The final post for Merchant of Venice! Oh no ... the final post. We'll finish up the Pacino film on Wednesday and then get to the happenings of Act 5. Remember, MoV is classified as a comedy. Did you find it funny?
1. What’s the beginning of Act 5 all about?
2. Is Jessica on stage throughout most of Act 5? If so, why? What happens to her?
18 comments:
1) Act 4 ends with Bassanio and Gratiano giving their rings to Portia and Nerissa, thusly betraying the trust that the women made them swear. I think that the beginning of Act 5, therefore, serves to remind the audience what 'true love' is, and have us compare Lorenzo/ Jessica to the other couples. However, I found the beginning of 5 to be unsettling. It was too much- too many mushy proclamations of love and pretty words. Its nice, sure, but it feels fake. I didn't read heart in it but rather words that an audience would expect to hear from lovebirds. In that sense I think that the beginning of the act serves to make the audience question what love is- is Bassanio/ Antonio love for the lengths they would go to for each other, or is Lorenzo/ Jessica a better example.
2) According to the stage directions, Jessica doesn't appear to leave the stage throughout the scene. As the climax scene where the deceptions are revealed, etc, etc, it is supposed to be funny and lighthearted because everything worked out. In the midst of the jubilation it would be easy to forget Shylock and his humiliation, and how we as the audience were unsettled by how his story-line was tied up. Jessica stands onstage as a reminder of what happened so that even though we are glad of the happy ending, we cannot be completely content because the cost of the jubilation was Shylock's life and identity. Without him, Bassanio could never have won Portia's hand, and so even though Shylock wanted to kill Antonio, he is the cause of the happiness. But his ending was not a happy one. Jessica is a reminder of this, and in a larger context a reminder of those who are not fortunate enough to join the celebrations, but draw the short straw.
This entire act seems to be about relationships which is why it starts out with Lorenzo and Jessica. There are some clear contrasts between this couple and the other two, particularly Portia and Bassanio. Lorenzo and Jessica seem significantly more functional, Lorenzo hints at some argument they had had before saying that Jessica had "slandered her love" but he "forgave it her" because he loves her. All of Portias tricks and threats to be unfaithful to her husband shows the very dysfunctional aspect to her marriage with Bassanio. Lorenzo and Jessica seem to have a more mutual relationship while Portia clearly wears the pants in hers.
I agree with Michael, I don't think Jessica ever exits the scene after Portia warns her not to tell Bassanio that she has been away. I think having her present sharpened the contrast between the different marriages and how differently she treats her husband from how Portia treats hers, while Nerissa seems to follow her lead. It is possible that Jessica may start to follow the example set by Portia. I also agree with what Michael said about Jessica being there to remind us of Shylock. I think having Jessica there would be particularly symbolic in the first movie clip that we watched last class. After seeing Shylock break down when he says that the pound of flesh was dearly bought, seeing Jessica will remind the audience of the price the happy ending came at.
I think the opening of Act 5 serves as a comedic moment. The scene is so "mushy" (as Michael said) that it could easily be funny on stage. Shakespeare is also creating comedy by displaying the couple who has done the worst things (stealing from their families, crossing religious lines, running away) as the happiest. On another note, a little bit later Launcelot comes in to tell Jessica and Lorenzo that the men are approaching...I didn't really see the point of this page and a half. Any thoughts?
I could see Jessica and Lorenzo at the beginning of the scene on a balcony that comes of one of the inside rooms. Portia and Nerissa approach from the outside, and Lorenzo heads out towards them and they meet in some sort of patio or entry room that is not part of the proper house (because later Portia does mention she hadn't even made it inside yet). This leaves Jessica inside (not in the immediate scene) but still nearby. All of the rest of the action occurs in this porch-ish location.
Was anyone else surprised that the whole play ended with Gratiano? I expected it to be Portia, Bassanio, or Antonio.
The beginning of Act five begins with Lorenzo and Jessica, in which they are compared to other well known characters in literature. They are compared to other well known couples that have had their own love to share. I agree with Cara in that Jessica and Lorenzo's relationship is much more mutual because there is not a significant power struggle. In Portia's relationship she worries more about being aboce Bassanio and being the better than about their love. She has complete control and thats what she loves not Bassanio.
