Macro Environmental Analysis Of Italy

Macro Environmental Analysis Of Italy Political aspects The Italian politics and government are a fusion of democracy and republic, with peoples representatives in the parliament ruling the country. Italys Chief of state is President Giorgio Napolitano. Premier Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the head of the state in Italy. He administrates a multi-party system for successful running of the political activities. Italy was a founding member of the European Union (EU). Today Italy is a member of many significant international organsations like MIF, UN, G8, NATO, OECD, GATT/WTO or the OSCE. Italy has been a member of WTO since 1995 and it is also important to say that all EU member states are WTO members. So Italys trade policy is almost the same as that of other members of the European Union. This fact makes clear that WTO trading partners have less problems in trading because of the removal of all barriers to international trade in goods and services. Demographical aspects Italy has developed into an industrial country, which is divided in two parts. The first part is the industrial developed north, which is dominated by private companies. The second part is the agricultural south. The unemployment in the south is pretty high and it is clearly to see that this part of Italy is less developed. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the most important economical indicators. For Italy the GDP is $1.823 trillion in 2008. But one has to keep in mind that this number does not refer to the population. If one wants to take in this aspects one should look at the GDP (PPP). For Italy this is $31,300 this means how much the average person living in Italy hast to spend. As an investor this number might become very handy because one can see how much money a country has to consume in luxury goods. Instead of being able to afford ones basic needs. The real GDP growth rate in Italy achieved an amount of -1% in 2008. The main industries in Italy are tourism, machin ery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics. The main resources of Italy are mined products like coal, zinc, natural gas and a crude oil reserves. Macro environmental analysis of India Political aspects India is a democracy. The people of India elect their governments at all levels (Union, State and local) by a system of universal adult franchise; popularly known as ‘One man one vote . The central government exercises its broad administrative powers in the name of the President, whose duties are largely ceremonial. The constitution designates the governance of India under two branches namely the executive branch and Real national executive power is centered in the Council of Ministers, led by the Prime Minister of India. India suffered political instability for a few years due to the failure of any party to win an absolute majority in Parliament. However, political stability did not change Indias economic course though it delayed certain decisions relating to the economy. Membership of international organizations: ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IFAD, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, LAS (observer), NAM, OAS (observer), PIF (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNESCO, UNWTO, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO International Relations: International relations ships between India and a lot of the countries in our world have been relatively good. Trade Policy: India is a member of the World Trade Organization and its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). While participating in its council meetings, India has been crucial in voicing the concerns of the developing world. For instance, India has continued its opposition to the inclusion of such matters as labour and environment issues and other non-tariff barriers into the WTO policies. Despite reducing import restrictions several times in the 2000,India was evaluated by the World Trade Organization in 2008 as more restrictive than similar developing economies, such as Brazil, China, and Russia. The WTO also identified electricity shortages and inadequate transportation infrastructure as significant constraints on trade. Its restrictiveness has been cited as a factor which has isolated it from the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 more than other countries, even though it has reduced ongoing economic growth. Demographical aspects India has a total population of 1,17 billion people in 2009 and growth rate of 1.5 % in 2009 with an average age of 25 years. India has a lot of young people and with a Birth rate of 21.76 births/1,000 it has the highest birth rate of the three countries. Little over a quarter of the population in India lives in citys with 29% this is relatively low. However the degree of urbanization in india is 2,4% wich is also the highest urbanization rate of our three countries. The labour force in india is the second largest in the world with 523.5 million people in 2008 it is also the biggest of our three countries. There is a lot of difference in education levels in india. There is a strong line between really high education and people that are not or poorly educated. Comparison between Italy and India Political aspects India is a democracy, Italy is a fusion of democracy and republic. This means that both countries are free and people who live there make the decisions. The people of India elect their government by a vote, which have the function of a President. Italys leader is President Giorgio Napolitano and Premier Minister Silvio