Brothers,
In viewing the film adaptation of Shakespeare's play, we can better visualize the nature of character and conflict as it develops through the five acts. Also, it is important to consider how the play is interpreted through the eyes of the director. We must keep in mind the various prejudices--which is to say, preconceptions or biases--that the director has in making the movie. In other words, what issues become central to him or her in crafting an adaptation of a play written centuries earlier?
With that in mind, please answer the following questions in complete sentences:
1. What is the central issue upon which Radford focuses in adapting the play to film?
2. How is Venice portrayed; How is Belmont portrayed? What effect does this create in terms of atmosphere and dramatic function?
3. Remember what I said about the value of male friendship in Elizabethan England? In Shakespeare's time it was valued over and above the marriage bond between a man and a woman. How does Radford portray the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio in the film? Be specific in referring to instances in the movie to support your answer.
4. Shylock. How can he be considered a tragic hero? Does the film have us sympathizing with him in a spirit of both pity and fear? How does the film portray his character? Are we supposed to feel a certain way towards him? Does Portia display any sort of remorse for the way he was treated in court? If so, how does that come across in her mannerisms?
5. Portia. What's your opinion regarding her role, her character in the film? Think about the suppressed role of women during Shakespeare's time and the way her character contrasts with opression. What is her protest? How does she protest?
6. Last question: Was this an accurate re-presentation of the play? Explain.
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1. The main issue that Radford seems to be focusing on is the anti-semitism of the setting of the story.
2. Venice is portrayed as a sort of Sodom and Gomorrah where there is prostitition and various other dirty deeds. This contrasts with Belmont which is portrayed as a sort of royal Oasis where all the richest gather. This serves to make Belmont seem as the place to go to fulfill dreams as in Bassanios search for Portia.
3. Well the film does have a rather intimate seen where Antonio and Bassanio have no problem with kissing each other without fear of being considered homosexual.
4. Shylock is someone the film has us sympathising with as it portrayes him as someone who has been long abused and is sick of being mistreated. The film is successful at building pity in the viewer as it shows Antonio spitting on him and various other cruel acts.
5. Portia is the character of the rebellious woman. This is due to her frustration with the fact that she is unable to choose her own husband since her father set of the game with the caskets. She contrasts with the oppressed women of Shake's time by actually making her points heard as opposed to just accepting things the way they are.
6. I feel the film is an acurate presentation of the play as it has most of the dialouge and even makes an attempt to flesh out the story further. However I feel the film was a much less light hearted romp than the original play which was a bit silly.
1. The central issue of the movie is discrimination against the Jews. Anti-Semitism.
2. Venice is portrayed as a dirty town filled with sin and suffering. Belmont is shown as a haven that is still pure for lovers and friends. Venice has a dark atmosphere of pain and suffering combined with wanton lust and sin. Belmont is, again, pure of these horrible things.
3. They are shown as close friends that have no problem showing affection for one another in ways that would be considered odd today.
4. Shylock inspires pity in us at first when we see Antonio spitting on him, but later we are a little shocked when he asks for a piece of Antonio’s flesh. He could be a tragic hero because he is of noble birth, and wise. His flaw would be his Jewish heritage, because the Christians, who consisted of many of the most powerful and influential people, did not respect Jews.
5. Portia is a woman bound to her dead father’s will, and as such she doesn’t have much choice in her future. She wants to break away and be free but for her it is impossible.
6. In some respects it was and in others it wasn’t. I don’t think Shakespeare intended for the focus of the play to be on the oppression of the Jews, so the filmmakers were not correct in that regard. Otherwise the movie is a fairly good re-presentation.
1.Radford draws special attention to the persecution of jews, as well as the raunchy and immoral nature of vennice.
2.Venice is portreyed as being beat up and hellish, it is always kind of gloomy....belmont is very sunny and lovly, (the music is up beat)everyone is happy in belmost..while they are miserable and vengful in venice.
