Appreciating The Merchant of Venice

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Appreciating The Merchant of Venice

• A Presentation for English 2332
• Central Texas College
• Dr. Brenda Cornell

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Introduction

• Date Written About 1596  Probable Main Sources
  Il Pecorone  (1378), by Giovanni Fiorentino
  Gesta Romanorum (Latin, 13th Century) oriental
  tales the Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe
  (1564-1593). The Decameron is another source for
  the incident of the 3 caskets. Type of Play
  Although the play is considered a comedy, it is
  probably better categorized as a tragicomedy (a
  play with both comic and tragic elements). As a
  comedy, the play ends happily for most of the
  characters. As a tragedy, the play focuses on the
  downfall of a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who is
  forced to become a Christian and to forfeit
  property. He leaves the stage a broken man.
• http//www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xMerchantof.htm
  lDates

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Social Significance

• Anti-semitism was a fairly common attitude in
  Shakespeares England, and Shakespeare was one of
  the dramatists brave enough to use it as a theme
  for the stage.
• Although women were still not permitted to act on
  stage, Shakespeare often presented strong female
  characters in his plays Lady Macbeth, Katharina
  (The Taming of the Shrew), and others. Womens
  parts were played by young male actors. In The
  Merchant of Venice we have Portia posing as a
  male (a man portraying a woman who is posing as a
  man doubly ironic). The success of the plot
  depends heavily upon Portias cleverness.

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Plot Summary

• Bassanio, a young Venetian, is in love with the
  beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia, but he has
  no money to finance his trip to Belmont where she
  lives. He asks his friend Antonio for a loan of
  the 3,000 ducats needed for this journey.
  Antonio has no free cash because all of his
  ships and merchandise are busy at sea. In order
  to help his friend, Antonio asks Shylock, the
  Jewish moneylender, for the loan.
• Shylock, who hates Antonio because he had
  insulted and spat on him for being a Jew a week
  previously, proposes a condition. If Antonio is
  unable to repay the loan at the specified date,
  Shylock will be free to take a pound of Antonio's
  flesh from whatever part of Antonio's body he
  pleases. Antonio, surprised by what he sees as
  Shylocks generosity (no "usance" interest is
  asked for),agrees and signs the contract. With
  money at hand, Bassanio leaves for Belmont with
  another friend Gratiano.
• At Venice, all of Antonios ships are reported
  lost at sea, leaving him unable to repay his
  bond. Shylock is even more determined to get
  revenge from Christians after his daughter
  Jessica elopes with the Christian Lorenzo, taking
  a substantial amount of Shylock's wealth with
  her. With the bond at hand, Shylock has Antonio
  arrested and brought before court.

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Plot Continued

• At Belmont, Portia has no lack of suitors. Her
  father has left a will stating that each of her
  suitors must choose correctly from one of three
  caskets one each of gold, silver, and lead
  before he could win Portia's hand. The suitor who
  correctly looks past the outward appearance of
  the caskets will find Portia's portrait inside
  and win her hand.
• After two suitors choose incorrectly, Bassanio
  makes the correct choice, that of the leaden
  casket. The other two contain mocking verses,
  including the famous phrase all that glisters
  glistens is not gold.
• At Venice, all of Antonios ships are reported
  lost at sea, leaving him unable to repay his
  bond. Shylock is even more determined to get
  revenge from Christians after his daughter
  Jessica elopes with the Christian Lorenzo, taking
  a substantial amount of Shylock's wealth with
  her. With the bond at hand, Shylock has Antonio
  arrested and brought before the court.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venic
  e

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Characters and their Contributions