Berlusconi. India is one of the major producing countries of coal. It also has significant deposits of iron, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium, bromine, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum and limestone. The natural resources for Italy are mainly mined products like coal, zinc, natural gas and a crude oil reserves. India is not a member of the EU like Italy, which was a founding member of the EU, nevertheless international relationships between India and a lot of other countries have been relatively good. Demographical aspects India has a population of 1.166.079.217 habitants. In comparison Italys population is 58.000.000. Apart from the major difference in population, the demographical aspects for India and Italy are unequal. India has a population growth rate of 1.548% whereas Italy has a growth rate of -0.047%. The population in India is quite young in comparison with the population of Italy. In year 2005 Indias urbanization had an annual rate of 2.4%, Italy only 0.4%. These facts show us that there are a lot of differences between the two countries. Economical aspects As an economical indicator, often it is reffered to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For India the GPD is $3.297 trillion with an annual growth of 6.7%. In Italy this amount is $1.823 trillion with a clear smaller growth rate of -5.1% per year. Both countries have in common that most of the GDP is made in the service sector. In Italy the service sector makes up 71% of the total GDP while in India it is 53.4%. Italys major exports are precision machinery, motor vehicles (utilitaries, luxury vehicles, motorcycles, scooters), chemicals and electric goods, but the countrys more famous exports are in the fields of food and clothing. Indias major export commodities included engineering goods, petroleum products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, textiles and garments, agricultural products, iron ore and other minerals. Italy and India in comparison to The Netherlands Political aspects In the Netherlands the form of government is not similar to the ones from India or Italy. It is a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy state. The administration constitutionally consists of the Queen and the Cabinet Ministers. By the early eighties the Dutch welfare state had become the most extensive social security system In the world but the welfare state came into crisis when spending rose due to dramatic high unemployment rates and poor economic growth. The centre-right and centre-left coalitions wanted the Dutch welfare state to create new jobs and to bring the budget deficit under control. So that they reduced social benefits, lowered the taxes and deregulated the businesses. With these solutions the economy was recovered and the budget deficit and unemployment were reduced considerably. The Netherlands has a total of 11 Parties and the major political parties are CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal), PvdA (Labour Party), SP (Socialist Party), and VVD (Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy). The Dutch Parliament consists of a Second Chamber and a First Chamber. Both chambers of parliament discuss proposed legislation and review of the actions of the cabinet. The CDA has the most seats in the Chambers. Membership of international organizations: The Netherlands is an active and responsible participant in the United Nations system as well as other multilateral organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization (WTO), and International Monetary Fund. Trade Policy: In 2007 the exports of the Netherlands were $457.2 billion. The main export commodities are machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals and foodstuffs. The Netherlands is a strong proponent of free trade and is a member of international forums like WTO and OECD. The share of foreign trade in its GDP is more than 125%. The Netherlands top three export partners are Germany, Belgium and France. Demographical aspects With 16.5 Million inhabitants The Netherlands have a high population density of almost 400 people per square kilometres. The birth rate exceeds the death rate with 10.9/1000 people against 8.68 death/1000 population and a very high net immigration rate with 2.72 migrants/1000 people also contributes to this. Therefore the Dutch population increased by 50% since the 1960s. Lately the population boom is slowly declining. The population is mostly divided in middle-sized cities. Economical aspects between the different countries Economical aspects of the Netherlands The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. Its economy is also noted for stable industrial relations, fairly low unemployment and inflation and a sizable current account surplus. From 2004 till 2006 the GDP went from about $610 billion up to $670 billion. The GDP per capita in the Netherlands is the highest of the tree mention countries. The country has been one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the four largest investors in the US. