The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of VeniceIntroduction
In William Shakespeare’s romantic tragic comedy, The Merchant of Venice, he employs an array of dynamic characters and utilises their colourful and contrasting relationships as tools, set against an Italian backdrop, to reveal his views on love to the audience.
Money VS Love
Through the frequent references to the need and desire for money, the writer develops the theme of the conflict between material values, that is love for money, and spiritual values or the love between human beings.
The conversation between the two about “treason” and “truth”, further develops the theme of love and demonstrates the development of Bassanio, when he says “confess and love”, showing that true love has taken the place of his love for money. He is not deceived by false seeming nor is he arrogant, he is concerned to fit true love, inner truth and virtue together, with money being no more than “common drudge”.
Certain interactions between characters highlight Shakespeare’s point, of love being more important than money, with Antonio not offering to pay Portia money for her services, but offers “love and service”. Portia too says, “my mind was never yet more mercenary”, reaffirming Shakespears point
Money
All characters are concerned by money, with the plot revolving around Portia’s wealth and Bassanio’s need for money and the hatred between Shylock and Antonio because of money. Much imagery keeps the idea of money at the foremost of ones mind, with Shakespeare making a concise and clear message that one should be generous yet careful.
Love
The words “but one who you shall rightly love” encompass one of the most important themes of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, that is true love.
Romantic love is advanced in Belmont, far away from the stresses and strains of city life and is best explored through the characters of Bassanio and Portia as they realise that one should not marry for money or because one is bored, but because one truly loves another person.
Much drama and suspense surrounds their courtship due to the casket test, with Portia saying to Bassanio “if you love me, you will find out” but it is overcome, evident in the images of music, signifying harmony between the lovers, one of Shakespears many language techniques.
Initially, Bassanio appeared to be wooing Portia for mercenary gains, but it is finally his true love for her that allows him to distinguish appearance from reality; to choose the right casket and thus to win her in marriage. He realises that he is attracted to Portia not because of money but because of true love, “I am married to a wife/Which is as dear to me as life itself.” and further becomes clear to the audience by his overjoyed reaction to finding her portrait, using hyperbole language to describe her. Portia’s love for him is just as sincere, particularly evident in her generosity in allowing her new husband to go and save his friend Antonio, with whatever means necessary, if it would make him happy.
Jessica and Lorenzo are used as instruments to not only provoke Shylock’s revenge and illustrate his lust for wealth, but also to provide a contrast to the hate prevelant in the play, enforcing the idea that true love can overcome every conflict. By showing us the love between Lorenzo and Jessica, Shakespeare is saying that there should be no conflict between Jews and Christians, but that we should love our neighbour irrespective of their religion. Shylocks words to Jessica, “I am not bid for love… but yet I’ll go in hate” are ironic as it will be Jessica who, through her marriage to the Christian Lorenzo, will overcome the conflict of love and hate between Christian and Jew.
Shakespeare uses a variety of language techniques to present the theme of love, including symbolism, the setting of the play in two opposite cities, humour and irony. An example of this is the situational irony in the comedy of the rings, where in attempts to get himself out of trouble, Gratiano, becomes the source of amusement to the characters and the audience, as he tried to underplay the value of the rings, instead of emphasising their importance.
Friendship
Relationship between Antonio and Bassanio as a tool to demonstrate true friendship and how it is more important than love, with Antonio being the epitomises of true love in his friendship for Bassanio, when he is prepared to lay down his life for his friend, entering into the absurd contract with Shylock, in order to come to his friends aid. However at this point the audience may have suspected Bassanio is using Antonio’s friendship only in order to borrow money from him. However, in the following act, Bassanio argues “you shall not seal to such a bond for me,/ I’ll rather dwell in my necessity” marking the beginnings of his unselfish and genuine friendship.
His character continues its development and his discovery of true love when Bassanio, just as Antonio was, is willing to give his life for the sake of his friend, “The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones and all,/Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood”. It is evident in Antonio’s plea “Pray God Bassanio come/To see me pay his debt, and then I care not” that for him friendship is much more important than anything else.
The letter sent by Antonio to Bassanio in Act Three, emphasises the two men’s friendship, with Antonio’s last wish being that “ I might but see you at my death”. Also apparent in the letter is the idea that forgiveness and generosity can not be separated from true love, with Antonio writing “use your pleasure. If your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter.”
