| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76868 | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree. | en_US |
| dc.format | Monograph | |
| dc.format.medium | Electronic Resource | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY. | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dcterms.abstract | With the large amount of research of William Shakespeare, scholars tend to look at Shakespeare as a noble literary figure who wrote the best English poems and plays ever. They, however, may lose a comprehensive understanding of the motivation for some of his best works by not considering his other social roles, such as businessman, shareholder, etc. So when we talk about The Merchant of Venice, there are always elusive questions about the main characters in the play. One question is about how Shakespeare made the audience, especially after the twentieth century, feel pity for Shylock who might have been treated exclusively in Elizabethan times as a villain. And the latter attitude would make it hard to understand Portia’s function since she has always been described as a smart and virtuous character. In this thesis I want to put more attention on Shakespeare’s own life and the time when The Merchant of Venice was written. I try to use both traditional materials and new discoveries to look at this play through a more social and economic perspective. Through my careful analysis I will show my theory that Portia is William Shakespeare’s embodiment of Queen Elizabeth I, and that much of the plot arrangement and character development is Shakespeare’s ways of expressing his complex feelings to Queen Elizabeth I and others in a time of great political and religious conflict. I hope that through my theory, we can get a better understanding of his own motivation for writing The Merchant of Venice. | |
| dcterms.abstract | With the large amount of research of William Shakespeare, scholars tend to look at Shakespeare as a noble literary figure who wrote the best English poems and plays ever. They, however, may lose a comprehensive understanding of the motivation for some of his best works by not considering his other social roles, such as businessman, shareholder, etc. So when we talk about The Merchant of Venice, there are always elusive questions about the main characters in the play. One question is about how Shakespeare made the audience, especially after the twentieth century, feel pity for Shylock who might have been treated exclusively in Elizabethan times as a villain. And the latter attitude would make it hard to understand Portia’s function since she has always been described as a smart and virtuous character. In this thesis I want to put more attention on Shakespeare’s own life and the time when The Merchant of Venice was written. I try to use both traditional materials and new discoveries to look at this play through a more social and economic perspective. Through my careful analysis I will show my theory that Portia is William Shakespeare’s embodiment of Queen Elizabeth I, and that much of the plot arrangement and character development is Shakespeare’s ways of expressing his complex feelings to Queen Elizabeth I and others in a time of great political and religious conflict. I hope that through my theory, we can get a better understanding of his own motivation for writing The Merchant of Venice. | |
| dcterms.available | 2017-09-20T16:51:21Z | |
| dcterms.contributor | Zelenak, Michael X | en_US |
| dcterms.contributor | Marsh, Steven | en_US |
| dcterms.creator | Wang, Weijian | |
| dcterms.dateAccepted | 2017-09-20T16:51:21Z | |
| dcterms.dateSubmitted | 2017-09-20T16:51:21Z | |
| dcterms.description | Department of Theatre Arts. | en_US |
| dcterms.extent | 41 pg. | en_US |
| dcterms.format | Monograph | |
| dcterms.format | Application/PDF | en_US |
| dcterms.identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76868 | |
| dcterms.issued | 2015-12-01 | |
| dcterms.language | en_US | |
| dcterms.provenance | Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T16:51:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
Wang_grad.sunysb_0771M_12301.pdf: 856378 bytes, checksum: 6a7565212c44a29dbef9c1b130b472a2 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1 | en |
| dcterms.publisher | The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY. | |
| dcterms.subject | Theater | |
| dcterms.title | The Merchant of Venice: Portia as the Embodiment of Queen Elizabeth I | |
| dcterms.type | Thesis | |