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007, but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand and raised the specter of a recession in 2009. Main industries: Natural gas; Dutch industry is diversified and includes a variety of businesses that range from manufacturing, mining, and energy production to construction and chemical manufacturing. Economical aspects of Italy Italy has developed into an industrial country ranked by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as the worlds seventh largest economy in USD exchange-rate terms and tenth largest in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) by World Bank, IMF and the CIA World Factbook. More recently, Italy has faced sluggish economic growth and reduced international competitiveness. Italys economic strength is in the processing and the manufacturing of goods, primarily in small and medium-sized family-owned firms. The country has been less successful in terms of developing world class multinational corporations. Economical aspects of India India has had a market based system from 1991 till now. Before that the government blocked a lot of the import/ export products to protect the people. India achieved 9.6% GDP growth in 2006, 9.0% in 2007, and 6.6% in 2008 this probably due to the global economic crisis putting the country on position 28 in the world. The GDP (purchasing power parity) did however grow from $2.816 trillion in 2006 to $3.069 trillion in 2007 to $3.297 trillion in 2008 placing india on position 5 according to the cia world factbook. Most of this (53.4% 2008) comes from the services sector in India. Conclusion Which country will have the best market to export goods and products to? India is a very interesting country to trade with. The economy is on a strong growth trajectory and predictions are that it keeps growing. All India has to do is keep their market open and keep on working on improving their infrastructure and educational system, this would also improve their GDP per capita. India has also barely been affected by the economic crisis of 2008/2009 Italy on the other hand has had a real problem since the beginning of the crisis, in the EU Italy has taken one of the hardest hits on GDP (PPP) and GDP Growth rate, however, even before the start of the crisis the Italian economy had already been ‘sluggish. In the end, it all depends on what goods and products you are planning to export. Italy has few natural resources because Italy has specialized on industry and building luxury goods and for all this you need materials so exporting natural resources would be best here. In India we would export capital/consumer goods, if the economy keeps growing as predicted than that combined with the fact that the liberalization of import taxes continues also adding a population of over 1 billion people. Makes it one of the biggest potential markets in the world at this time. Concluding that both of the countries have their advantages, the EU in Italy and the market potential of India, we prefer India to trade with. Sources: www.cia.gov www.demographic-research.org www.economist.com www.geohive.com www.oecd.org www.oup.com www.wikipedia.org www.de.statista.com www.economicshelp.org www.wiki.answers.com

“Of Mice and Men” Prejudice and Alienation Essay

Prejudice of many groups of people was prevalent in America during the Great Depression era. In the 1930s when the book took place, there was an extreme amount of racism and sexism, little to no knowledge of mental disability, and assumedly a great deal of ageism. In _Of Mice and Men,_ John Steinbeck uses prejudice to illustrate the theme of alienation through ageism, racism, sexism, and ableism. Candy was an old man who lived on the farm who lost his hand in an accident while working. The ranch hands constantly tortured Candy by telling him that his dog was too old for his own good, and that he would be better off dead. Candy takes this personally, assuming that they were insinuating that he was also worthless to the ranch, and too old for his own good. The old man realizes that this is the only job he’ll ever have, considering he only has only had one hand and is too old to do hard labor and said, â€Å"‘When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me†¦ I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs'† (60). The other men understand this and exclude Candy for his differences. Slim, another ranch hand, talking about Candy’s dog said, â€Å"‘I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I got old and a cripple'† (45). Candy’s dog is an obvious parallel to Candy and his physical conditions that prevent him from working. To show racism, Steinbeck uses the character Crooks, a black stable buck who lives on the ranch. Although sometimes in the book it seems that Crooks isolates himself, it is clear towards the end of the book that the other men avoid associating with him because of the color of his skin. Many of the  other ranch hands refer to Crooks as â€Å"nigger†, an extremely offensive term, instead of his actual name. Crooks avoids getting into trouble by staying in his room (which is in the barn with the animals) and staying out of the way of the rest of the men. At one point, Crooks aggravates Curley’s wife, and as a response she threatened, â€Å"‘Well you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so fast it ain’t even funny'† (87). When Crooks is talking to Lennie and Candy, he confides in them about his loneliness, admitting, â€Å"A guy sets alone here at night, maybe readin’ books or thinkin’ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin’, an’ he got nothin’ to tell him what’s so an’ what ain’t so† (73). Sexism is another major part of the novel, and it is shown through the character of Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife, is who she sounds like she is, because she’s married to Curley, the son of the head of the ranch. She is never given a name, which was probably to show the reader that the only relevance she had was that she was Curley’s possession in a way, because she was his wife and was not allowed to talk to anyone but him. Curley’s wife constantly