I agree with Michael that in the book I couldn't find any proof of her leaving the stage, but I just dont know how she could be there the whole time and it could have finished the way it did. Maybe that plays on the whole aspect of the play being a comedy. Idk. I think Shakespeare put her there to make sure people remember what has happened throughout the story. Even though we get the ending we had wanted it forces you to remember what has happened to Shylock and again helps to reinforce that sympathy that you have for Shylock/
1) I actually can see the beginning of Act 5 as being hilarious. It can be played in a variety of ways, but the one-upping of each other with increasingly ridiculous tales and anecdotes could be hilarious in a variety of ways. So, in that sense, I found the show, and Act 5 funny, but not to the extent of some of the other comedies. Aside from the occasional one line aside to the audience, there's really very little in Act 5 that can draw a laugh.
2) I agree with Michael and the others that Jessica serves as a great symbolic representation of the rest of the characters and events in the play. I could see a staged version where each of the characters not on stage for the final scene wander onto variopus parts of the stage in their respective groups (Shylock and perhaps a judge, Jessica and Lorenzo etc.) and simply stay on stage, in character. This would be a perfectly feasible, and hopefully effective way to demonstrate that the story doesn't only end with the returning of the rings.
1. I did not find this play funny. I liked it, but I thought it was incredibly anti-semitic and predictable.
2. I agree with the general consensus that the over-the-top-ness of Jessica and Lorenzo's love confessions could serve as comedic relief. We just came out of the trial scene which was extremely heavy, and Shakespeare tossed us a bone with this. I also think that it's relatively modern, consider the "you hang up first, no you! stop it...."
3. While Jessica and Lorenzo are the comedic relief from the extreme anti-semitism of the trial, the exclusion of Jessica adds to this. She is initially with Lorenzo and joking around, but as the influx of Christian testosterone comes into Belmont, she is cast aside. I think Shakespeare is coupling everyone and ending the play as a stereotypical comedy, but with the presence of Jessica towards the back of the stage, not even with Lorenzo, it further hits home his message of anti-semitism.
1) Act 5 begins with Lorenzo and Jessica talking about their love for one another. However, they make a number of references to old myths that I was not familiar with. However, I have read the play Medea and did understand that reference. In the play, Medea is betrayed by her husband Jason (who left her for another woman) and poisons his new wife and his new wife's father. This leads me to believe that either Jessica feels betrayed by Lorenzo for some reason or (like Sarah said) it could serve as a comedic moment. Because I am unfamiliar with the other myths, I cannot make a generalization; yet, I do believe that the characters are expressing their love for one another by comedically referencing insane people from myths.
2) I agree with all of the posters. I too think that Jessica does not leave (as the stage directions do not say that she should exit). Aside from this, I think that she continues to stay on stage because she is a strong woman who only listens to herself. Had Jessica followed Lorenzo's orders to go back into the house, she would have weakened the status of her character (changing from an independent person who robbed and ran away from her father to an obedient housewife). However, in the end of act 5, Jessica and Lorenzo serve as the only two characters who have not messed up their relationship.
1. I think that the scene was written last minute to give Portia and Nerissa a chance to change back into women's garb backstage. Considering he gave them nearly 8 pages to get into masculine clothing/makeup, the 3.5 pages he gave them to change out is very quick. I also think Michael is right in that Shakespeare is trying to question his own model of love. Lorenzo and Jessica just seem fake, more fake than the homosexual Antonio/Bassanio relationship and the not quite faithful Bassanio/Portia relationship, but Lorenzo and Jessica are the two who are unquestionably in "love." It also may have been to reassure Elizabethan audiences that words can take the place of emotions. In a time when many marriages were of convenience, and maybe not true love, it would have been nice to see that gushing words of love is a fine substitute for love itself.
2. I feel that Jessica is forgotten. She doesn't leave stage. She doesn't interact with Lorenzo, she doesn't interact with Portia. This leads me to believe that, as many others said, her presence onstage is symbolic of the price with which happiness was bought.
3. Sarah! Yes! I thought Portia would end with some rhyming couplets, but lo and behold, it was Gratiano! What!?!?!?
1.
The start of scene 5 was a back and forth love stricken conversation between Lorenzo and his fair Jessica. In this slightly conceited dialogue the couple compares themselves to all the famous historic love couples written in various myths. After this dialogue, music sounds which and amazes both Jessica and Lorenzo as well as Portia. As the music grows louder I believe that Bassanio, Antonio, and Gratiano arrive.
2.
As said countless times before, I too believe that Jessica does not leave at all in this scene and if fact becomes the center piece of this particular scene.
One of the reasons that Jessica is left on stage is because she reminds us of the misfortunate Shylock who, just one scene ago, lost everything in his life. Secondly I believe that by remaining on stage, she reaffirms her self confidence.