• Antonio A Venetian merchant of considerable
  wealth, he makes his money from "ventures", or
  mercantile enterprises using his fleet of ships.
  Much liked by his friends, Salanio, Gratiano and
  Salarino, Antonio is owed money by his friend
  Bassanio. The title of this play is considered to
  be derived from this character as well as the
  character of Shylock.
• Bassanio The romantic lead of this play. He aims
  to successfully court the fair Portia. Her
  marriage will give him the money he needs to pay
  off his large debts to friend Antonio and so his
  courtship of Portia is also an attempt to pay off
  his debts.
• Shylock A successful Jewish moneylender who is
  much maligned over his religion and the practice
  of moneylenders such as himself of charging
  interest. He lends the 3000 ducats Bassanio needs
  to court Portia and hopefully, pay off his debts
  to Antonio. There is however a catch if the debt
  is not repaid, Antonio as security will forfeit
  one pound of his flesh. It is Shylock who is
  responsible for the immortal lines, "If you prick
  us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not
  laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if
  you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" (Act III,
  Scene I, Lines 63-72).
• Tubul Friend of Shylock. Dispatched by Shylock
  to find his daughter, he tells Shylock of the
  loss of Antonio's ships. This lets Shylock
  realize that Antonio has now forfeited his debt.
• Portia The heroine of this play, Portia is a
  wealthy and beautiful woman who is desired by
  many, so much so that her father has devised an
  ingenious test all suitors must perform to win
  her hand in marriage. This consists of a suitor
  choosing one of three chests in which her
  portrait lies. Far from being merely beautiful,
  Portia also possesses a sharp mind, one that
  saves Antonio from doom at the hands of Shylock.

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Characters (continued)

• Nerissa As Portia's waiting-maid, she tends to
  Portia and also helps Portia save Antonio's life.
  She later marries Bassanio's friend Gratiano.
• Gratiano A good friend of Bassanio, he marries
  Nerissa after falling in love with her at
  Portia's palace. Bassanio describes him as
  talkative, saying "Gratiano speaks an infinite
  deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice"
  (Act I, Scene I, Lines 114).
• The Prince of Morocco This suitor is responsible
  for the expression "All that glitters is not
  gold / Often have you heard that told" (Act II,
  Scene VII, Lines 65-73). As one of Portia's
  suitors, he reads this upon choosing the gold
  casket, which is the wrong one and loses the
  right to marry Portia.
• The Prince of Arragon This suitor also fails to
  win the fair Portia's hand in marriage when he
  incorrectly chooses the silver casket.
• Lorenzo A close friend of both Bassanio and
  Antonio, his eloping with Shylock's daughter
  Jessica, results in part on Shylock's merciless
  insistence on his pound of flesh when Antonio
  forfeits Bassanio's debt.
• Jessica The daughter of Shylock
• Salarino and Salanio Friends of Antonio who
  attempt to cheer him up in Act I, Scene I.
• The Duke of Venice As judge over the court case
  between Shylock and Antonio, he has the power to
  pardon a death sentence. In the play, he is put
  in a difficult position by Shylock he doesn't
  want Antonio to die, but to ignore Shylock's
  legal rights would be to place all of Venice in
  disrepute as a place to conduct business.
• Launcelot Gobbo A clown and servant to Shylock,
  he later aids in the escape of Jessica from
  Shylock and works for Bassanio.
• Old Gobbo Launcelot's father, who is blind.
• Balthazar and Stephano Servants of Portia.
• Leonardo Servant of Bassanio.
• http//absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/merchant_of_
  venice/characters/characters.htm

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Al Pacino as Shylock

• http//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/merchant_of_venice
  /gallery.php?page1sizeloresnopop1

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Themes

• Tragic implications of prejudice
• Seeing is not always believing
• True love will conquer all

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Works Cited

• Characters in The Merchant of Venice. 22
  October 2007. 28 October 2007.
• http//absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/merchant_of_
  venice/characters/characters.htm
• The Merchant of Venice. 28 October 2007.
  http//www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xMerchantof.htm
  lDates
• Synopsis ofThe Merchant of Venice. 28 October
  2007.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venic
  e
• Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice. 28
  October 2007. http//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/merc
  hant_of_venice/gallery.php?page1sizeloresnopop
  1