The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare - Essay Example

The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist the world has ever known, has created characters and situations that havemeaning beyond the time and place of his plays. “The Merchant of Venice” is a comedy partly based on a story in “Il Pecorone”, a collection of tales by the Italian author Giovanni Fiorentino (The World Book Encyclopedia, vol 17, page 298, 313). The play depicts an interesting contrast between the cities of Venice and Belmont. While the latter is peaceful and orderly (a city of moonlight and music), Venice is a tumultuous mercantile city (a city of light and sunshine). The play also highlights the difference in the value of systems of the two cities’ inhabitants: Venice is a place where money is made whereas Belmont is a place where money is spent (http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/3347.php). Venice, as Antonio claims in Act III, is a wealthy trading city with a great reputation for upholding the law. Antonio says: “The duke cannot deny the course of law, since that the trade and profit of the city consisteth of all nations” (III.iii.26-31), meaning that trade is Venice’s lifeblood, and it pledges to protect merchants of all nationalities and religions as though they were Venetian nationals (http://www. sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). In Act I, scenes i-ii, the conversation between several Venetian men reveals that they are men of business who take great risks with money and are careful not to appear fearful about the safety of their investments. The characterization of Antonio and Shylock, the two main characters in the play, therefore reflect the general Venetian business trend: money is important to them both, and their business involves making money; Antonio is a shipping merchant, a man of means but no liquidity, constantly dispatching several trade ships to various ports. Shylock is a moneylender, loaning money at very high rates of interest. Trade conditions play an important part in the lives of both persons, representatives of Venice in general. For example, Antonio’s fleet of trading vessels is at sea, fully dependant on the vagaries of Nature; if there is a bad storm, he could lose his entire investment, but if the sea is calm, his riches will be restored when his ships return to Venice. Similarly, if Shylock lends money to merchants who are unable to pay it back due to natural calamities or gross mistakes in their personal businesses, he stands to lose a lot of money as well. Antonio is depicted as a melancholy character. The cause of his melancholy is dual – the danger faced by his ships at sea, and his passionate love for Bassanio; although he denies the latter (“fie, fie {I.i.46}) and no female lover is mentioned in the play. In his plays and poetry, Shakespeare often portrayed strains of homosexuality in his characters; in this play, the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio points to it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_ Of_Venice). Bassanio wants a loan of 3,000 ducats for a period of 3 months to finance his trip to Belmont with the aim of wooing the wealthy Portia. He approaches his good friend Antonio for this but the latter cannot help as his investment is tied up in his fleet of ships that are out at sea and yet to return to Venice. Antonio approaches Shylock for the loan to hand over to Bassanio. Shylock, who harbors a long-standing grudge against Antonio, agrees to loan the amount on condition that if it is not paid back within or after 3 months, he would be entitled to take a pound of flesh from wherever he pleases in Antonio’s body (http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venice). The proof of Antonio’s unreturned and unconsummated relationship with Bassanio is that he signs Shylock’s bond, endangering all he owns to secure the happiness of the man he loves, and willingly offering a pound of his own flesh, signifying a union that lopsidedly resembles the rites of marriage in which the two partners become ‘one flesh’. His sad cry: “ Pray God Bassanio come to see me pay his debt, and then I care not” (III.iii.35-36) represents a doomed lover’s sad declaration (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Bassanio, on the other hand, is depicted as a selfish, ineffectual businessman who takes full and unfair advantage of Antonio’s love for him. His act of making Antonio guarantee the dangerous loan from Shylock, while also putting his life at a forfeit, points to this selfish trait in him. He is anxious to view his relationship with Antonio as a purely business one, rather than involving love in it (he asks Antonio to look at the loan from Shylock as an investment, though Antonio insists that it is out of love). Right from the start of the play, Shylock and Antonio are portrayed as hating each other. Shylock hates Antonio because the latter (and other Venetian Christians) have mistreated him for a long time solely because he is a Jew. To Shylock, Antonio is a rat, and he claims his dislike is similar to what some men feel towards pigs and cats (IV.i.43-47). He considers Antonio the prime example of all those who persecuted him, claiming he spat on his beard and even kicked him as he would a stray dog (I.iii.113-114). He also hates Antonio because he lends money without interest, which makes it more difficult for Shylock to carry on his practice of usury where he lends money at very high interest. Shylock blames his hatred of Antonio on “affection, [that] mistress of passion, who is known to affect men’s moods in ways they cannot explain” (IV.i.49-50) (http://www. sparknotes.com/Shakespeare/merchant/). Antonio, who has a strong anti-Semite streak in his character, hates Shylock because he is a money-crazy Jew, exploiting people by lending money at high rates of interest. His past, present and future attitude towards Shylock is one of strong contempt and he treats him harshly and brutally (Antonio insults Shylock in public, calling him a “misbeliever, cut-throat, dog, and spit upon his Jewish gaberdine” (I.iii.107-8) (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Portia’s marriage (selection of her husband by the ‘caskets contest’ – a gold, silver and lead casket in only one of which is contained her portrait) is governed by Venice’s cultural and legal system whereby the same rules apply, and the same opportunities are given, to all men irrespective of nationality, race or religion. The contest is based on a solid Christian platform, reflecting the teachings such as, desire is an unreliable guide and should not be followed blindly, and that outward appearances