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The merchant of venice analysis essay
The Merchant of Venice in Portia
The Merchant of Venice in Portia
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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 we see Shylock, whose character can be seen
in many different ways, this is due to the audience of the time. Up
until the late 1700s he was played as a comic character but the 1700s
onwards saw him played as more of a villainous character. In 1814
Shylock's role was depicted as a character to be pitied, and in 1879
he was first portrayed as a tragic character; this giving The Merchant
of Venice its title of "tragicomedy". Since then he has been depicted
in many different ways and has reaped sympathy from the audience ever
since the unjustness towards Jews in the Second World War.
The Merchant of Venice was almost certainly performed between 1596 and
1598 and was performed in front of an Elizabethan audience who were
not particularly well educated or literate but they understood the
complexities of the issues being raised in the play and the "rules" of
the stage (Portia dressing as a man). The audience of this time would
have been less sympathetic towards Shylock than a modern day audience.
The Elizabethan audience believed that females did not have any
authority and once married they would belong to the husband; "one half
of me is yours, the other half yours" is what Portia says to Bassanio
so this is widely known and accepted in the day and this provokes
Portia to dress up as a man, and subvert her "accepted role". This
"subversion" on Portia's terms coincides with Shylock's "subversion",
this is nevertheless the reason.
still a common view of Jews is for them to be penny pinching, both in
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice exemplifies a principle that is as unfortunately true in our time as it was in his - he who has money also has love, sex, and above all, power. In this case, the use of 'he' is deliberate; 'she,' in the Elizabethan era, rarely had either financial independence or much control over the course of her life. Portia, the deceitful heroine of the play, is a major exception. To put it bluntly, Portia is enormously rich. This unique position allows her to meddle in the affairs of the unsuspecting and somewhat dim male characters, and eventually gives her unprecedented power of self-determination. However, the play is more than a tale of feminine wiles overcoming male dullness of wit. Portia's wealth and intelligence may fuel her successes in marriage and the courtroom, but in each case it is her ability to usurp traditionally masculine roles that guarantees her victory. As Portia exploits the codependence of wealth, masculinity, and public power in her society, she becomes the only woman in the play who consistently controls her own destiny.
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.
By disguising themselves as men, Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica are able to go through transformations that allowed them to collapse the social hierarchy and seized more opportunities. The Merchant of Venice acts as a looking glass upon the restricting role of women in the Renaissance society and how they are subject to the rule of men. Eventhough women of this time were oppressed when it comes to their relationship and place in society; Shakespeare was able to show strength, intelligence, and selflessness in these characters in order to convey feminism. These new achievement of power and freedom encourages the audiences to question gender roles in society.
In the play, the characters Shylock and Portia both attempt to do what they personally perceive as ‘moral’ in different situations. Justice in this book is defined as people get what they deserve, while mercy is given off as offering
At the end of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock has been both a victim and a villain. He is a victim of his religion, and a victim of his greed and overwhelming need for revenge. Shylock is definitely the most villainous character in the play, and only a few elements can show him as a victim overall, even then, his victimisation only seems to be a consequence of his own actions. His daughter running away, because of her treatment, and apparent lack of love. The taking of his assets, because he would show no mercy towards Antonio. The final conclusion must be that Shylock is unreasonable, spiteful, heinous, greedy - and a villain.
Shakespeare, provides a brilliant example of 'seeing the other' in his play The Merchant of Venice. Through the course of the play, Antonio's actions indirectly tell of his homoerotic love for Bassanio, and also creates a sense of question of the line between loving friends or lovers. Antonio helps Bassanio win Portia's love, through provisions of money, advise, and offering his life up, ironically meeting the inscription on the lead casket that must be chosen to win her hand: “Who chooseth me, must give and hazard all he hath”(2.7.19-20). The Merchant of Venice's other is Antonio, who “loves the world only for [Bassanio]”(2.8.52).
Some of the audiences in the 16th century, believed that Jews were at a lower stage than them, and they only believed this because the Jews were a different (“different” referred to as “wrong “for Christians who lived in the 16th century), religion they believed they were not people, like them. The play Merchant of Venice shows the evil side of the Jews. The character’s name is “Shylock”. He is the character of evil doing; he is also the character that Shakespeare chose to represent a Jewish character. As a Jew, he represents the race as being wicked, evil etc.
Discrimination is a resounding theme in The Merchant of Venice (Meyers). All of the characters are affected by inequality. This inequity is evidenced clearly in Shylock, the Jewish usurer. He is treated with scorn and derision by all the characters. Shylock’s misfortunes stem not from poor attributes or even a poor background; it stems from the fact he is Jewish, and what is more, he is impenitent of that distinction. If he had been more daunted by Christian influence, he might have been forgiven, as Jessica is subjectively exonerated. He is not contrite and it is believed that his appalling birth cannot be absolved (Bonnell).
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.
Everyone who reads The Merchant of Venice must bear in mind that it is, like any other literary work, a creation of a skillful writer, rising a case that can be a subject for many interpretations and not necessarily revealing a specific view of its writer, however it aims to convey a certain moral to the readers. Therefore, the character of shylock, being stereotyped or not, with its controversy is a tool manipulated to convey a moral message: when people live in a society that is open to cultural diversity and that values the contributions of all society members – regardless of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, race, life styles, and beliefs – they will be one step closer to living in a civil society. Works Cited 1) Encyclopaedia Britannica, the definition of "Anti-Semitism". 2) E. E. Stoll, Shylock (an essay in Shakespeare Studies, 1927). 3) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock. 4) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock.
torture at the time. "Let me choose, for as I am, I live upon the
Shakespeare’s Representation of Women in The Merchant Of Venice. In ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ Shakespeare portrays the character of. Portia as a subservient woman but as the play progresses he develops. the character and Portia becomes the most dominant character in the play, overcoming the stereotype that restrains women in the society at that time.
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.
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice is a play full of different relationships ranging from love and friendships to hate. These relationships are affected by gossips and rumours, which due to the close community are flying around all the time. Money is involved in everything in the play; it is at the centre of work, relationships and rumours. It also holds together and makes the main tension of the play. There are many relationships in The Merchant of Venice.