So all the stories are neatly tied up and all is right with the Venetian world. Awesome. Or maybe not.
Pick three themes you think are dominant in this play, and tell me a little bit about how they are displayed over the course of the play and what characters play interact with each theme.
12 comments:
The first theme that I think plays a big role in play is the thee of appearance vs. reality. Portia's father's test is a prime example of this theme, where the caskets that appear to be good are in fact the wrong ones. Bassanio is the only one who is able to see past the appearance and therefore win Portia's hand. This theme is also present in the masks that Lorenzo and his friends wears, and that Shylock finds so abhorrent. Shylock is very much opposed to any sort of flowery appearances and prefers a more sterile reality. The theme comes up again with Portia and Nerissa's disguises near the end of the play. The contrast between what they look like and who they really are provides most of the comedic relief inside the courtroom, and is especially important when it comes to tricking their husbands out of their rings.
Another important theme is anti-Semitism. As soon as the character of Shylock is introduced, it is clear that his life has been shaped by the hatred most of his fellow Venetians feel towards him due to his religion. Bassanio, Antonio, and even jewish Jessica express anti-Semetic ideas throughout the play. Shylock's impassioned "are we not human?" speech illustrates the low standing he must endure as a Jew, and the illogical nature of the Venetian's prejudice. Even when Lorenzo and Jessica are teasing eachother in a loving and flirtatious way, they demean Jews and Judaism and revel in the fact that Jessica has been 'spared' from such a life. At the end of the play, only Shylock (the one remaining Jewish character) is left without a happy ending.
The theme of daughters and fathers also plays an important role in the play. The contrast between Portia, who is obeying her father's wishes by waiting to marry the man who chooses the right casket, and Jessica, who rebels against her Jewish father to marry the man she loves and become a Christian, offers a glimpse into the attitudes of Shakespeare's time. Although the casket system seems absurd to a modern audience, the play paint Portia as a dutiful daughter who is following the logical orders of her father. By waiting for the caskets to choose her husband, she ends up with Bassanio, who is portrayed as her true love. This happy ending validates her obedience. Jessica, on the other hand, is rebelling against a father who Shakespearean audiences would have found it hard to feel sympathy for. Her escape and conversion to Christianity is seen as an escape from the control of her father and his religion.
-Renee
One of the most important themes in the play is the idea of the law, specifically what makes something just. Shylock and Antonio's dispute over the loan illustrates deep divides not only between the characters themselves, but between the Jews and Christians of Venice, and Shylock's lack of apparent mercy for Antonio calls into question the point at which justice is served. Is it truly just for Shylock to be able to kill Antonio to harvest a pound of flesh just for his bad loan? And how is Portia's interpretation of justice different from Shylocks, or different from the duke of Venice? It is the unclear nature of justice that leads to the twist in the trial where Shylock is defeated yet again, bringing up whether it is truly just that Shylock would have to give up his estate just for threatening to kill Antonio? This is closely tied in with ideas of the oppression which leads us to our second major theme.
With one of the main characters being Jewish in a majority Christian city, the theme of anti-semitism was bound to play a significant role in the events of the story. Anti-semitism plays into Shylock's plotline in a very big way, especially with regards to his justification for pursuing justice against Antonio so tirelessly. His contention that he is only acting hatefully because that is all he knows from a life of persecution makes sense in the context of how he is treated by the other characters in the play. While he is considered a villain, his spiteful tendencies are much more understandable given his circumstances. Jessica experiences this as well, given the fact that she will only ever be seen as a jew even if she converts to Christianity, due to the deep-seated hatred of Jews in Venice.
The stereotypes that are associated with being Jewish in this play are strongly connected to another theme that runs throughout, the idea of selfishness and altruism. There is a stark contrast between Shylock and the rest of the Christian characters, in that Shylock is depicted to be extremely self-interested, only concerned with his own material gain as opposed to the welfare of others. The other characters are shown to be altruistic, helping each other and wanting to make other people happy, such as Portia spending any sum to help Bassanio and Antonio, or the very fact that Antonio was willing to take a loan out for Bassanio on his own life. It is this contrast that paints Shylock as a villain, and plays off the stereotypes of his character in a comedic way. The ending strongly suggests the idea that Portia and Nerissa win their case and everything turns out alright in the end is because they were all willing to help each other, and that Shylock is punished for being so selfish, and has to be taught the error of his ways.
