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Love in merchant of venice
Love in merchant of venice
The merchant of venice analysis
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One of the most comedic aspects of the play would Shakespeare’s use of mistaken identities. We see Portia and Nerissa disguised as a judges clerk and doctor during Antonio’s trial. In act 4 scene 1 lines 293-298 Bassanio says “Antonio, I am married to a wife which is dear to me as life itself, but life itself, my wife, and all the world are not with me esteemed above thy life. I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all here to this devil, to deliver you.” Here, Bassanio is telling his closest friend, Antonio, that he would lose anything for him even his wife, although, he does not realize his wife is in the room with him. His wife Portia, disguised as doctor hearing this replies on line 300-301, “Your wife would give you little thanks for that if …show more content…
Later in act 4 we see Portia and Nerissa ask Bassanio and Gratiano for their rings as repayment for their help in the trial. Bassanio is hesitant to give away the ring, until Antonio influences him to do so.
Gratiano also gives his ring away to Nerissa, disguised as the judges clerk. Portia and Nerissa return to Belmont and tell nobody to speak of their absence. When the husbands return they question where their rings have gone, and suggest they may have given them to other women. The comedic aspect of this situation shows the audience seeing a connection the characters don’t. They know the Portia and Nerissa were in disguise and it is funny to see them poking fun at their husbands for giving it away, although they really gave the rings back to their wives. Furthermore, not only are there funny situations, but there is a funny
Antonio Márez, or Tony as he is often called, is the main character in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima. He is the youngest of all of his siblings, but in him is pinned the hopes of both of his parents. All of the events that he goes through in the short time Ultima is with his family makes it so that he grows well beyond his years, and his notions of the peaceful, unchanging world are shattered forever. Once sheltered from everything, Antonio’s experiences cause him to question all that happens around him. He spends a long time pondering the meaning of justice and is forever torn between the different worlds he is exposed to. Throughout the book, Antonio is forced to face the different paths his future may hold, that of being a farmer or priest or a man of the llano, or his own man. Antonio is exposed to the grown up world and is forced to choose between maintaining his innocence or to face the answers to all questions the world around him leaves him asking. On his journey, Antonio is torn between the worlds of the Catholic Church he was raised in and that of the Golden Carp and the world of Ultima that he is introduced to. All of these inner conflicts and outward realizations transform Tony from a young boy, to a young man more aware of the world around him then most adults are.
brother hath a daughter’. Leonato proposes that Claudio marry. Antonio’s daughter as a way of redeeming himself, although it is Hero. that will marry him to. At the wedding, the women came out wearing masks.
In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal. He makes Othello believe that his new wife, the innocent Desdemona, is committing adultery with his newly promoted officer Michael Cassio. After this seed of jealousy has been planted, Othello’s mind takes its course in determining the true outcome, with a little more nudging from Iago. The course of action he proceeds to follow is one that not only ends his own life, but also the life of his wife and others. In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, Othello is a man who is still truly honorable, despite the course of action he takes to resolve his perceived problem.
... One day he meets a girl, who happens to be his friend’s daughter, and falls in love. She falls in love with his stories and he falls in love with her passion. One troublemaker tries to cause problems by accusing Othello of stealing his friend’s daughter using drugs and witchcraft. All this happens after Othello and Desdemona gets married. Othello is put in the position of defending his honor, and Brabanzio in the position of defending his daughter’s honor. Iago is the villain who started the nasty rumor. Brabanzio is also a man who does not believe in mixed marriages and Othello was a black man. This is a story that does not end very well. Shakespeare tackles the issues of race, lies, friendship and jealousy.
The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men. We see how she is manipulated by men through her father, who though dead, still manages to control who she marries from his will. He states in his will that from three different caskets the suitors will have to choose, in each of which will contain either a letter to the suitor or a picture of Portia. In one of the three caskets, either the lead, silver or gold casket, there will be a picture of Portia.
Words alone are not the only means by which imposters operate. A far more effective mode is one that fools the eye for it cannot pierce through the surface. Portia, the new wife of Antonio's friend, dresses as a lawyer in order to deceive the court. However, unlike Shylock's motive, Portia's intent is far more noble and selfless. She manipulates the law in such a way to save Antonio from certain death by the hand of Shylock. Through the eyes of the law, the imposture of a lawyer, especially by a woman at that time, was seen as extremely illicit.