Money/Bond/Hate…
The relationship between Antonio and Shylock is one of business, based on money and emphasising Shakespeare’s point that forgiveness and Christian love are much more valuable than material possessions. Their treatment of each other, displays the idea’s of love and friendship and in contrast hate and enmity. Upon the signing of the “merry bond”, one wonders if Shylock is really being kind or if he is pretending to do so. Bassanio seems to think that he is only pretending; “I like not fair terms and a villain’s mind”. Although one might ask if Shylock is pretending in order to highlight to the two Christians how they ought to behave. Antonio says a quality of a Christian is to be “kind” and he himself is described as “a kinder gentleman treads not the earth”. However he is certainly unkind towards Shylock, often humiliating him in public, displaying unlike Christian behaviour, as a true Christian should love all his neighbours. The audience sympathises with Shylock, as although he has his faults, Shakespeare uses him to emphasises that if we are to judge others we must judge with mercy and act in a civil and loving way towards our neighbours. Shylock is right when he says that men learn from other men how to hate. If we love our neighbours and did not always want to take revenge for the wrongs that they do us there would be less tragedy in the world.
Appearance VS Reality
The caskets depict the theme of appearcne and reality, with Bassanio eventually being able to distinguish appearance from reality; to choose the right casket and thus to win Poria’s hand in marriage. Shylock is deceptive in his reasons for lending money, and again it is Basanio who sees reality, arguing “you shall not seal to such a bond for me, I’ll rather dwell in my necessity”. Porita too is deceptive, disugising as a male lawyer in order to fight for Antonio, highlighting the idea for the need for disguise in a world of discrimination and hatred, which Jessica must also face. It is this theme that creates the main irony throughout the play.
Mercy/Justice
The trial of Shylock and Antonio is more than just a trial between two men, but it is one between mercy and pity, verses cruel revenge. Shylocks real grouse is not the debt but the fact that Antonio lent money “gratis”, so losing him business, as well as humiliating him in public and his hatred for Christians who have cheated him and deprived him of his daughter.
Antonio may have agreed to the conditions of the bond, that is, if he is unable to repay the three thousand ducats in three months than the forfeiture is Shylock has a right to cut off and take a pound of Antonio’s flesh, however it must be asked if another man should be able to use the law in order to kill another. Shylock demanded justice and the strict letter of the law, proclaming, “I stand here for law”. Bassanio asked, “Do all men kill the things they do not love?” highlighting that if one is a Christian, one must show mercy and forgive the things and people that we do not love, however Shylock was being vindictive and stubborn, unprepared to do the honourable and compassionate thing. Portia proposed the argument of justice verses mercy, that is justice is made by man but mercy comes from God, and is therefore greater. Shylock ignored his pleas for mercy and insisted on justice- sticking to the exact wording of the bond, allowing Portia to neatly turn the tables on him, pointing out that the bond makes no mention of blood and if Shylock spills “one drop of Christian blood” when cutting his pound of flesh, or if he takes the smallest fraction more or less than his stipulated, then he will die and all his goods will be confiscated. The case highlighted that law must be accompanied by mercy. Note that if it is not then we must say like Gratiano does: “let justice be accused”.
“Mercy seasns justice”
Shakespeare explores the tensions between justice and mercy through the attitudes of Shylock and Portia
Ironically, at the end of the trial Portia is the one who uses justice and Shylock depends on their mercy, reversing their earlier roles.
Shakespeare’s message is to be kind to others
End of the Trial
During the first half of this trial, Shylock was arrogant and cruel and now he is pathetic and humble and his downfall has been completed. The town of Venice should rejoice, at the outcome of the trial, not only that Shylock lost but he was left with nothing, humiliated and forced to change his religion. Even though at one point it seemed cruelty and hatred were to triumph over mercy and forgiveness, we see that good overcome evil and the trial ended on a happy note, for Bassanio, Antonio and humanity as a whole.
Shylock
Shylock’s values seem to be mainly materialistic rather than spiritual, which is evident when he hears that she has run away, and he cannot decide which hurts him most: the loss of his daughter or the loss of his money, “My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!”, seeming to be of equal value to him.
Our loyalties waver between Shylock’s right to demand what is owed to him and his lack of pity for the man he is to kill. But when the duke sums him up as, “a stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, incapable of pity, void and empty form any dram of mercy” we find ourselves agreeing with him.
The Duke described him as “malicious” and “without mercy”
dogmatic