Shakespeare’s Presentation of Antonio in The Merchant of Venice
Shakespeare’s portrayal of Antonio in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is
decidedly open to interpretation, as his melancholic nature is
revealed at the start of the play and foreshadows his later bad luck,
but a specific reasoning behind it is never given. For an Elizabethan
audience, Antonio provides the perfect Christian protagonist to
Shylock’s evil Jewish antagonist, although our modern reception of him
is much more diverse and as such provides the audience with a greater
sense of suspense concerning his fate, and enigma surrounding his
personality. Arguably this was Shakespeare’s intention as Antonio is
perceived as being the eponymous merchant and much of the play
revolves around his plight, yet he appears in very few scenes himself,
and the only real idea we have of him is that portrayed by his
admirers (friends and fellow Christians) and his rivals (Shylock); the
audience is left to question his integrity.
The Italian setting for the play seems typical of Shakespearian
romantic-comedies, yet the inclusion of the bitter feud between the
Christian and the Jew interrupts the course of love, elevating the
dramatic impact of the play and making it more of a tragedy. A key
element of this tragedy is Antonio’s ambiguous relationship with “good
Bassanio”. The compliments on Antonio’s temperance by his peers are
further expressed by Bassanio as he emphasises the kindness and gentle
nature of Antonio, acknowledging that he already owes to him “the most
in money and in love” but feels quite confident that his friend will
help him one last time by providing the capital to woo ...
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...ne-dimensional gaudy villain, but a
complete human being with “organs, dimensions, senses, affections,
passions” just like everyone else. Antonio provides the perfect foil
to this debate and as such performs a crucial role in the play.
Whether viewed as a “moral and upright” Christian, or a hedonistic,
lonely man “grow[ing] exceedingly strange”, Antonio is certainly an
intriguing dramatic device used to explore the importance of
friendship and mercy; he legitimises his place in Venice at the play’s
conclusion and ensures that he will live a “content” life, but not
without destroying Shylock’s happiness first. He maintains an eerie
presence which resonates throughout the play, subtly influencing the
actions of others; Shakespeare’s presentation of him is purposefully
vague so that we make up our own minds about him.
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.
Then there is the innocent and rich “Antonio” (Merchant), who is a Christian, and is a complete Anti-Semitec. Antonio’s character is wrong, he hates Jews, he loves being regarded as rich, and would do anything to make Shylock’s life a misery. Antonio hates Jews; this is proved in Act 1 Scene 3 where Antonio says, “The Hebrew will turn Christian, he grows kind”, this is blatant racism shown against the Jews. The story progresses, a new character is introduced, Portia.
The play “Othello, the Moor of Venice” by William Shakespeare can be difficult to comprehend but has a deeper meaning. Othello is an African American and was not accepted by Desdemona’s family, in which he was accused with bewitching Brabantio’s daughter into running away with him to Cypress. Othello and Desdemona started their lives together, thinking that it would last a lifetime. Iago ruined their marriage because he is envious of Cassio, due to the fact that he was chosen by Othello to be the lieutenant. Iago manages to manipulate and convince Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. This leads to Othello being easily misled and being very easily influenced. While Iago was lying to Othello and him believing the lies, it made Othello have no faith or trust in his wife, even though Iago had no proof. Iago convinced Othello that Desdemona had an affair with Cassio. The play shows the theme of revenge “Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” in which Othello
In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the power that Iago has over Emilia in their relationship helps manifest the unfairness of gender roles thus, leading to a distortion of the worth of women. The power that Iago has over Emilia hurts Emilia’s self-confidence. The distortion of the worth of women ultimately leads to misunderstandings in Emilia’s view of relationships.
