William Shakespeare printed the Merchant of Venice in 1590, it can be said to be one of his most contentious dramas ever written. The Merchant of Venice is an Elizabethan comedy play. The play was based in Venice, which is located in northern Italy. Venice in these days was known for its “wealth, political wisdom, impartial justice and liberalism (Halio, 2000,p.23). This essay will discuss the following themes Usury, Male Friendship, Marriage (in reference to the role of the woman), Mercy and Justice and Judaism. Usury can be defined as “lending money” that will be paid back with “interest” (Halio, 2000, p.115). The method was highly debated upon years prior to and after the Merchant of Venice by many prominent theologians. Usury can be …show more content…
It can be seen when Antonio at the end of the play said he was happy to die because it proved his love. In the Renaissance age male friendship could be said to be the “highest form of social relationship” even ‘overpowering marriage between a men and woman’ (Halio, 2000,p.69). Male friendships in this century can be said to thrive on “virtue and selflessness” and also that friend ‘being willing to give up his life for you’ (Kaplan, 2002. P.315). Many modern day critics are said to argue that the male friendship relationship between Antonio and Bassanio is ‘homosexual on Antonio’s behalf’ because he was willing to suffer consequences if the loan was not repaid (Halio, …show more content…
Women in the Renaissance could be said to mainly be seen not heard, they were suppose to obey their husbands and not disagree with what he told her, if she did not follow the rules she could have been “subjected to discipline that could include a beating or worse” (Halio, 2000,p.93). These rules still applied if the woman was the one who had the money. Men were superior to women and that can be said was the reason for Portia disguised herself as a man to save Antonio, she saw her new husband in pain and how that could inferior with their marriage. Portia can be argued to be a very daring Renaissance woman she was educated and she risked getting caught when she disguised herself. Women were not allowed to high status jobs if allowed to have a job at all. In this time it could be argued that many women did not have a say in who they married, if the marriage was not arranged by parents they were giving advice on the man that their daughter chose, even if the father is deceased it could affect the inheritance. This can be seen with Portia even though her father was deceased he still fuelled how her husband would be chosen. Her future husband had to chose the right casket in order to be able to marry her, even though in the beginning she expressed that she was not for this method at first it could be said that she
...ligent, and sometimes vicious character, in her society it is not acceptable for her to be a strong, intelligent, vicious woman. Sadly, Portia's public image must remain that of her speech in Act III. Though she will have ultimate control over herself and her husband, she still must call herself "an unlessoned girl," hiding her true authority under a thin mask of submission. Ironically, it is only when Portia dons a disguise that we see her as she truly is - a shrewd, calculating judge, willing to convict and sentence not only the inadequate suitor or the much-abused Jew, but also her own unsuspecting husband.
Risk is the exposure to danger. Taking risks are necessary because risk reveals experience to an individual. Hazard has both malevolent and benevolent outcomes, which can affect the overall atmosphere in a play. The content of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice includes many scenarios of risk-taking among the relationships between characters. The Merchant of Venice consists of four different plots: the bond plot, casket plot, love plot, and ring plot; in which characters are exposed to danger. Risk serves a major responsibility as it divulges many elements of dramatic significance throughout the play. Shakespeare manifests hazard through rival arguments, lovers’ commitments, and father and child agreements.
Committing deceptive deeds not only hurt others, but also the ones who deceive. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic-comedy play about a Christian merchant named Antonio who agrees to a bond that a Jewish moneylender named Shylock, his enemy, creates to help his best friend Bassanio see Portia, an heiress whom he is in love with. Shylock warns Antonio that if he forfeits the bond, by not repaying him three thousand ducats, he must allow him to remove a pound of his flesh. Throughout the play, deceptive behaviour causes the moral values of individuals to decline. First, this is seen through wealth as it pertains to the desire to have what is valuable. Second, moral values decline when people deceive the family members that they encounter. Finally, deceiving others through love leads to a decline of moral values. In the play, The Merchant of Venice, deception, as seen through wealth, family encounters, and love, causes the moral
Since middle school, I have believed that all of Shakespeare’s works, similar to A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, were plays that one would read to hear a happy, entertaining story; but, it was not until this year, after reading The Merchant of Venice, that I recognized the darker, more sinister, side of Shakespeare’s plays. The Merchant of Venice supports the Jewish, anti-Semitic stereotype as the wicked character of Shylock is developed. Many individuals fear that it is improper to teach and discuss The Merchant of Venice in high school classrooms because of the negative way it presents Jews; however, I believe that it is important to read this controversial play in high schools because it enables students to learn anti-Semitic history and because reading Shakespeare’s works, due to their complexity, expands the literary mind of those who read it.
