Show how Shakespeare employs tensions and oppositions to present conflicting principals and prejudices of the time.

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English Essay        08/05/2007        Jack Layden        

Show how Shakespeare employs tensions and oppositions to present conflicting principals and prejudices of the time

 ‘The Merchant of Venice’ can be seen as a series of tense oppositions. Shakespeare writes about many conflicting issues that were controversial at the time, but does not enforce any opinion on the audience, inviting them to form their own conclusions. The contrasts in  ‘The Merchant of Venice’ are important because they incite the audience to consider moral issues such as prejudice, discrimination and bigotry. Shakespeare creates the characters with the intention of relating them to the common person; the sins and discrepancies in their lives are typical of the everyday goings on in Venice at the time.

        

I will consider love and hate, comedy and tragedy, justice and mercy, expectations versus reality and finally men against women. All of the oppositions are linked to the concerns of Shakespeare’s audience. This means that Judaism, for example, was a concern and also hatred to Shakespeare’s audience. The play was consequently very eye-catching and appealing to the people of Shakespeare’s time.

‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a story of love and hate, and both emotions are expressed powerfully in the play. On the one hand the play appears to be full of love and friendship: Portia and Bassanio; Jessica and Lorenzo; Gratiano and Nerissa. However, bitterness and hatred are evident: Gratiano’s reviling of Shylock; Shylock’s coldness towards his daughter and hatred of Antonio. Shylock sees himself as a victim of prejudice and maintains himself with his own aggression. The play is renowned for the bitter conflict between Jews and Christians. It appears that the main difference between the Christian characters and Shylock is that the Christian characters value human relationships over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money (. Merchants like Antonio lend money free of interest, and put themselves at risk for those they love, whereas Shylock agonizes over the loss of his money and once ran through the streets crying, “O, my ducats! O, my daughter!” (II.viii.15). These words suggest that his greed outweighs his love. However, his insistence that he have a pound of flesh rather than any amount of money also shows that his resentment is much stronger than his greed.

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Portia and Bassanio appear to love one another, however, Bassanio seeks her hand in the first place because he is greatly in debt and needs her money. The love between these two characters is therefore questionable and emphasises the love and hate oppositions.                              

The themes are also emphasised in the settings of the play, Belmont symbolising love and Venice symbolising hate. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is set in Italy in Venice and Belmont, representing the two worlds of the play. Shakespeare uses these ...

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