cries for attention because she, like many of the other characters in this novel, feels lonely most of the time. The men do not understand why she does, and take it as thought she is just being â€Å"slutty† in a sense because she didn’t like Curley. George is talking to Candy when he says his first impression of Curley’s wife. George said, â€Å"‘Well, seems Curley’s married†¦ a tart,'† because he didn’t empathize Curley’s wife’s loneliness (28). In turn, Curley’s wife is alienated for her gender, and admits to Crooks, Lennie, and Candy that she wishes she had people to talk to and have conversation with. While talking to the three other â€Å"outcasts† on the farm she admitted, â€Å"‘I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad'† (87). It is more and more apparent throughout the book that the other ranch hands don’t want to make Curley upset by talking to his wife, but in the end she is still alienated because she is a woman. The most recognizable prejudice in this novel was the ablelism toward Lennie. Lennie, the main character of the book, had some type of mental disorder that prevented him from remembering things and also from controlling the motor function and decision making concerning his hands, but of course in  this time period there was no knowledge of such diseases. Lennie was the most kind-hearted, innocent character in this book because he doesn’t understand superficial alienation or prejudice toward someone because of their sex, race, age, etc. He can’t take care of himself, so his best friend George tells him what to do. During one part of the book when George is talking to Slim, George talks about how he used to treat Lennie: â€Å"‘I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with him. Used to play jokes on ‘im ’cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself'† (40). Soon after, George told Slim that he stopped messing with Lennie because he told him once to jump into a river, and Lennie almost drowned and died because he didn’t know how to swim, and didn’t know any better than to just listen to what George says. At the end of the book when Curley found out that Lennie had killed his wife, he took it out in anger because he did not understand that Lennie couldn’t control himself, ordering, â€Å"‘When you see ‘um, don’t give ‘im no chance, shoot for his guts'† (97). Lennie is alienated in this novel because of his disability and is isolated (and killed) as a result. In sum, Steinbeck uses ageism, sexism, racism, and ableism to convey the theme of alienation in _Of Mice and Men_. In the scene with all four of the alienated characters in Crooks’s room, Curley’s wife said in frustration with the fact that she has not one to talk to, â€Å"‘Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep- an’ likin’ it because they ain’t got nobody else.'† (78) This line is very significant because it shows that even though they are all excluded from the majority of the ranch hands, and from society in general, they realize that they can turn to each other when they feel lonely.

How successful is Shakespeare’s presentation of Macbeth Essay

In order to make a precise conclusion on how successful Shakespeare is on making Macbeth a tragic hero, the great speeches and monologues by Macbeth must be analyzed. Also the audience or reader must have to understand what makes a person a tragic hero. Obviously there must be certain conditions that the tragic hero has to fulfill. These will be discussed. Macbeth has them and I will try to give evidence to back up my points. To start with the character must be of noble birth, Macbeth is of noble birth and this is a fact as he is born the Thane of Glamis. Secondly the tragic hero must be of high moral worth as if he isn’t the audience can’t admire him so he wouldn’t be heroic therefore he wouldn’t be a tragic hero. Macbeth is of high moral worth as one of the first times in the play when Macbeth is seen as a hero is after the great battle at the beginning. Everyone is praising him, including the king. The king, as a reward for his heroic actions, makes Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as the last Thane of Cawdor was found guilty of treason and was be-headed! The main thing that makes the audience respect Macbeth (helping us to see him as a tragic hero in the end) is when the sergeant reporting on the battle praises Macbeth calling him â€Å"brave Macbeth†, so we see that even from the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as brave and people respect him. When Macbeth meets the king towards the beginning of the play the king has only nice things to say about Macbeth and clearly respects him as he call him his ‘valiant cousin’ and a ‘worthy gentleman’. Because the king is obviously noble we trust his opinion of Macbeth so then we too share his high opinion of him. We know the King thinks this as he represents his feelings when he says to Macbeth â€Å"more is due than more all can pay†. Here Duncan is saying that Macbeth means a lot to him and the country. As the king is so proud of him hen trusts him more and naturally is more willing to give him things and help him become more successful throughout his reign as king. The king’s whole idea of Macbeth shows him as a hero, which is often shown so frequently at the beginning of the play. This whole idea of Macbeth being a hero at the beginning of the play is very common in tragic heroes as always at the beginning they are brave and heroic, but then they go tragic things/or bad things, which makes them tragic heroes. Another thing that a tragic hero must posses is a flaw in their character. In