are not always correct and true. Furthermore, the lead casket’s inscription “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath” (II.vii.16), underlines two fundamental values of Christianity, namely, faith and charity (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Because Portia is such a wealthy heiress, the only men eligible to win her hand are from the highest rungs of the social ladder. To the suitor who chooses the gold casket with its inscription “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire” (II.vii.37), Portia’s value is measured in monetary terms using the medium of most valuable metal – gold; the suitor is promised vast riches that will fulfill all his material desires. To the suitor who chooses the silver casket with its message “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves” (II.vii.23), Portia’s value is measured in terms of stature in society; the suitor is promised riches and fame that will make him satisfied with the bargain he will get. To the suitor who chooses the lead casket whose inscription says that whoever chooses it must give and risk everything he has, (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/ merchant/), Portia’s value is measured in term of love and satisfaction (without any mention of riches) she is expected to bring to the suitor after marriage. The prince of Morocco (the first suitor) is a man of the highest class who has vast riches of his own. He values money above anything else. When Portia offers him the 3 caskets in Act I, Scene vii, he immediately chooses the gold casket because, like most very rich people, he is a victim of avarice, wanting to add Portia’s riches to his already great wealth. The specific mention he makes of his dark complexion points to the cultural difference between him and Portia (and Shakespeare’s audience). His excessive praise of his own self (especially his claim that the best virgins in his land have loved him (http://www.sparknotes. com/shakespeare/merchant/) makes him appear pompous and ill-mannered. In Act II, Scene ix, the prince of Aragon is shown the 3 caskets. He chooses the silver one, confident he “shall get as much as he deserves” {II.ix.35} (http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venice). This Spanish prince, who lacks the nobility of the prince of Morocco, has an inflated self-ego, sure in his mind that he fully deserves to marry Portia; he has no doubts about being unsuitable. His attitude reflects a similar trend in those days where the selection of a wife was very often related to the way men estimated themselves. In both cases, Portia as an individual is left firmly into the background, as both suitors believe she is not an important factor in the marriage process. Their attitude reflects the general attitude towards women in those days when they were not considered worthy contributors of society. In case they were wealthy, like Portia, their ‘money value’, or ‘dowry’ representing the wealth (in the play, the gold and silver caskets) they will bring into the marriage was of more significance to prospective husbands rather than the beauty or good qualities of the women themselves. Sad to say, even Bassanio, whom Portia comes to love and marry eventually, seeks her hand in the first place because he is heavily in debt and needs her money desperately. There are two types of relationships between men and women regarding themes of exchange and value depicted in the play. The first relationship is one of devoted love between a husband and wife, as is seen in the relationships of married couples Bassanio-Portia, Lorenzo-Jessica and Graziano-Nerissa. The second relationship, which is more heavily depicted, involves male suppression of women. The play portrays the patriarchal power structure that was common in Renaissance families in Italy, where the father controls the action of all other family members, particularly women. In Act I, Scene ii, Portia complains to her maid Nerissa that she is tired of life in Belmont due to the strict condition in her dead father’s will whereby she has no say in the selection of her own husband (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Portia’s father, is one of many Shakespearian fathers (particularly in Shakespeare’s other Italy-based play ‘Romeo and Juliet’) who strive hard to control their daughters’ lives. The suppressed Portia (a Christian) finds a similarly affected Jessica (a Jew) who is so heavily restricted within the four walls of her father Shylock’s house (for example in Act II, Scene v, Shylock commands her to keep the doors locked and not to look out at the revelry taking place in the street), that she finally breaks off those restrictions by eloping with the young Christian gentleman Lorenzo. In Jessica’s case her situation is worse in that, even after Lorenzo’s and her romance triumphs, she still considers herself a Jew among Gentiles: this is indicated by the way she is ignored by Portia and the others at Belmont. These acts of suppression against women are well exposed when Shakespeare, a great fan of cross-dressing, uses this tactic twice in the play: when Jessica escapes from Shylock’s house dressed as a page, and when Portia and Nerissa save Antonio by posing as officers of the Venetian court. (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). The concluding part of the play centers round the two main characters, Antonio and Shylock, amidst a compelling courtroom drama. Shylock’s biblical referenced speech: “If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction” (III.i.59-61), reminds the Venetians that Jews are equipped with the same faculties as Christians, and that he has the right to behave as badly as them who neglected to treat him fairly and decently in the past (for example, Shylock’s claim that Antonio berated and spat on him in public) (http://www.sparknotes.com.shakespeare/merchant/). Antonio’s response to Shylock’s revengeful wish (after Portia defeats Shylock dramatically in court) is to show the other side of revenge – mercy. He not only returns half of Shylock’s confiscated belongings, but (a reflection of his concern for his fellow-man) forces Shylock to convert to Christianity, thereby preventing him from practicing usury. This vintage Shakespearean play, a delightful combination of comic intrigue with a vivid portrait of hatred and greed, ends happily for everyone except the revengeful Shylock (The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol 17, Pg 313). References used: Anon. “The Merchant of Venice”. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1996 edition. Vol. 17, Pgs 298 & 313. Anon. “The Merchant of Venice”. Wikipedia. No Date. Read More