3. Antonio, and bassanio were very close... and even porsha talked of thier brotherly love.
They also have what would be quite an awkward kiss in todays society
4. I would say shylock is portrayed as a tragic hero because he looses his daughter and money...and he has bad intentions for antonio...yet he has good morals and is a good person. His resentment of catholics is well justified.
5. Porsha not only essentialy marries herself since her father is dead.... she also studies law, attempts to repay debt...and defends antonio in court. These are thing that are not stereotypically female back then.
6. i think the film was accurate in respect to plot...alough it was expedited...however it is suposed to comedy..the director takes the whole jew issue and makes it serious and takes an intened humor and makes it gloomy or what would be a joke at a characters expense, he makes it a sad thing
1. The main central issue is the discrimination of the Jews, and how money even back in the day affected people. The uncleaness of Venice was also portrayed.
2. Venice is portrayed as a bit of a dirty place where kind of anything goes. Where as Belmont, is more of a nicer calmer place, where people are more conserved and keep to themselves. These places cause for the characters who stay in Venice as cold hearted people, where as the people of Belmont are portrayed as very eager people.
3. Antonio and Bassanio have the kind of friendly relationship, where they are very close and are in constant contact with each other. They also are not afraid to show how close they are, for example their is a part during the story where they share in a kiss.
4. Shylock can be considered a tragic hero because he finds ways to get above the racism toward him. And yes this play does have us sympathyzing with him in both pity and fear because he is so emotional especially when he finds out he had lost everything including his daughter. Some examples where he is hated on is, when he spit on by Antonio and when he loses his ducets.
5. Portia comes of as somewhat of a whit, and in that time not a normal woman. For one, she studied law to defend Antonio in court involving the ducets he owed to Shylock. In a way, she kind of represents how a woman can do just as much as a man can in a society. She represents that by representing Anotonio in Court.
6. Yes, I believe this was an accurate re-representation of the play, but in some ways i don't believe it was an accurate re-representation of the play. I believe that the movie in a way came off as more of a comedy then the book did if thats possible. Also it seemed that the book didn't stress as much of the oppression of Jews as the movie did. The oppression of the Jews played a larger role in the movie than the book. But in all, it was a good re-representation of the book.
1.RaDfOrD bRiNgS uP tHe RaCiSm ThAt ThE jEwS fAcE iN tHaT tImE pErIoD. It MaKeS yOu FeEl SyMpAtHy FoR tHe JeWs BaCk Then.
2. Venice is portrayed as a hell like place in the ghetto. Belmont is portrayed heavenly. When the movie goes to Venice it makes the movie sad and depressing but in Belmont the movie becomes happy.
3. In the film , Bassanio and Antonio are very close.....Almost too close as we them exchange a peck on the lips. Antonio risks his life so Bassanio can get married. Most friends today wouldn't do that in today's relationships.
4. Shylock could be considered a tragic hearo because he is a very strong and powerful man where he lives. His tragic flaw is Judaism. In that time period Jews were looked down apon.
5. Portia is a very beautiful, intelluctual, and generous woman in the film. Even though she is a woman and not allowed in the court, she dresses up as a man and becomes a lawyer, who defends Antonio.
6. I believe this was an accuarate re-presentation of the play. Not that many things in the movie are different from the play. The charactes all do and say mostly the same things in both.
1.) The main focus of radford were the issues between christians and jews, the differences and the abuse.
2.)
~Venice~
known location
real
hellish
pain
dirty
persecution
despair
Antonio
Shylock
~Belmont~
unknown location
fictional quality
utopia
parodisial quality
Portia
falling in love
Belmont is sort of untouched in a way; very much unlike Venice which contains sin and uncleanlyness.
3.) As portrayed in the movie, Antonio and Bassanio are very close and are very affectionate towards each other. As in one of the scenes they are kissing and in another instance they are sitting on a bed together- which could be symbolic of the intensity of their relationship and how close they really are.