The lines selected for analysis are Act II, Scene I, lines 277-291, when Antonio is trying to reassure Sebastian that killing his brother—the King of Naples—is a good idea and well worth the effort. As the reader knows, Antonio usurped his brother, Prospero, and became the Duke of Milan. This sets the stage for his attitude towards Sebastian’s wanting to kill his brother, King Alonso. Because of Antonio’s past actions he sees nothing wrong with getting rid of a family member for personal gain, but his reasons for doing so began at a young age and have been etched into his brain. Antonio’s psychological depth reveals that he is a man jealous of his brother’s rightful power, and stemming from that is his insecurity and lust for power wherever he may find it (in this case, having power over Sebastian). Antonio is not a good person, has few conscientious thoughts, and is now trying to convince his companion to follow his lead. If Antonio’s brother, Prospero, was to hear the selected lines, he would say that the only time Antonio thinks about performing acts that will get him power, by eliminating those who currently have it, is when it is to his advantage. He would say that Antonio devises plans to get rid of leaders when they are at a disadvantage, and he at an advantage, because he doesn’t feel that he could succeed otherwise—his insecurities kicking in. I don’t think Shakespeare agrees with Antonio, and there are two examples in the play to support that.
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
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
via what people think of him and how they are willing to help him. It
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a play that, like many of Shakespeare's plays show characters at the edges of society. In The Merchant of Venice we see Shylock and Portia showing this by either being the minority or the least respected or in Shylock's case both. What adds to their role at the edge of society is the way they subvert their roles because this focuses, in the case of Portia, the audience on her and, in shylocks case, the other characters on him. In The Merchant of Venice
The Shakespeare play, “The Merchant of Venice” is reviewed and commonly discussed as a comedic tragedy that fits all of the features of being a comedy play. Due to elements within the play being dark in nature, many others find this to fit within a tragedy category rather than comedic. With the play being reviewed as both a comedy and tragedy, the dark elements within it that would make it a tragedy are possibly not fully understood as they are confusing to some.
Bassanio was a failed lord, and he desired to marry Portia because her great affluence would allow him to repay his debt to his friend Antonio, a merchant. However, in order to woo Portia, Bassanio had to acquire a loan from Shylock under Antonio’s name. As a usurer, Shylock charged insanely high interest rates for loans. This rapacious behavior was widely condemned by the public in this time period. Shylock also forced Antonio to agree to a contract stating “if you repay me not on such a day, in such a place, such sum or sums as are expressed in the condition, let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me” (I.3.143-148). Later on, Antonio becomes bankrupt because his ships vanish at sea. Unable to repay Shylock, Shylock demands Antonio’s flesh as compensation. The transaction portrays economic loans in an exceptionally negative light. The fact that Shylock, a Jew, would have the audacity to demand flesh from a Christian as payment in addition to charging interest would have made such commercial activities seem even more atrocious to the audience. This economic conflict that erupts between Shylock and Antonio’s social relationship is a consequence of Portia and Bassanio’s romantic relationship. It shows how closely romance and economics are woven
Shylock is still looking for them and is very mad when he finds out that she has
more alive and the love that is in the story line more prevalent. Portia hooks in Bassanio with the gift she bestows upon him. For example, “In “The Merchant of Venice” spotlights shiny displays of sacrifice and gift giving. At the same time he (Shakespeare) lets the shadows of darker motives encroach on the glitter of those displays”(Berger 1). The darker motives show that Portia is a little bit conniving in her way the she bestows the ring onto Bassanio. She uses the ring to self-protect, setting herself into a win-win situation. For example, “Portia’s gift to Bassanio is an act of self-protection “in a naughty world”(Shakespeare 5.1.91), a something for nothing that she can transform
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.
Shylock lends Antonio a sum of money, that Antonio intends to pay back when his merchant ships arrive in Venice, one month before the debt would be forfeited. When Bassarnio arranges the sum of money, Shylock befriends them, only to stand aside and utter to him self, "I hate him for he is a Christian... If I catch him once upon the hip, I will feed my ancient grudge I bear him," Act 1, Scene 3. Shortly after saying, "But ships are but boards, sailors but men... the perils of waters, winds, and rocks...Three thousand ducats; I think I may take his bond." Shylock is setting his trap here. Shylocks terms of the debt are a pound of Antonios flesh from closets his heart if it be forfeited.