-Michael
I think the three themes that feature most predominantly in this play are:
1) Loyalty & Betrayal/Honesty & Dishonesty/Deceit/Trickery
Antonio providing Bassanio with the money he needs out of loyalty to him. Portia's loyalty to her father by doing the chest thing. Jessica "betraying" Shylock by leaving in the middle of the night and stealing his money. Portia and Nerissa tricking Bassanio and Gratiano with the ring. Portia and Nerissa disguising themselves. Portia and Nerissa cheating Shylock out of his identity through a loophole and screwing him over, but done out of loyalty to Bassanio, who asked out of loyalty to Antonio.
2) Justice/Getting what is deserved or not
The whole concept of the caskets is a a big example of this, as the test was designed by Portia's father to judge the suitors as being worthy or not to "win" Portia. Then there's the figurative judgement of Shylock by society, asking if he really deserves the treatment given him by Antonio and supposedly the entire Venetian community, since it's clearly derived from an unfair ground (judging him based on his Judaism) but due to his grouchiness and lack of respect or kindness for most other members of the community, whether he isn't deserving of the treatment afforded him is questionable; while he objects to it, he continues to perpetuate his behavior. This is further pursued in the actual judgement of the court, where Shylock demands what is due to him by law, and despite how sick the payment of "a pound of flesh" is, Antonio willingly entered into the bargain and accepted whatever "justice" would be his consequence. The justice comes into question, however, as Shylock becomes obsessive about justice to the point of cruelty or vindictiveness, begging the question of whether he deserves the payment or his treatment, which becomes moot as Portia uses a legal loophole to cheat him out of the deal, which could be "justice" or "good" for the main characters who aren't Shylock, but isn't for Shylock himself.
3) Stereotyping/Social pigeonholing and the desire to escape it.
The Prince of Morocco, and his desire to be seen as more than just a terrifying black man or "other" to Portia. Portia being forced into her role of obedience to her father. Shylock is the major case, with his status as Jew and deep resentment towards how he is treated, especially by Antonio. Jessica also, wanting to be out of the pigeonhole she's been shoved into as "the Jew's daughter" and wanting her own life outside of the similar role to Portia she's been put in, which is essentially being under her father's control.
- George
The first theme that comes to mind is that of xenophobia. Ranging from Portia's snide comments about the suitors coming to her door to the outright hate that the city has for Shylock and his people it feels important to Shakespeare to emphasize the tensions between groups of people within Elizabethan England the wider world. It is the largest part of the play and is even a plotpoint to Shylock’s motivations and desires.
The next important theme is rules and laws. With the legal binding of Antonio’s flesh and Portia’s desire to fulfill her father’s own laws. There is a clear emphasis on the wording of laws and stipulations layered throughout Venice and its people and this importance is brought to life constantly throughout the play. Without them, society devolves and reverts to bloodshed and pain, and yet it comes to that regardless of the laws. Thus Shakespeare makes a comment both on the importance of laws and the loopholes and cunning nature that goes along with them.
The third theme is that of promises kept and broken. For me this was sealed in the way that Portia interacted with Bassanio surrounding his ring and the promises that he keeps. Even going to the way that Antonio promises his flesh as the premiere motivation of the play, there is an emphasis on the keeping of vows and bonds made.
The first theme that I saw in this play is control. With all of the suitors coming to marry portia, the theme of control is evident. It is hard to say whether she does have control or does not in these scene, but depending on how it is portrayed it can be more important. Another example is in the court room scene when Portia takes control of the whole situation. When she asks for Bassanio's ring does he really have any control in that situation. I think that there are definitely more instances where this comes up, but these two parts are the most important that I saw.
The next major theme is justice. The most important place that this takes place is between Antonio and Shylock. The court room scene brings up some serious questions as to whether the judgement is the right one. There is obviously some bias coming from one end of the argument, but in the end it it just. This is also evident throughout the play with respect to jews and christians in the city, and how just this relationship is. The way that the christians treat the jews is not just in my eyes, but is there anything in there reasoning that makes sense.
The last theme that I saw was religion vs commerce. I'm not sure if this is a very strong theme in the novel, but it is definitely shown throughout. As we talked about in one of our other blog entries, there is conflict in this book about what governs venice. This is definitely shown in some of the decisions surrounding Antonio and Shylock. I think that this could also be an important theme looking at this relationship, and where their priorities lie.