Macbeth his flaw could be seen as being his ambition (to be king) or him not thinking about the consequences of his actions, but personally I feel his flaw was ambition. I feel that this flaw was mainly the fault of the witches as after they told him he would become thane of Cawdor he did and they also told him he would become king so he proberly believed he would and as it was possible he would do anything to make himself king. At the beginning of the play Macbeth has feelings, but he knows that after talking to the witches he gets bad, evil thoughts as he says, â€Å"stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires†, basically saying that he knows that he has desires which are very bad and which no one should knows about. This helps us think of him as a tragic hero as he is still aware of what is good and bad. I think Macbeth’s dark thoughts almost eat up his goodness and his sense of what is right, leaving Macbeth as a cold man, a murderer. After the murder of Duncan, by Macbeth, we yet again are reminded how he could be a tragic hero. Tragic heroes must not be totally senseless and Macbeth isn’t as straight after the killing of Duncan we here him say to Lady Macbeth how he is ‘afraid to think of what’ he had done and how he wishes he could wake Duncan but he can’t. He also says how to ‘look on it again’ he dare not. This shows us how he isn’t totally cold-hearted and that he knows that it was wrong. A main reason why Macbeth turns into a cold man, a tragic man, is Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is like a catalyst in the play. She works on Macbeth’s â€Å"black and deep desires†, which are to kill, as she is almost power hungry and wants to be queen, and she makes them real life, making him kill people. The things that causes him to change his mind about committing the murder are the speeches that Lady Macbeth gave him ‘Does un-make you. I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this.† We see a lot in this scene how Lady Macbeth uses emotional blackmail and, how she attacks his manliness to get him to carry out the murder of Banquo. She starts off by saying to him ‘Art though afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire? Here she is basically saying is he too afraid to match his desires with his courage, and this contrast between action and desire is frequent in the play. She also uses the love he has for her to try and make him carry out the killings. The worst thing she does is when she attacks his manliness, as Macbeth is a great ‘valiant’ soldier and to be called a ‘coward’ by his wife must have really driven him to carry out the murder. Also she uses an old proverb as she says he is ‘like the poor cat I’ th’ adage’. Here she means he is like the cat that wanted to eat the fish but would not wet his feet. She is saying he wants, deep down, to kill them but he doesn’t wa nt to have to do the dirty work. These speeches shows her sheer evilness and how ashamed she is that her husband is prepared to go back on what they had agreed, and the fact that this kind of manipulation works on him is tragic! For a character to be a tragic hero the audience have to feel sorry for them and sympathise with them. The audience also has to try and understand why he did what he did. I feel that the main reason Macbeth did what he did was because of the witches. The first way in which Shakespeare shows the witches to be plain evil is in the very first scene in the book where they all chant together â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair. This is a word play and has an inverted meaning to that of a human. They are saying that their fair is our foul and our foul is their fair, inverted morals, meaning everything we find bad they find good. I feel the witches are almost totally to blame for Macbeth turning almost evil. The witches told Macbeth he could become a king one day, this was the greatest thing anyone could imagine. They also told him that no man born of woman could kill him, so Macbeth thought he wouldn’t be killed by any person, that he would die naturally or something like that. 43Macbeth should have known better as Macduff was born by caesarian birth. I feel this was one of Macbeth’s main problems I feel that instead of trusting his friends and those close to him he trusted the witches too much and took everything literally, he didn’t think about their evilness and in the end with Macbeth’s sight so clouded from wanting to be king and believing everything the witches said to be perfectly true he ended up dead. This was one of his flaws; he trusted the witches too much and didn’t think about them playing games and being evil. This is why we feel sorry for Macbeth and view him as being tragic as it was almost as if he was victimized by the witches and they took advantage of him and played games with him. Macbeth had some hard and cruel, cold blooded times. For example when he arranged for the deaths of Banquo and Macduff’s family, he ordered other people to do it as well which, firstly showed he was a coward and wouldn’t go through with the killings totally himself he needed other people to be involved. At these times though Macbeth hadn’t really any of his senses. At these times I think his ‘black and deep desires’ led him. I think he is aware though that his senses are a bit off as earlier when he thought he saw the dagger appeared to turn towards Duncan’s bedroom he questioned his senses as he said: ‘Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still.’ Here Macbeth is saying how his eyes are deceiving him if his other senses are correct, or else they see correctly and are more reliable than the rest of his senses together. For a character to be seen as a tragic hero he must also gain moral worth through his suffering. In act five we see Lady Macbeth realizing what she has done. She says how ‘hell is murky’ This shows she is aware that what she has done is wrong and that she is going to hell. We actually start to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth here as all the time she has been there for Macbeth when he had doubts and things but she never had anyone for her. But for Macbeth it act five scene three where he gains self worth and realizes what he has done, but now he is more scared and we feel sorry for him as he is losing self-control. In his speeches on page one eight five we see Macbeth full of regret and despair, he talks about having nothing to live for and he thought that being king would make him happy but it didn’t. Here the audience sees Macbeth trying to reassure himself, as he says, â€Å"Fear not Macbeth, no man that’s born of woman Shall e’er have power upon thee.† Here we can detect a very insecure Macbeth. It is almost as if he has to reassure himself that no man can hurt him, but you can also detect how scared he is. Also when he says † I have lived long enough. My way of life Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf:† This makes us think he has had enough of being king and now just wants to die and has nothing to live for. He says his way of life has fallen into the sear, this means his way of life has almost withered faded away. In this scene the audience are made to sympathize with Macbeth. So he appears yet again tragic. He is nowhere near the strong â€Å"brave† noble fighter we were introduced to at the beginning of the book. In Act five Macbeth makes a speech once again. In this speech we see Macbeth becoming self-aware. He realizes that his senses have been dulled as after Seyton hears a sound of a woman cry he asks Macbeth whether it was a woman cry and Macbeth replies saying how he had ‘almost forgotten the taste of fears’. By this he meant that the desolate eeriness of the cry reminded him of former fears that he had. We also se Macbeth realising that the after life is important whereas earlier he said he would jump the life to come. We also see, later on in scene eight, an indication of Macbeth feeling guilty about killing Macduff’s family. When Macbeth and Macduff meet, Macbeth says how his ‘soul is too much charged with blood of thine (Macduff) already.’ Here he means that he feels guilty after killing his family as he says how ‘ his soul is too much charged’, meaning he feels bad in his soul because of what he had done. Towards the end of scene eight we see the return of the ‘brave’ ‘valiant’ fighter that was mentioned in the beginning. This reminds us and helps us see his more as a tragic hero, as we had almost forgotten that he had been noble, but this scene is a good reminder. Here we here Macbeth saying to Macduff how he ‘will not yield’ and how he will throw his ‘warlike shield’ he also says how he will ‘try the last’, meaning he will fight to a finish. This shows us the brave Macbeth who will not surrender. In conclusion I feel that Shakespeare’s presentation of Macbeth as a tragic hero really worked. He fulfills all the necessary criteria that a tragic hero needs. We all respected him at the beginning felt sorry for him when he did bad things and C then knew that his death was inevitable, and that his death made everything return to normal and that there was no other outcome that could have been had for Macbeth. Shakespeare made a perfect tragic hero in my eyes and using the evidence and quotes I have given you the phrase â€Å"tragic hero† is a great way to sum up Macbeth in a few words for this play.

Shylock as a Victim of Villain Essay - 2293 Words

Shylock as a Victim of Villain Throughout the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ there are constant references to various characters and the way they relate to one another, however there is no character so diverse and so complex as Shylock’s character. Shakespeare tries to portray Shylock in a number of ways however I believe his main focus in the play, is on his villainous side. This may be portraying the time of Shakespeare where ethnic minorities like Jews were hated and condemned for their religion. Jews like Shylock weren’t awarded equal rights during Shakespeare’s times and there was definitely a lot of prejudice against them. They were forced to earn a living in ways not†¦show more content†¦There may be examples where Shylock is portrayed as a victim in this scene, but there are also numerous cases where Shylock is described as a villain. Although Antonio may have been abusing Shylock there are also numerous occurrence s where Shylock is abusing Antonio. â€Å" I hate him for he is a Christian.† Here we can see how Shylock has some racial issues with Antonio, and therefore it can argued that he has a villainous streak. One of the most disturbing and conclusive pieces of evidence that prove he is a villain is the point at which he demands Antonio’s flesh; â€Å" Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me.† This truly shows his villainous side, as he is demanding flesh as a forfeit in his bargain with Antonio. Not just simply some money or some of his possessions but instead he is demanding flesh. In my opinion this clearly shows how Shylock is a villain. I believe this grudge between him and Antonio runs deeper that first may meet the eye. I believe that his villainous side stems from the fight between Christians and Jews. â€Å" I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.