Because The Merchant of Venice is a comedy, no real harm comes to Lancelot or Bassanio because of their poor choices, but they are all made out to be foolish in comparison to Portia. These characters are lucky—in comparison with some of Shakespeare’s other characters that are faced with inconsistent responsibilities (such as Hamlet or Juliet, who both die), the non-role-fulfillers of The Merchant of Venice have extraordinarily happy endings. It is interesting to note that most of Shakespeare’s plays that include conflicting roles or responsibilities are tragedies, while the happy resolution of The Merchant of Venice makes it a comedy. The mistakes in The Merchant of Venice are all fixable, so even though the characters neglect their roles on occasion, the quick thinking of Portia allows them to retire with their spouses safely as a new day is breaking.
Bassanio was so grateful towards Balthazar that he was able to place Balthazar of above importance to Portia his wife. Portia then compares Bassanio giving up her beloved ring to if she were to give her body to the doctor as a parallel. Prior to the men being made aware of Portia and Nerissa’s disguises, they explain their reasoning’s as a necessity. Once Bassanio and Gratiano know the truth, they apologize with fear as they now know the power these two women posses. Gratiano ends the play by stating “I’ll fear no other thing so sore as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring” (V, I, 324-325). Gender roles are now reversed as the play concludes which shows that gender itself is a social construct and is not
From the first time Portia is introduced, she is depicted as a very smart woman. In the beginning, she is searching for a husband that has more in his head than money and beauty. Portia and her companion, Nerissa, talk about the flaws of all her suitors and she makes it very clear that she is looking for an honorable man who will love her for who she is and not for her money. She also finds that “If it be proved against an alien that by direct or indirect attempts, he seek the life of any citizen, the party against the which he doth contrive shall seize one-half his goods” (Act IV.
William Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot.
One of the most interesting passages in The Merchant of Venice is Antonio's letter to Bassanio (III.iii.314-320). A letter is such an awkward feature to represent on the stage, that the fact of a letter being read aloud in the course of a play is significant. And indeed, this letter captures many of the main features of the play's conflicts.
Throughout Shakespeare’s various works, it has been observed that he rarely uses females in his literature, but when he does, he uses them for a distinct purpose, as is evident in Julius Caesar. By defying the societal standards of her gender and showing genuine interest in her husband’s thoughts and feelings, Portia, the wife of Brutus, reveals key aspects of his character while adding depth to the story. For her time, Portia was a woman who both respected herself and took pride in herself, without allowing society to make a mark on her. This is evident when she states, “Think you I am no stronger than my sex/ Being so father'd and so husbanded?" (Port...
Throughout the Merchant of Venice, while Portia is being courted. the reader can see that she does not like any of the suitors, except Bassanio. She finds a flaw in all the suitors and readers, as well, can see. the flaws in each as they present themselves to her. Her true love however, is for Bassanio
The ring is not only a symbol of love or wealth, but also a representation of the extremities these characters will go through for the sake of love. The sheer weight of Portia’s, Nerissa’s and Shylock’s turquoise ring that had been given by Shakespeare is enough to make it into a potentially tragic element in the play. Despite the comical aspects Shakespeare may have intended from this ‘ring trick’, Portia and Nerissa certainly would have felt hurt by the mere actions of their careless husbands who initially did not comprehend the significance of the ring like their wives did. The subplot of the ring draws attention to the dimension and idea of exchanging gifts in The Merchant of Venice, exposing a kind of economy that lies beneath supposedly spontaneous love.
Shakespeare highlights three of Portia’s suitors, the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio. He does this to heighten dramatic tension, as these three men are the most important candidates to win Portia’s hand in marriage. They reveal the contents of the three caskets and their different characters as exposed as being proud, vain and humble. They also emphasise the racial prejudices of Venice a place where many races clash. Their attitudes towards the caskets and their choices indicate what their character is like. This essay will compare and contrast the three suitors and will explore how Shakespeare influences the audience’s attitudes towards the three men.