Essay on Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice - 1955 Words

The Rivals Love triangles are complicated and messy scenarios that are caused by the indecision of the person in the middle or the inability of the others to move on. The same is seen in The Merchant of Venice, in which Antonio and Portia fight for Bassanio. Throughout the play we see many bonds or connections between both Antonio and Bassanio as well as Portia and Bassanio. To many, the main plot may seem to be the conflict between Antonio and Shylock, when in reality it’s the love that Antonio and Portia have for Bassanio that leads to everything. The main plot is moved forward by the bonds the two have with Bassanio and the rivalry they have with each other. Nearly everything that happens in the play has to do with their fight for†¦show more content†¦Antonio’s first quote in the play brings attention to his sadness: â€Å"In sooth I know not why I am so sad. It wearies me, you say it wearies you; But how I caught it, found it, or came by it, What stuff â⠂¬Ëœtis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn and such a want-wit sadness makes of me That I have much ado to know myself† (1.1.1-7). Portia mentions her fatigue of everything around her, at which point Bassanio is not around her: â€Å"By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of this great world† (1.2.1-2). This shows that Bassanio means just as much to both, they are both sad because of Bassanio. Antonio is sad that he will lose Bassanio, while Portia is sad that she may not even get him if another man chooses the right casket before him. As Hyman says in â€Å"The Rival Lovers in the Merchant of Venice†, it may not necessarily be homoerotic love that is driving Antonio to fight for Bassanio, it may just be that he feels rejected by his friend who he did so much for. Antonio may be speaking the truth that he does not know why he is sad. Although he knows that he should be happy that his friend is getting a wife, he is not ready for someone else to ta ke his place as the most important person in Bassanio’s life (Hyman 3). The two try to one best one another in their attempt to get Bassanio. Antonio tries to win Bassanio first by offering him his money and then by bondingShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeares Merchant of Venice2271 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Merchant of Venice In many ways, shylock is a more difficult character for a modern audience than for an Elizabethan audience. With close reference to Act 1 scene 3, Act 3 scene 1 and Act 4 scene 1 show how an actor might reveal the human being behind the stereotype. The merchant of Venice is a play written in Elizabethan times by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Elizabethan Venice. 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This theme might not have even been noticed until modern Shakespeare fans discovered them. According to Alan Bray’s book, Homosexuality in Renaissance England, â€Å"the modern image of ‘the homosexual’Read MoreWilliam Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice Essay1262 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout The Merchant of VeniceRead More Shakespeares Presentation of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice831 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeares Presentation of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice This essay is an analysis of how the character of Shylock, in the play The Merchant of Venice, is presented to the audience, by Shakespeare, in different ways. The riveting play shows the best and worst aspects of human nature and contains one of Shakespeares most reviled, complex and compelling characters. Love and romance end this play, yet before that come bigotry, racism, hatred, death threats andRead More The Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice1583 Words   |  7 PagesThe Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice In his chapter â€Å"Shakespeare and Dissident Reading,† Alan Sinfield argues that viewing Shylock as anything but an evil villain is â€Å"achieved only by leaning, tendentiously, on the text† (Sinfield 1994, 6). This is an oversimplification of Shylock’s character as portrayed in The Merchant of Venice. Sinfield portrays Shylock as static and unchanging. However, emotions and portrayal of Shylock are not as forward as Sinfield claims. ConstantlyRead MoreShylock in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice1401 Words   |  6 PagesShylock in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice The play begins in Venice where the wealthy merchant Antonio is talking to his young friends about the reasons for the depression. Antonio claims not to understand himself his sad nature. Bassanio arrives with the news that he wishes to court a wealthy, beautiful heiress named Portia. In order to present himself to Portia he wants to borrow 3000 ducats. Bassanio is in terrible debt and he sees marriage to Portia