† This quote shows how Shylock will make this old grudge between Jews and Christians grow and howShow MoreRelatedShylock: Villain or Victim6154 Words   |  25 PagesShylock: Victim or Villain? He is a Jewish moneylender who earns his living by charging interest on money he loans (like modern banks). He often speaks prose in the play, which marks him out as an outsider. He is persecuted by all the non-Jews he knows: He tells Antonio, suffrance is the badge of all our tribe. He is verbally abused and bullied by most characters in the play and is called cruel names including villain with a smiling cheek, cut-throat dog, bloody creditor, damned inexecrableRead MoreWas Shylock A Victim Or A Villain1719 Words   |  7 Pagesone that is portraying various peoples lives throughout Venice and Belmont. During the course of the play there is a concentration of thoughts and emotions towards the character Shylock, a Jewish usurer, this is the very character that we shall be concentrating the question in the title on. In most scenes the character Shylock has to deal with a lot of racial discrimination, which has at modern times become unacceptable to most people. Elizabethan society was largely anti-Semitic and as such the audienceRead MoreShylock: Villain or Victim?1043 Words   |  5 Pagesis a cunning Jewish moneylender named Shylock. Shylock is part of a race that was discriminated against, despised and hated for their religion. In the beginning of the play Shylock makes an unsettling bond with a well-known, good and generous man named Antonio. Shylock has always had a grudge against Antonio because he is trusting; he lends money without interest, taking away Shylock’s business. He is also a Christian. We know that we can never trust Shylock to have any feeling of considerationRead MoreShylock: A Ruthless Villain or a Persecuted Victim.1165 Words   |  5 PagesA villain in a play is a â€Å"character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot† and a victim in the terms of this play is â€Å"a person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment†. Shylock in Merchant of Venice is a Jewish moneylender and Jewish people during Shakespearean time were looked down upon, treated unfairly with no respect. Shylock in Merchant of Venice is portrayed as how a stereotypical Jew would be portrayed as, a villain and an antagonistRead More Shylock : a Villain in appearance, a Victim at heart Essay2014 Words   |  9 Pagescharacter could have both good and evil aspects, creating a complex personality. In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there is an example of one of those characters. Shylock could be one of the most controversial characters ever created. Some people believe he is a victim, while others say he is a villain. In order to trace this idea we should know why people in the Elizabethan era hates Jews. Rodrigo Lopez was a Jew of Portuguese decent, who fled to England in 1559 where he workedRead MoreThe Character of Shylock as a Victim or Villain in The Merchant of Venice1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of Shylock as a Victim or Villain in The Merchant of Venice Do you consider the character of shylock to be a victim or villain in the play The Merchant of Venice? Shylock is one of the most interesting, memorable and debated characters in the play â€Å"The Merchant of Venice†. In many ways this is because he is both a victim and a villain. Shylock was made a laughing stock of and is ridiculed by the Christians because he was Jewish. The Jewish communityRead MoreEssay The Merchant of Venice Shylock Villain or Victim777 Words   |  4 PagesShylock, Villain or victim? The Merchant of Venice June 8th, 2011 In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock is supposed to be the protagonist, the definition of protagonist is; the leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. But the way Shylock is portrayed is more along the lines of being both victim and villain. Shylock is out for one pound of Antonio’s flesh which will in the end kill Antonio and the flesh will do him no good anyway. But heRead MoreThe Merchant of Venice: Is Shylock a Villain or a Victim? Essay846 Words   |  4 PagesIn this essay I will try to discover is Shylock a villain or a victim, in the William Shakespeare play â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but ShakespeareRead MoreIs Shylock Victim Or Villain in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice763 Words   |  4 PagesIs Shylock Victim Or Villain in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice in the Elizabethan period. The play is about Shylock, a Jewish money lender ¡: trying to make a living and survive in a community that despises him and marginalias him. Before the plot even starts, Shylock is condemned for being a Jew, and a moneylender. Jews were forbidden to be successful businessmen in Venice, so the only occupation open to him Read MoreIs Shylock The Villain Or Victim In The Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1411 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis Shylock Is Shylock the villain or the victim in the Merchant of Venice? In the play the ‘Merchant of Venice’ by William Shakespeare the antagonist Shylock is both the victim and the villain. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender and is initially portrayed as anger filled and bloodthirsty but as the play continues we begin to see him as more human and his emotions become more evident. As the antagonist, Shylock is a fearful adversary to Antonio, the protagonist. But as good begins to