...ivisive agent, actually been voided, or only cast aside? Is Shylock and Antonio’s code of honor truly obsolete? A sense of false sincerity permeates the final scene. The temporal ambiguity between night and day with which the play ends suggests that a complete resolution has not been achieved. In being neither night nor day, it ends in a kind of dramatic unreality. Metatheatrical in its elevation of words and language, The Merchant of Venice is consciously distinct from the realism of the off-stage world. And yet in the course of its five acts, the play fails to define a solid dramatic “otherworld,” in which new values and authorities are introduced and made permanent. Rather, it seems to end ambiguously, and fragmented. It falls short of true resolution, and concludes with a statement of shortcoming, informing us that there are still “two hours to day” (V.i.325).
Newman, Karen. "Portia's Ring: Unruly Women and Structures of Exchange in The Merchant of Venice", Shakespeare Quarterly 38, no 1 (1987), pp 19-33.
The basis of Shakespeare’s plays appears to focus mainly around the dominant male character and his conflicts, which tend to deal with a woman. There are only three women in the play Othello; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. The way in which these women behave and present themselves strongly reflects the ideological expectations of women within Shakespeare’s imagined Venetian society as well as the Elizabethan society in which he lived. This patriarchal Venetian society presented in the play depicts women as possessions of men who should remain submissive and meek at all times. The women are expected to unselfishly and unreservedly devote their lives to serve their fathers until they are of age to do so, their husbands. All three women love their respective partners; however, all three are also rejected by them because they each devote more to their men than their men are capable of returning. Desdemona and Emilia display genuine emotions toward each other that are not reflected in any of the male to male associations.
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice continues to receive criticism because of the many controversial topics integrated within an already debatable plot. One such reproach is whether the play demonstrates factors of anti-Semitism or persists as a criticism of the anti-Sematic tendencies of Christians during Shakespeare’s time. The factor of genre plays an essential role in how the play is interpreted when regarding anti-Semitism, particularly when viewed as either a romantic comedy or a genre that better encompasses the financial, moral, and religious conflict that is so prominent throughout the play. For instance, when analyzed as a comedy, Shylock’s malevolence may not exactly be reviewed as comical, but nevertheless seems peculiar and outrageous at times. From a religious standpoint, however, the vehement interactions between Shylock and Antonio are clearly centered on revenge and appear much more violent than a comedic standpoint may suggest. Furthermore, because the play is “laced… with cobwebs of fraud, theft, and speculation on all sides, it is less about the pursuit of love than about the pursuit, possession, and power of money” (Russin 115). In short, while some elements of the play may be substantially different in regards to the context of today’s time period versus Shakespeare’s time period since the complexity and rich use of language may be particularly susceptible to various interpretations, there are numerous examples that clearly demonstrate certain actions of Jewish oppression. Specifically, Shakespeare implicitly explores trends of anti-Semitism and establishes an ambiguous identity for Shylock by providing both a symbolic portrayal of the Jewish culture and a distinct dichotomy between Shylock and Antonio.
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.
The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio exemplifies the business nature of friendship portrayed throughout The Merchant of Venice.
Religion was a major factor in a number of Shakespeare’s plays. Religion motivated action and reasoning. In Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” religion was more than a belief in a higher being; it reflected moral standards and ways of living. In the “Merchant of Venice,” “a Christian ethic of generosity, love, and risk-taking friendship is set in pointed contrast with a non-Christian ethic that is seen, from a Christian point of view, as grudging, resentful, and self-calculating.” (Bevington, pg. 74) Although Shakespeare writes this drama from a Christian point of view he illustrates religion by conflicts of the Old Testament and the New Testament in Venetian society and its court of law. These Testaments are tested through the Christians and Jews of Venice.
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.
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice presents a battle between love and hate, influenced by money. Written during the 16th Century, Shakespeare depicts an anti-Semitic era through the eyes of both Jews and Christians. Each perspective has it’s struggles, but what stays consistent between them is what makes this play so historical. Throughout this play, it becomes clear that culture affected by love and hatred, under the influence of money, can deliver a powerful message that still speaks to readers today.
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.
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.