1) The beginning of Act 5 serves as a purpose to compare Lorenzo and Jessica's functional relationship to Portia and Bassanio's dysfunctional relationship. The beginning of Act 5 illustrates the trust and understanding in the relationship between Jessica and Bassanio. Even though "Jessica stole from a wealthy Jew" and Bassanio never provided Jessica with his "many vows of faith", they are able to forgive each other and move on in their healthy and blossoming relationship. On the other hand, Portia is the alpha dog in the relationship, always having a mechanism to control Bassanio such as dressing up as the judge, taking his ring, and other devious plots.
2) I believe that Jessica stays on stage to remind us the price that happiness had taken, the life and identity of Shylock. Although the characters wanted to walk away with a happy ending, it is impossible without remembering the importance of Shylock throughout the whole play. Like others said, Bassanio would have never married Portia without seeking money to cover Antonio's debt for Shylock, and happiness would have never been achieved if Antonio was not saved from the hands of Shylock. I think by Jessica remaining on stage, it forces the audience to have sympathy for Shylock.
1) I agree with Sarah that the beginning of Act 5 should just be funny. I see this play as Shakespeare turning all of his previous depictions of love on their heads, and the little bit between Jessica and Lorenzo is something Shakespeare doesn't do in any other play. Really, every relationship in this play is something he hadn't explored at all really; he seemed to just go for it here.
2) Oh, Jessica. You poor soul. I think she is onstage throughout this long, ridiculous scene, I think to represent Shylock. It would look so silly to have him watching this crazy ring business, but Jessica is his daughter and can remind us of the real protagonist in this play.
On the funny note, I think this play's comedy relies heavily on the staging and the actors.
I agree with Sarah in that the beginning of Act 5 serves some comic relief into the play after the dramatic, emotionally charged trial. Jessica and Lorenzo represent a totally different sort of love than that of Portia and her crew and their respective lovers. They are sillier and more flirtatious than the power obsessors and unconfessed mysterious gay lovers. The strangely intense 'comedy' is lightened up by this section of the scene, and relaxes the audience before the intensity of Portia returns to Belmont.
I think that Jessica does remain on the stage for most of this act. The stage directions never say that she exits, so I assume she drifts among the outskirts of the events for the entirety of Act 5. As Michael mentions, I think that her presence is a constant reminder that Portia is incredibly unique from the average wife, but she also serves to bring down the mood. While it is a comedy in that it ends with marriages, it was not exactly funny. Jessica's presence with the shadow of the pain she caused her humiliated father is like a dark cloud above the act. Any humor or lightheartedness is overshadowed by a creeping darkness. Hidden underneath the definition of a comedy, this certainly was not a funny play.
1) Lorenzo and Jessica’s small scene at the beginning of the act is to remind us that both of them are still present figures and are still madly in love with each other. The dialogue is mushy gushy, and the metaphors are a little extreme, but then again, that’s exactly what love is: completely blind of reason and dependent on emotional impulse. I think Lorenzo and Jessica are the most dedicated lovers to one another; they face incredible odds but ultimately end up together happily, with a sizeable inheritance coming their way. After the intense happenings of Act IV, Act V starts off with a sentimental scene introducing the romantic culmination of the play.
2) I don’t think there’s any real reason Jessica should leave the stage during Act V, and like other people said, there’s no explicit stage direction. I see this as a comparison to Twelfth Night in the sense that everybody is onstage even though they might not have a clear purpose. When Sebastian and Viola discover that one another is alive, everybody else is just standing there awkwardly. As Portia veils her disguise, that is the case for Jessica, and probably Stephano and Launcelot too. As for what happens to her, she ends up with her man and whole lot of dough. She’s doing pretty well.
1. Like others said before me, I think that the beginning of Act 5 could be hilarious. The whole Jessica and Lorenzo part is so over the top and lovey-dovey. They also serve as a comparison to the other couples. And as the classic ending to a comedy, everyone comes together and everything is worked out.
2. As everyone else said, I think that Jessica is and should be onstage for mostly all of Act 5. She does serve as the reminder of the catch to the comedy in the play - Shylock's sorrow. However, if Shylock is like Malvolio in Twelfth Night, then it is okay for the "bad guy" to not get what he wants in the end and be taunted once more in the last act. So Jessica could also serve as the taunting of Shylocks misfortune.
