Analysis Pages

Imagery in The Merchant of Venice

Imagery Examples in The Merchant of Venice:

Act IV - Scene I

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"Let me have judgment..."   (Act IV - Scene I)

Antonio uses the word "judgement" to invoke a religious imagery in this action. Antonio's language positions him as a martyr and elevates the payment of his debt to something sacred.

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"What, if my house be troubled with a rat..."   (Act IV - Scene I)

Notice that Shylock uses animal imagery within this scene to explain his reasoning. This could be a linguistic reversal of insults Antonio and the Christians used against Jews earlier in the play. Shylock characterizes Antonio as the vermin rat, unclean pig, and shifty cat just as Antonio did to him.

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