This story takes place in both Belmont and Venice
Where conflicted character Shylock is viewed as quite the menace.
It is in Venice that gentle and kind Bassanio approaches Shylock and asks for a loan
For he wishes to be with his dearest Portia, a wealthy woman who has money of her own.
Shylock agrees to the demands of all that are asked
It seems as though Bassanio will finally get his money at last.
“Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound,”
Should Antonio break this promise he will lose his flesh, and it will be the weight of a pound.
And just like that the deal has been made
Yet Bassanio worries and he is quite afraid.
Using gold, silver, and lead caskets, Portia will forever be given her kisses
For the man who chooses correctly will be the one to make her a Mrs.
After two failed princes came and went
Portia waited for the final gent.
Finally choosing the casket that was made of lead
Bassanio would be the one to take fair Portia to bed.
Portia then gives Bassanio a ring, having him promise that he would always wear
When just then Gratiano and Nerissa share that they too are a loving pair.
In the midst of all the excitement and celebration Bassanio finds out some awful news
It seems his best friend Antonio has got his flesh to lose.
For it seems that poor Antonio and all his ships at sea
Are all wrecked and under water and the money he can’t guarantee.
Bassanio and Gratiano have gone to go and help their friend
For it is with Shylock’s deal they hope to bend.
What the men do not know is that their women are coming too
But they are coming dressed in disguises that no one will see through.
Now everyone has gone to Venice for the trial to come and take place
Shylock wants Antonio’s flesh and he’s telling every...
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...vered both women's face.
The women explained that they were both the lawyer and the clerk
And that throughout the trial they were hard at work.
The women took their rings knowing that they would be brought back
But made it clear that if they lost the rings again, their women they would lack.
In this story there was a character who was the “The Merchant of Venice”
And although many would think so, it was not the one who was portrayed as the menace.
Antonio was the real merchant, for he both sold and he traded
He was also a character who was easily persuaded.
He was so quick to give away his flesh and believed that he could come up with the money
But when he broke the deal, it really wasn’t so very funny.
In the end everything worked out and Antonio was given a clean slate
For he learned his lesson, and knew that a deal like that he was never again going to create.
Portia’s Father had created a law that allowed her only to marry the man that chooses the correct casket. Her father had known what was right for her before he passed. He instituted a law that would guide her to be the person who she was meant to become. As well as to marry the man that she was destined to be with. The father-child relationship between Portia and her father, is one that cannot be beat. Even though her father was not actually with her, he had made it that she would become the best version of
and had no one as his friend. This caused the monster to murder Victor’s family out of
noble and not remarry even if her husband does not return for twenty years and
His love for Portia blinds him of the fact that possessions do not always bring others close to you. Later, this decline in moral values is seen when Portia pretends to like the Prince of Morocco, one of her suitors, by inviting him to dinner, but later reveals her true opinion of him after he chooses the golden casket. Once the Prince of Morocco leaves Portia's house, after picking the wrong casket, Portia expresses her feelings concerning the outcome, "A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains : go. / Let all of his complexion choose me so," (II.vii.78-79). Portia's hope that anyone with the prince's dark colour chooses the wrong casket shows her low morals in that she does not want to marry any of them. Through deceiving the prince, Portia's displays her prejudice towards the prince's race. These examples show how deception, as seen through love, leads to a decline in the moral values of
He was really proud of the money that was stolen, but he did not need the money before so why would he need it now. His decision was based on the need for safety and love in his family and not the greed for
to support her, and that without a woman a man is incapable of living independently and caring
as he is a prince, and will not look to marry just anyone, such as herself.
While engendering the bond in the inciting force of the play, Antonio says to Shylock – the antagonist – “Content in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, / And say there is much kindness in the Jew” (1.3.149-150) which reveals how Antonio sees such positive terms in the deal. Although the terms may seem simples to follow, Antonio will still face the consequences of putting his life on the line for his dear friend, Bassanio. This bond portion of the play establishes relationships through the rivals and also gives background information about characters, which show the elements of dramatic significance. Subsequently, Shylock’s possessions are at stake during their trial after Antonio fails to pay him back because his argosies were abolished. Shylock’s punishment for attempting to
The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio exemplifies the business nature of friendship portrayed throughout The Merchant of Venice.
what he desires most is the Portia's hand so the gold must be the correct
He wants to use the money to woo Portia, who he says he has fallen in
The novella Death in Venice by Thomas Mann describes the journey of an older German writer, Gustav Aschenbach, who comes to Venice on vacation and falls deliriously in love with a young boy. This love, and the obsession it culminates in lead to the demise of the writer. Mann’s story seems to be about an ill-fated love but in truth it tells a tale of a man who goes from total control of his life and his being to an irrational creature who is controlled by wild emotions that he will eventually succumb to. Such a story line perfectly illustrates the differences between the two Greek gods of art and how people can fall under the influence of each. Both Apollo and Dyonisis are gods of creativity and art in the Greek world yet they have such different
...d yet for my affection.” Although the suitors have an equal chance in winning Portia, they are neither brave nor wise enough to be able to get through the choosing of the caskets. The caskets gold and silver looked attractive compared to lead. However, because lead had many more uses than gold and silver, it is considered more valuable. Prince of Morocco chose the gold casket because he is superficial, greedy and materialistic. Prince of Arragon chose the silver casket and thus it reveals that he too is superficial, trying to be someone he is not. As for those who choose the lead casket, it shows that they are intellectual, and not easily deceived by false values.
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice contains many themes and elements that are considered timeless or universal. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defines a timeless or universal element as a “representation of men in all ages and all times.” A universal element is relevant to the life of every human being – it is universal. The first major theme that plays an important role in the play is the Christians’ prejudice against the Jews. A second important theme is the attitude toward money. Perhaps the most important theme of the play is the love between people. This love can occur between the same sex, or the opposite sex, platonic or romantic. In Merchant of Venice, the three timeless elements are prejudice, money, and love.
must have a man to visit the ‘future husband’ so that the women of the