Aidan
Prejudice:
I think prejudice is one of the most central themes of the play. Although prejudice and intolerance can be read into the Prince of Morocco scenes, especially as one of the only black characters in Shakespeare’s work, the majority of prejudice lies along religious lines. It seems as though the exclusion of Shylock is what unites the characters against "the other”, unifying the Christians. Jews are seen as inherently malicious and inferior to Christians, something very evident in the courtroom scene with Shylock's ultimate refusal to show any mercy at all. However, Shakespeare’s examination of this theme is very nuanced, as Shylock's anger does not come as part of his Jewishness, but rather as a result of years of abuse at the hands of Christians. Even though the play paints a very clear, prejudiced picture of Jews, it also shows the maliciousness of Christians, as they “taught” Jews to hate
The Law:
Venice as a city is governed by rules, contracts, and laws, whether those be religious, commercial, or otherwise. Portia is bound to her father’s system of caskets. Although it may seem like an imprisoning contract, it eventually works in her favor, ensuring that she finds the right suitor. Shylock adheres strictly to Ventian law is his quest for Antonio’s pound of flesh, until Portia skillfully manipulates it in favor of Antonio. In a less obvious sense, Antonio and Bassanio are forbidden by law to fulfill their dreams of a relationship.
Love:
Throughout the play, Shakespeare contrasts Jews and Christians based on many different criteria, and one of those seems to be whether the character values human relationships and connections over commercial ones. Christian characters like Antonio lend money free of interest and risk there everything for the ones they love. On the other hand, Shylock seems to agonizes more over the loss of his money than his daughter. However, in the next act when Shylock learns that Jessica has sold the ring, we see him hurt more because it was his late wife’s than its monetary value. The Christian role is also flipped as the play progresses. Although there seems to be a true connection between Bassanio and Portia, it is very plausible that Bassanio, now massively in debt, pursues her for her extreme wealth and social standing. Because love is central in Shakespearean comedies, since they end in a wedding, it becomes very interesting when you examine the types of love each character or group of characters expresses.
-Rebecca
Theme 1: Leverage
The tool of leverage is used throughout the text as a means of taking advantage of a situation. The interesting part about leverage in the context of this play though is that it is usually the disadvantaged who are using it the most effectively. For example, the first to use leverage significantly is Shylock in the courtroom. He refuses to take any sort of money as a return for the debt Antonio owes him, because he is instead owed a pound of flesh. As irrational it is to cut someone up for a pound of their skin, Shylock refuses to change course because he is sick and tired of appeasing his marginalization as a Jew. Portia uses leverage in the same scene; her guise as a lawyer is successful, and she goes from being Antonio's savior to indulgent and manipulative. As a woman, she is not even allowed into a courtroom, and when she gets the chance to have control over an outcome, she uses it to its maximum extent: unleashing a merciless punishment upon Shylock, and guilting Bassanio into giving her his ring just so that she could maintain her leverage upon their next meeting.
Theme 2: Contrast
The two main settings of the play, Venice and Belmont, provide excellent contrast and allow the reader a better insight into the era. By having the same characters bounce between both settings, we see the privileged from Belmont still effortlessly have their way in Venice, as shown by Portia and Nerissa in the court scene. It shows how someone down on their luck like Shylock doesn't stand a chance against the wealthy, who can live detached from the hustle and grind of the city, but come in once in a while and manipulate it to their own benefit.
Theme 3: Family
All of the major characters in the play have a much different familial background. Portia and Shylock are the most similar, because family dictates most of their lives. Portia is bound to her father's will, and Shylock is, in his family, the father who imposes his will, but in his case his daughter betrays him. Antonio, Bassanio and Gratiano's families are not once mentioned in the play. Perhaps this is because Venice is a progressive city, and familial ties are less important, but it also accentuates their characters. They are all portrayed as unafraid, fun-loving men who seem to not be tied down or influenced by any other factors than their own free will.
- Timmy
The first and most predominant theme throughout the play that comes to mind is bigotry. Almost exclusively religious prejudice, there are elements of racial bigotry seen certain bits of the play, most notably in scene with the Prince of Morocco. However, a theme religious persecution is commonly weaved in and out of the text. Shylock is consistently treated as a second class citizen which he essentially was. It was almost very fitting after the changing of tides in the courtroom that Shylock does not given and show the mercy one might expect him to, as if to fit into the role of "malicious jew" that the christians make him out to be.
I think the only theme that is played out as much as bigotry is a theme of law. Between the "law" that Portia was bound to by the caskets to fill out her fathers wishes. The contract that Shylock carries out in search of a pound of Antonio's flesh is proved to be nullified by in court by the careful loophole that Portia found. Shakespeare uses this as an opportunity to comment on the validity of laws and how often times loopholes are easy to see.
The last one is loyalty versus betrayal. This is seen when Antonio remains loyal to Bassanio and lends him the money despite know why he needs it. Loyalty is also seen when Portia remains loyal to her father and continues his wish for the caskets. As well as when Jessica betrays her father and leaves without notice, taking all of his money.
