest in human relationships. They emphasize this theme through examples of love, friendship, power The triangular relationship between Antonio, Bassanio and Portia in The Merchant of Venice and the friendship between Abigail Williams and all the girls in The Crucible are both based on selfish motives. Bassanio asks Antonio for moneyRead MoreSelf Interest, The Enemy Of True Affection1199 Words   |  5 Pagesit. In both the plays, William Shakespeare with his famous piece, the Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller with his famous play, The Crucible has depicted the role of self-interest in human relationships. They emphasize this theme from examples of love, friendship, power The relationship between Antonio, Bassanio and Portia in The Merchant of Venice and the friendship between Abigail Williams and all the girls in The Crucible are both based on selfish motives. Bassanio asks Antonio for money in orderRead MoreThe Crucible by Arthur Miller993 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are certain plays that stuck out. Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, and The Importance of Being Earnest were among some of these plays from this semester. However, one of my personal favorites is The Crucible. I was able to uncover many themes from this play such as secret sin, lies and deceit, and religion. The Crucible stood out to me from the rest of the plays. I was able to relate to it on a greater scale than the others, and the story behind the Crucible interested me very much. Also I noticeRead MoreA Brief History Of The Greenock Steamship1920 Words   |  8 Pagestheirs were some of the finest sailing ships the world over. After 1740, when Glasgow had grown rich on the tobacco trade, it quickly became a hub of business and trade. As a natural consequence of this, Glasgow and the towns of the Clyde formed a crucible of ideas and innovation. One such innovation was the steam engine. Its first practical application to a ship came in 1801 when Charlotte Dundas steamed along the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow in 1801. In 1812, PS Comet com-menced Europe’s firstRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 PagesDying The Mill on the Floss The Awakening Moby-Dick Billy Budd Mrs. Dalloway Bleak House Native Son Bless Me,Ultima One Hundred Years of Solitude Catch-22 Othello Crime and Punishment The Scarlet Letter The Crucible Slaughterhouse-Five A Farewell to Arms Song of Solomon Ghosts The Stone Angel The Great Gatsby The Stranger Heart of Darkness A Tale of Two Cities The House of Mirth Their Eyes Were Watching God Jude the ObscureRead MoreReading Key3881 Words   |  16 Pages(covered in wild grapes- hence the name vinland) Crusaders: 1300’s crusaders seeking to free holy land from Muslim control. This gave Europe a taste for foreign goods i.e: ilk, spices, drugs, perfumes- ***sugar Merchants ought cheaper means for the transportation of goods. Venice: Italian trading city Genoa: Italian trading city Describe the impact of sugar and the development of Europe’s â€Å"sweet tooth† on the colonization of the Americas. 5. What caused Europeans to begin exploring? Read MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pagesnothing but their food. The ship plowed south and east through heavy storms, along the Gold Coast, anchoring at various ports, and finally stopping at Lagos, Nigeria, a former slave market, now a British mercantile center. Moslem and Christian merchants traded with African tribesmen. Everyone was engaged in buying or selling. Then the ship continued to Port Harcourt, located in the mouth of the Niger River. When the Hesseltine crossed the equator, Hughes shipmates initiated him as a Son of Neptune