The Sunday News
Highway to Success Charles Dube
THERE are various themes in this play, notably on race, wealth, friendship, marriage, justice, love, isolation and choices.
Money is a very big deal in this plot – plot revolves around a Venetian merchant (Antonio) who cannot repay a loan to a hated money lender (Shylock, the Jew). There is strong friendship between Bassanio and Antonio. “To you Antonio I owe the most in money and in love, and from your love I have a warranty, to unburden all my plots and purposes, how to get clear of all the debts I owe.”
This is what Bassanio says as he prepares to court his future wife, Portia. Antonio loves Bassanio enough to give his life for him. It seems Bassanio’s pursuit of a wife is cause for Antonio’s sadness. Antonio remains outside the circle of happiness even at the end of the play when the lovers, Bassanio and Portia, together with Gratiano and Nerissa reconcile over the rings.
Marriage is shown in the play. These days marriage is associated with romantic love but in Shakespeare’s day that was not necessarily the case. Marriage is portrayed in many different ways in Merchant of Venice – as a risky business venture, – a chance for unhappy daughter to escape her father’s home. Here we make reference to Jessica, Shylock’s daughter who decides to leave her father’s home because she feels it’s hell. She dislikes her home.
Marriage is also portrayed as a way for a father to transmit his wealth in the man of his choice. This is specifically so with Portia’s father who curbs her freedom of choice of a husband in the choice of a casket from the three. As far as justice is concerned, because Venice’s economic stability depends on foreign businessmen like Shylock the city has laws in place to protect their legal rights. Although the law is on his side when Shylock goes to court and demand a pound of flesh, he is expected to show mercy instead he insists on getting his pound of flesh.
There is the subject of love discussed in the Merchant of Venice. Love in this play comes in a variety of forms.
There is love between family members, between friends, and between lovers. Bassanio says he loves Portia and courts her. Gratiano courts Nerissa. Lorenzo loves Jessica, Shylock’s daughter and elopes with her. Antonio has many friends, notably among them is Bassanio.
This play also has characters who feel a deep sense of isolation. Shylock, the Jew, feels the isolation and tries to fight the stress connected to it by demanding fairness from a system he feels does not protect him. Antonio is very much isolated so as to tell his friends Salerio and Solanio that he is sad at heart but cannot say why.
Choices is another theme found in the play. In the Merchant of Venice characters must choose between lovers, friends, family, personal comfort and societal norms. Portia must choose whether to follow the casket lottery in choosing her husband or not. Antonio must choose whether to risk his life to help a friend or otherwise. Jessica must choose whether to defy her father’s instructions to lock herself in the house or to run away with Lorenzo. Going deeper with this analysis we might consider self-interest as opposed to love. An obvious view about this play is that the main difference between the Christian characters and Shylock seems to be that the Christians value human relationships over business ones. Shylock appears to be only interested in money.
Why is this so? Here we go back to what appears to be a tired story. Antonio lends money without charging interest and risks his life for one he loves, that is Bassanio. Shylock is enraged over the loss of his money and is said to have been seen with all the boys in Venice following while he cried: “My daughter! O my ducats! O my ducats!” From these words it is clear that Shylock values his money as much as his daughter. Shylock is thus condemned as his greed outweighs his love for his daughter. However, there is another view to this. When we meet Shylock later on the play he seems more hurt by the fact that his daughter sold a ring that was given to him by his dead wife, Leah, before they were married.
Shylock attaches great value to that ring as he says he could not have sold it for a wilderness of monkeys. Another area of controversy; did Bassanio love Portia or he just wanted her money or riches? Note what he says of her at the beginning of the play: “In Belmont is a lady richly left,” Though Portia and Bassanio come to love one another, Bassanio seeks her in marriage in the first place because he is seriously in debt and needs her money. Bassanio makes it clear to Antonio that he has disabled his own estate. We shall continue looking at the divine quality of mercy and hatred in future.
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