The first theme that was immediately evident to me was segregation. This was particularly notable in the movie. Jewish people could only go out in the public during certain hours of the day, and they were forced to wear bright red hats signifying their culture. This proves that all Jewish people in Venice were socially segregated and considered to be outcasts from the rest of society. Also, Antonio's conversations with Shylock give a glimpse of the hatred a common man had towards Judaism.
Another theme is revenge. This is brought up mostly in Shylock's monologue, where he explains that since Jewish people are just the same as everybody else, they are also capable of pursuing revenge. Antonio has expressed his hate for Shylock many times in the past and now owes Shylock money. Shylock has been oppressed and ridiculed by Antonio many times, and now that he sees his chance to take revenge, he will take full advantage.
My last theme is chance. Many of the main characters' success is decided by risk taking. For example, Portia's husband is decided completely based on chance. Whomever decides to pick the correct casket will be her husband. Also, Bassanio's grand idea to inherit money from Portia and pay Shylock is a huge risk. It is also endangering his friend Antonio, who Shylock literally wants to kill. Life is a crazy thing
The three themes I see to be the most consistent throughout the play are: love +betrayal, religion, and fairness.
Love and betrayal is seen all throughout the play with the father-daughter relationships of Portia and her deceased father and Shylock and his daughter Jessica. These relationships are interlaced with the sub theme of betrayal when Portia decides whether to go against her father's wishes and tell Bassani which chest to choose, and when Jessica defies her father and both runs away and converts religions. Later, when Nerissa and Portia pretend to be men in order to essentially "test" Bassanio and Gratanio, they analyze the love and betrayal of their men to allow them to perform acts of love and betrayal in the same way.
Similarly, fairness plays a big role in the Merchant of Venice. Ethical questions are continuously brought up: For example, with the Prince of Morocco, Portia must act indifferent towards his skin tone in order to appear as fair as possible. Later, she toys with the ethical dilemma of choosing her own happiness or her father's happiness when Bassanio is brought into the choosing room. She also is faced with how to be fair about Bassanio and Antonio's situation and eventually dresses up as a man. However, this theme does not just occur with Portia's, but also with Antonio and Bassanio. What brings them together is their yearning to please one another and avenge each other in the most fair and compassionate ways. Bassanio looks after Antonio in the same way that Antonio looks after Bassanio: in a way that exudes generosity and fairness.
Religion is the final theme that has been prominent throughout the play. Shylock's relationships are strained, as seen from the beginning of the play. He is immediately cast in a unfavorable haze that makes him unliked from both characters and readers alike which occurs mainly due to his religion. His relationship with his daughter is also extremely faceted based on her decision to betray him for the love of a Christian man and because she converts to Christianity. Similarly, religion plays a role in how Bassanio and Antonio's relationship begins and is presented in the beginning of the play.
-preeya
One of the most prominent themes is religion. All the characters play with religion in a rather fluid way; though Christianity and Judaism contest each other in the play, there is a clear favoring of Christianity within the play. Both Shylock and his daughter are Jewish but their religion seems to be at the whims of the Christian audience. Both lose their religion and convert. There is no outrage in Shylock when he loses his religion, nor is there anger in Jessica as her religion is stripped from her. Faithlessness appears throughout the play as the Jewish antagonists are stripped of their religion.
Love is the most definitive themes of the play and it affects all the characters differently. As the play begins we see the love between Antonio and Bassanio. Though it is a forbidden love, the play makes it all the more powerful because of its impossibility. Both religion and the time cause them to seek love in other places. In the play, each character has their match. These matches give the play its intensity and its comedy. Though the relationship between Bassanio and Portia is lauded as the primary relationship in the play, the love between Antonio and Bassanio is continually referenced even as Bassanio marries Portia. The loyalty between Antonia and Bassanio is central to the play.
The third theme is much more visible when following Portia throughout the play; it is control. Portia's control is subtle but visible in the scenes involving the chests. Later in the play, this control is demonstrated when she tricks her new husband to give her his wedding ring. Shakespeare gives a greater deal of control to Portia than most female characters have. Characters like Jessica and Nerissa seem to follow the whims of those around them without actually having any lines. Portia demonstrates a rare occasion when Shakespeare gives a lot of power to women. When Shakespeare gives woman power he also tends to put that woman in man's clothes in order to give them a sense of power on the stage.
-Gray Downs
is this a stage drama? did you take part in the stage?
Post a Comment