THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

Theme of Novel

The Merchant of Venice is the darkest of William Shakespeare's romantic comedies. No other comedy threatens its title, character with imminent death or portrays its villain as an outsider with a thirst for blood. No other comedy engages such serious issues, as the contrast between law, and grace or between mercy and justice. More important than all these, no other comedy is so dominated by a single character, nor is any other character in Shakespeare so fully developed in five short scenes. In the text, Shylock has a much smaller role than Portia or Bassanio. In the theater, for the 250 years during which the history of this play can be documented, Shylock is the role which has attracted great actors from Charles Macklin to Henry Irving to Laurence Olivier. In fact, some productions (e.g., Irving's in 1879) ended the play with Shylock's final exit, turning Shakespeare's comedy into the tragedy of Shylock (Barnet &Sylvan, 1970).

Primarily the line of action involving Portia makes her a captive princess who can be released only by Prince Charming (Bassanio). She is imprisoned by the will of her dead father, condemned to marry any man who has the insight that distinguishes between a deceptive appearance of worth (the gold and silver caskets) and true worth (the lead casket). That Bassanio should succeed is dictated by the romantic nature of the plot, not by any qualities apparent in his character. Fortunately it is clear that Portia is in love with Bassanio and in Shakespeare's romantic comedies lovers always have their way, as do Gratiano and Nerissa and especially Lorenzo and Jessica (whose elopement is quintessentially romantic) ( Colley & John, 1980).

As for Shylock, he is sui generis. He is too powerful for a romantic comedy and too grotesque for a tragedy. He has been hindered and insulted by Antonio, for which he wants to kill the merchant. Is he a man of great soul or a greedy miser? His thirst for revenge suggests an anger that a petty spirit could not feel. His unwillingness to pay the price for that revenge, his bargaining instead for as much money as he can get, reduce his stature. His confused lament over his daughter and his ducats suggests a grotesque inability to distinguish between them. Above all, he is a Jew. In his most famous speech, he asserts the fundamental humanity of his nation, but the Christians persist in calling him ``the Jew'' and the laws of Venice make him an alien. Gratiano may be the most rabid Jew-baiter in all literature. Certainly no character in any other Shakespearean comedy undergoes a defeat as crushing as Shylock's (Cooper & John, 1970).

Portia is the instrument of that defeat. This fairy-tale princess becomes an avenging angel. In IV, she delivers the famous mercy speech, memorized by generations of school children. When she springs the trap, catching Shylock in a legal quibble, she shows him no ...