4.) Shylock is constantly being put down and insluted and this is because of his faith. We are supposed to feel sorry for him, he keeps on standing up for his rights and that he should; in some ways he is a tragic hero.
5.) Portia is very outspoken and expressive with her thoughts towards Basanio. She is very different compared to other woman during her time; she helps to defend Antonio in court but not before learning the law.
6.) Yes, I Think that the movie is very similar to the book with only a few minor differences. The movie almost exactly resembled my mental image that I had when reading the story.
1. The central issue that Radford focuses on in the movie is the anti-semitisim and hatred towards the Jews in this time period.
2. Venice is protrayed as being hellish, dirty, and gloomy. Belmont is portrayed as the opposite of Venice. Belmont is where it is happy in contrast to Venice.
3. Antonio and Bassanio have a very close relationship with each other. They are not afraid to show their affection as Radford shows in the scene where they kiss each other.
4. Shylock can be considered a tragic hero. He has his tragic flaw. HE makes us feel pity for him for being a Jew in Venice and for how he lost his daughter.
5. Portia is forced by her fathers will to let her marrage lay in the hands of whoever choses the correct chest with her picture in it. Her protest is that she can not chose who she wants to marry of chose who she dose not want to marry.
6. This movie was a pretty acurate re-presentation of the play. It had the dialouge from the actual book. I think Radford did the best he could to create the play into a movie.
1) The central issue that Radford really plays off in the film is the hatred of the Jews. He shows their persecution in depth and Shylock's constant monologues about his plights just screams out the heartache of th Jews.
2) Belmont is beautiful and majestci, while Venice is portrayed as a real dump. The women are scantily clad and the men are draped in rags of filth. The streets are run over with what seems to be persecution and quite frankly hellish behavior.
3) He shows the strong male relationship in some sense because Bassanio does seem to be very upset about Antonio's failed voyages and his overall plight. However, I didn't specifically notice any real above verage relationship. Because, when you think about it, Bassanio's probably just feeling really guilty that he got Antonio in so much debt.
4) Shylock is portrayed in a sympathetic pride, which is confusing. He is very proud of himself, his life, and his daughter. However, he has many breakdowns where we see his true pain and that's where the sympathy comes in. Also, when Shylock realizes that Jessica has run away his distraught is displayed to make the viewers very sympathetic towards him.
5) Portia seems to be a very strong woman. She comes off as somebody who doesn't follow all of the rules, or at least doesn't want to. Overall, she contrasts the whole "female oppression" thing with her spirited behavior and seemingly deep intellect.
6) Overall, I think that the play transcribes the big screen quite well. This diirector does an above average job of sticking to the Shakespearian culture and combining it with some newer elements.
1. The central issue that Radford focuses on when adapting the play to film is racism specifically targeted towards Jews.
2. Venice is portrayed as a heavy, dark, and troubled place. Belmont is portrayed as a peaceful, loving, and successful place. The contrasts between the two atmospheres help the audience further understand the plot.
3. The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio in the film is shown as a very strong bond, seeing that they go to great lengths and risks to help each other out with their troubles. For instance, when Antonio's life is at risk with Shylock, Bassanio leaves Portia (temporarily) in order to help save Antonio.
4. Shylock is a candidate for a trajic hero because he is portrayed in the film as someone who loses their wealth,relative, and overall dignity, mainly because he is a Jew. The way Shylock's misfortunes are presented throughout the film give the audience a sense of sympathy towards Shylock.
5. Portia's character is portrayed as a woman who is strong, faithful, and deeply intellectual. Her character contrasts with opression by having complete control over Bassanio, instead of the other way around. In Shakespeare's time, men had dominance and control over women, and Portia protests against that.
6. The film was an accurate re-presentation of the play because it had exact dialogue, it portrayed the themes of the play such as racism, brotherhood, and dominance, and the atmospheres and sets shown were quite similar to the places described in the play.
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