In his plays and poetry, Shakespeare often portrayed strains of homosexuality in his characters; in this play, the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio points to it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_ Of_Venice). Bassanio wants a loan of 3,000 ducats for a period of 3 months to finance his trip to Belmont with the aim of wooing the wealthy Portia. He approaches his good friend Antonio for this but the latter cannot help as his investment is tied up in his fleet of ships that are out at sea and yet to return to Venice.

Antonio approaches Shylock for the loan to hand over to Bassanio. Shylock, who harbors a long-standing grudge against Antonio, agrees to loan the amount on condition that if it is not paid back within or after 3 months, he would be entitled to take a pound of flesh from wherever he pleases in Antonio’s body (http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venice). The proof of Antonio’s unreturned and unconsummated relationship with Bassanio is that he signs Shylock’s bond, endangering all he owns to secure the happiness of the man he loves, and willingly offering a pound of his own flesh, signifying a union that lopsidedly resembles the rites of marriage in which the two partners become ‘one flesh’.

His sad cry: “ Pray God Bassanio come to see me pay his debt, and then I care not” (III.iii.35-36) represents a doomed lover’s sad declaration (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Bassanio, on the other hand, is depicted as a selfish, ineffectual businessman who takes full and unfair advantage of Antonio’s love for him. His act of making Antonio guarantee the dangerous loan from Shylock, while also putting his life at a forfeit, points to this selfish trait in him. He is anxious to view his relationship with Antonio as a purely business one, rather than involving love in it (he asks Antonio to look at the loan from Shylock as an investment, though Antonio insists that it is out of love).

Right from the start of the play, Shylock and Antonio are portrayed as hating each other. Shylock hates Antonio because the latter (and other Venetian Christians) have mistreated him for a long time solely because he is a Jew. To Shylock, Antonio is a rat, and he claims his dislike is similar to what some men feel towards pigs and cats (IV.i.43-47). He considers Antonio the prime example of all those who persecuted him, claiming he spat on his beard and even kicked him as he would a stray dog (I.iii.113-114).

He also hates Antonio because he lends money without interest, which makes it more difficult for Shylock to carry on his practice of usury where he lends money at very high interest. Shylock blames his hatred of Antonio on “affection, [that] mistress of passion, who is known to affect men’s moods in ways they cannot explain” (IV.i.49-50) (http://www. sparknotes.com/Shakespeare/merchant/). Antonio, who has a strong anti-Semite streak in his character, hates Shylock because he is a money-crazy Jew, exploiting people by lending money at high rates of interest.

His past, present and future attitude towards Shylock is one of strong contempt and he treats him harshly and brutally (Antonio insults Shylock in public, calling him a “misbeliever, cut-throat, dog, and spit upon his Jewish gaberdine” (I.iii.107-8) (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/). Portia’s marriage (selection of her husband by the ‘caskets contest’ – a gold, silver and lead casket in only one of which is contained her portrait) is governed by Venice’s cultural and legal system whereby the same rules apply, and the same opportunities are given, to all men irrespective of nationality, race or religion.

The contest is based on a solid Christian platform, reflecting the teachings such as, desire is an unreliable guide and should not be followed blindly, and that outward appearances are not always correct and true. Furthermore, the lead casket’s inscription “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath” (II.vii.

Read More