1. As many people have already said, I thought this scene was very "mushy" and dramatic as Lorenzo and Jessica speak about their love for one another. I think that this section of the text reminded the reader that this couple is still very present in the play, although not directly in the main action. It also gave us a chance to compare this couple to the other two (Portia & Bassanio and Nerissa & Gratiano), especially in how they interact with each other. While the other two couples hide their true identities from each other and give away the rings (signifying their love/devotion to each other), Lorenzo and Jessica are always honest to each other. They have done dishonest things in the past, but only to other people, making their love seem a bit stronger than that of the others.
2. Although Jessica never physically leaves the stage, she practically disappears behind the other actors as everyone returns to Portia's home and the drama of the rings unfolds. As others said previously, Jessica reminds us of Shylock since he is not in the scene at all, and also serves as another perspective with which to consider the other two couples relationships. But on another note, at the beginning of Act 5, their story is already resolved and at an end. The others still have to resolve the dilemma with the rings and how Portia and Nerissa lied and were disguised from their husbands, even if it was for their own good. Jessica and Lorenzo's happy ending almost serves as a reminder that, since this is a comedy (although much of the play was not funny at all, at least not as funny as Twelfth Night), most of the characters should end up happy and married. It's almost as if Jessica, as she stays quietly on stage watching everyone else, is waiting for the final and resolution that is sure to come.
I agree that the entire act is about relationships. YOu have and Lorenzo jessica who are madly in love with each other. Then Bassanio,gratiano, portia and nerrisa come in and there's the whole scene with the ring; i think it was over the top mushy love. (is our paper going to be about love... and how it compares to twelft night)? Anyway i think that the main thing about to take away from Act 5 is to remember that the play is a comedy and the ending is supposed to be funny. it definably had some plot twist in the last few moments but overall i thought it wasnt that funny.
There really is no evidence, especially in the text stating that jessica left the stage. I think that in comparison to equivocation, she is there but just really obscure. I really dont know why she isn't there or doesn't say anything. I got so confused and rapped up with the final moments of the act that truthfully i forgot about jessica.
The beginning of act five has Jessica and Lorenzo having this sort of back and forth word play that is really romantic but is also a battle of wits between the two lovers. The scene serves as relief from the end of act 4 in which Bassanio and Gratiano break their vows. Portia in a way outsmarts Bassanio, but Jessica and Lorenzo are equals.
As in Twelfth Night, Act 5 of Merchant of Venice is the big reveal scene and almost everyone is on stage including Jessica, even if she doesn't speak much. At this point I feel like Jessica has broken all ties with her former life and that she is truly apart of the lovers and of Belmont, which is why she's included in the scene. She not a big presence in the scene, because her story-line has already been completed. She escaped her father, became a christian, and got married. There's nothing left to figured out or reveal.
I guess it's true that as an audience we can't really forget her connection to Shylock and his end in comparison with theirs. I also kind of feel like it would be weird if she wasn't there. It kind of speaks to the question of whether the play is unilaterally anti-Semitic or just against shylock
I agree with amalie. since the play deals with some heavy issues, alot of the humor comes from the direction/acting/whatnot
-Daniel
I think that the beginning of act five is intended to bring the audience back to thinking about Shylock by bringing his daughter, Jessica, into the scene. Jessica is not connected to the main plot against Antonio or connected to Portia, but she is a clear line linking the scene to Shylock. There are two ways I think that the final scene where Jessica doesn't say anything can be interpreted: The first, Jessica is kind of shoved off to the side once the main action starts going and is kind of befuddled about what's going on, and is trying to understand everything without asking anyone. This way is more playing towards the comedy angle of the play. The second option, the one I like more, is where Jessica is a silent reminder that all the happiness and foolery between the women and the men in the final scene comes at a price. She is there to remind the audience to not forget about Shylock and his plight, and how Shylock's entire life was ruined and he had to give up everything including his religion. Also, and I may be miss-interpreting these words, the beginning seemed to suggest that Lorenzo was unfaithful to Jessica "Did young Lorenzo swear he lover her well, stealing her soul with many vows of faith and ne'er a true one". This makes it possible that Shylock was right, that Lorenzo may have been a "ne'er do well" who stole his daughter not for love, but for lust and for wealth. Shylock then becomes an even more sympathetic figure because he has to declare Lorenzo as his son and bequeth to Lorenzo all his wealth, even if Lorenzo did not really love Jessica. Shylock is never mentioned in the final scene, the purpose of inserting Jessica is to remind us of his plight and inform the audience that not all is well that ends well in this comedy.
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