Shylock the antagonist

Shylock is ment to be the antagonist in Merchant Of Venice because he fits the characteristics of what Shakespeare would portray as an antagonist. Shylock sais that he wants a "pound of flesh" if Antonio can't give back his loan, and this clearly comes from a character who is in the protagonists way. This pound of flesh is indirectly stating that if Antonio doesn't give back on his loan Shylock wants him dead as revenge for how Antonio had previously humiliated Shylock. There is also the case of Shylocks Jewish heritage because at Shakespeare's time Jews were portrayed as sort of evil people who wanted interest on loans which was not the Christian way. Painting a Jew as the antagonist is something one could expect from a writer of a highly anti semitic period in time. 

Blog #3

Pip realizes that Estella is Drummles main suitor, and that he has no shot with her. This makes Pip feel distant from Estella when he sais, "I gave given the one chapter to the theme that so filled my heart, and so often made it ache and ache again."(312) Estella has succesfully broken Pips heart, however this may have positive effects on Pip. For instance, most everything Pip has dont to this point of the book was for Estella. Now though, Estella may no longer have that influence over Pip, allowing Pip to start making decisions based on his own interests, and move on in life. Estella on the other hand, seems content with breaking people's hearts because she clearly breaks Pips heart by choosing Drummle as her suitor, since she knew what the outcome of that choice would be. Even though Estella has a bad relationship with Miss Havisham I still believe that she will continue breaking hearts since thats what she was raised to do.

1. Miss Havisham and Pips expectations.

At the beggining of the novel Pip is a boy living out in the countryside of Britain. He doesn't have many aspirations to be anybody, and is satisfied with being a black smith working with Joe. However, his ideas quickly change when he goes to Miss Havishams and meets Estella. When he first encounters her, Estella is very rude to him, and insults him by calling him a commoner. She also picks on his physical attributes such as his rough hands, and his common clothes. Her insults cause Pip to be more self aware of himself, and that brings about a sense in Pip that he needs to change. Instead of embracing his social class, Pip starts hating that he's a commoner, and aquires the desire to change and receive a better education. Later, when Pip is presented with an opportunity too achieve his desire of becoming a gentlemen, he doesn't hesitate to accept the offer. The Pip before Miss Havisham was a naive, and timid boy who would think twice about leaving his family behind, hower the current Pip, who is a much more ambitious individual, is glad to be leaving his family behind, and is even too embarrased to be seen with them, as shown in the scene where he wouldn't let Joe come with him to the carriage.

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Blog 1

Joe

“It were a bit lonesome then,” said Joe, “living here alone, and I got acquainted with your sister. Now, Pip;” Joe looked firmly at me, as if he knew I was not going to agree with him; “your sister is a fine figure of a woman.”

Joe isn't the sharpest guy, and he knows it as seen with his interactions with Pip. Before Mrs. Joe came along Joe was all alone because his mom died of a disease, and he had no education which prevented him from communicating with anybody on the same level as him. His mother was someone who he trusted because she provided everything for him, whereas his father was an abuser who would abuse him and his mom. It only makes sense that when she died, Joe felt an emptiness, and a loneliness inside which craved a longing for attention. Before she died, Joe also got all his support through her since in the text it said she pushed for his education. However, his father always prevented that from happening which creates a divide between him and Joe. Now, because Joe lost the one who he dearly cared about in his life, and because he didn't have an education, he would be desperate to find someone else. When Pip's sister took him in, he was most likely so happy that he filled the gap of interaction that he didn't care how she treated him, but loved her anyways.

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