Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Shylock
| Learning Experience | 9.8 |
|---|
An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
Introduction
An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
About this course
In the first act of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the Jewish moneylender Shylock proposes a merry sport? to the merchant Antonio: he will lend Antonio the money he needs if Antonio agrees to let Shylock take a pound of his flesh should he default. Shylock calls this contract a merry bond,? and Shakespeare’s First Folio calls the play a comedy. But what does Shylock want from the bond, and how merry does the play ultimately prove?
In this course, Harvard professor Stephen Greenblatt guides learners through an in-depth exploration of the character of Shylock. You’ll learn about Jewish history in Europe, how early audiences might have responded to the play and the history of the play’s production through the twenty-first century.
With short video lectures, readings from the play, and explorations of adaptations, you will develop critical tools with which to unlock the play’s possible meanings.
If you’re reading The Merchant of Venice for the first time, this course is a great introduction. If you’re reading it for the hundredth time, it is the perfect chance to renew your understanding of one of Shakespeare’s most polarizing plays.
What you will learn from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice?
- Discover sixteenth-century Venice, the commercial hub whose multicultural landscape gives shape to the play
- Analyze Shylock, the Jewish merchant: his moral ambivalence, his isolation from and connections to the other characters, and his troubling conversion
- Situate the play in a long history of artistic representations of Jews in the West, with attention to the problem of anti-Semitism
- Learn how the play, called a comedy,? incorporates tragic elements that may prompt audiences to identify with Shylock despite his outsider status
- Weigh different responses to Shylock over four centuries through the study of artifacts and interviews with authors, actors, and curators
Syllabus
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Introduction
Part_1: Imagining Venice
Part_2: The Figure of the Jew
Part_3: The Problem of Identification
Part_4: Shylock’s Afterlives
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Conclusion
Note: Your review matters
If you have already done this course, kindly drop your review in our reviews section. It would help others to get useful information and better insight into the course offered.
Description
Introduction
An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
About this course
In the first act of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the Jewish moneylender Shylock proposes a merry sport? to the merchant Antonio: he will lend Antonio the money he needs if Antonio agrees to let Shylock take a pound of his flesh should he default. Shylock calls this contract a merry bond,? and Shakespeare’s First Folio calls the play a comedy. But what does Shylock want from the bond, and how merry does the play ultimately prove?
In this course, Harvard professor Stephen Greenblatt guides learners through an in-depth exploration of the character of Shylock. You’ll learn about Jewish history in Europe, how early audiences might have responded to the play and the history of the play’s production through the twenty-first century.
With short video lectures, readings from the play, and explorations of adaptations, you will develop critical tools with which to unlock the play’s possible meanings.
If you’re reading The Merchant of Venice for the first time, this course is a great introduction. If you’re reading it for the hundredth time, it is the perfect chance to renew your understanding of one of Shakespeare’s most polarizing plays.
What you will learn from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice?
- Discover sixteenth-century Venice, the commercial hub whose multicultural landscape gives shape to the play
- Analyze Shylock, the Jewish merchant: his moral ambivalence, his isolation from and connections to the other characters, and his troubling conversion
- Situate the play in a long history of artistic representations of Jews in the West, with attention to the problem of anti-Semitism
- Learn how the play, called a comedy,? incorporates tragic elements that may prompt audiences to identify with Shylock despite his outsider status
- Weigh different responses to Shylock over four centuries through the study of artifacts and interviews with authors, actors, and curators
Syllabus
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Introduction
Part_1: Imagining Venice
Part_2: The Figure of the Jew
Part_3: The Problem of Identification
Part_4: Shylock’s Afterlives
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Conclusion
Note: Your review matters
If you have already done this course, kindly drop your review in our reviews section. It would help others to get useful information and better insight into the course offered.
Specification:
- EDX
- Harvard University
- Online Course
- Instructor-led
- Beginner
- 1-4 Weeks
- Free Course (Affordable Certificate)
- English
- Plays and Acts Shakespeare's Plays
Videos: Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Shylock
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