In the play, Merchant of Venice, there is one charcter, named Shylock, and I think he is the antoganist without sympathy. Shylock is a Jewish man in a Christian community. One would think that we should feel sympathy for him, but he resists the fact that people try to lure him into giving them the money. "If it please you to dine with us. Bassanio asked. (1.3-32) "Yes, to smell pork!To eat eh prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into!" Shylock responded. (1.3-33-35) When Antonio asked Shylock if he wanted to come over to dinner, to be nice to him, Shylock rudely said that he would not do that and would never eat, drink, or pray with a Christian. Shylock could have said that he simply couldn't come over to eat the pork because it was against his religion. By Shylock announcing this, Shakespeare makes him the antagonist and does not want us to feel any sympathy for him. Another instance where Shylock is acting rude is when Bassanio introduces him to Antonio. "This is Signior Antonio." Bassanio said. (1.3-40) Then, Shylock says, "How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate hime for he is a Christian, But more for that in low simplicity he lends out money gratis." (1.3-42-45) This quote shows that Shylock is greedy. He makes a big deal that Antonio lends out money, basically for free. If someone would make a deal out of this, it makes us think that the other person would not do that, meaning that Shylock is a greedy man. In act 1, Shakespeare has portrayed Shylock as the antagonist, without us feeling any sympathy for him. Shylock seems greedy and hard and mean.

Blog #3

In chapters thirty eight and thirty nine, Pip has many realizations about Estella, he realized that Drummel likes Estella, but on the contrary, she does not like him, and Pip also realizes that Estella likes he. Until these two chapters, Pip has always liked Estella and thought of her as an elegant young lady, but knew that he never had a chance with her and that she would never like him. During chapter thirty eight his high hopes for Estella really went down because Drummel got in the way. Drummel is the mean young man that likes Estella. All of his friends and he are hanging out one night and there is a dinner coming up. It is Drummels' turn to invite a girl to it, so he asks Estella. She willingly agrees to go to it. Pip just happens to be there. He sees Estella, while she is alone, and talks to her. It turns out that she does not seem to like Drummel and thinks that Pip is ok. " Do you decieve and entrap him, Estella?" asks Pip. " Yes, and many others - all of them but you..." replies Estella (Page 312.) Estella misleads and traps these other men, because she does not like them. She also hints to Pip that she does not "decieve and entrap" him, signaling that Estella does not mind him, and may even like Pip. This issue causes a few ramifications. First of all, what happens to Drummel? He ends up lonely, and by himself. This is a problem becasue he was the ladies man and now it shows that someone has dumped him. Another problem that Estella causes is what is she going to do with Pip? Is she going do break his heart again, or are they going to be happy together? This would cause a problem becasue if she breaks his heart again, he will get extremely sad and may never trust a girl again.
These realizations might change them, based on what happens in these above situations. For example, if Drummel does not end up with Estella, his reputation of always being a ladies man, might change. Also, Pip might end up with Estella and be happy, but he also might end up with her and not be happy. Estella could very well break his heart again and then he may never trust any woman in the future.

Great Expectations #2.

In the first book of Great Expectations, we come across many characters with interesting names. One of these characters that particularly stands out to me is Estella. Her name is abrupt sounding, it does not roll off the tongue. It also sounds harsh and tempered.  "With this boy! Why, he is a common laboring-boy!" (Page 60) Estella said disdainfully. In this quote, she is being rude to Pip and not respecting him. Estella is calling him a poor, lower class boy. The real meaning of the name Estella, means Star. When I hear this, I first think of something pretty and twinkling in the sky. Then, when I think about it more, a burning gas pops into my mind. I do not think that that sounds too elegant and nice. Just like Estella, she is pretty and nice on the outside, but on the inside, she is just a bunch of mean comments, ready to spill out. 

Great Expectations #1

“…I felt fearfully sensible of the great convenience that the Hulks were handy for me. I was clearly on my way there. I had begun by asking questions, and I was going to rob Mrs. Joe.”

In the first five or so chapters of Great Expectations, we have been introduced to Pip, the main character. Both of his parents are no longer living, so he lives with his sister, Mrs. Joe and her husband, Joe. While Pip is at his parents' grave, he encounters a runaway convict that threatens to tear his liver and heart out and kill him. The convict will not kill Pip if he comes back with food and a file. Out of fear of being killed and dismembered, Pip steals food and a file from his sister and her husband.

I truly think that Pip is not a bad person, even though he did steal from his sister and her husband. The only reason he stole was because he was feeling cowardly. I agree with him though. In any situation like this, everybody would most likely do the same thing. In addition to this, Pip was scared to tell Joe that he stole the food and file because he did not want to risk his relationship with Joe. In my opinion, if somebody was bad person, they would be scared to tell their loved ones what they did, thinking they might get in trouble, not thinking they might only lose a friend.

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