Antonio is the Merchant of Venice; the opening seen shows him to be sad. The audience will think why is he sad? “Antonio: In sooth I know not why I am sad.” It is a dramatic device used by Shakespeare to set the initial mood of the play. Most likely he is sad because he knows the relationship he has with Bassanio is about to be upset because of his plans to marry Portia. Despite the fact the play is named after him, he plays a very small but important part. He illustrates or shows his love or friendship by agreeing to lend Bassanio money; he actually disrupts his own deep relationship with Bassanio, “Antonio: Where money is, and I no question make to have it of my trust, before my sake.”
In Act one Scene three, this is a very important scene in the play as we meet shylock for the first time, and we discover this hatred for Antonio, and also Antonio’s dislike for Shylock, “Antonio: Mark you this Bassanio, the devil can cite scripture for his purpose. An evil producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling creek.” All of the terms for the bonds are agreed, and the three thousand ducats, shall be paid back to Shylock in three months Bassanio negotiates the deal, saying that Antonio is a good man, good refers to Antonio’s ability to pay and Antonio even puts his own life in the bond saying that if the money if not paid back to Shylock at the specified date, a pound of flesh will be taken from himself. However, whilst all this is taking place, the audience is led to believe that something may go wrong with the arrival of Antonio’s ships, making it open up the audiences minds to what could happen later on in the play, “Bassanio: I like not fair terms, and a villains mind. Antonio: Come on, in this there can be dismay, my ships come home a month before the day.” Bassanio offers Shylock to dine with them that evening as a thank you, but Shylock refuses, and this shows the depth of his hatred is for Antonio, even though this play isn’t about religion, the issues of different races are, “ Bassanio: If it please you to dine with us. Shylock: I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.” The main issues of this play are of love against hate, and mercy against justice. There are parallels against Antonio and Shylock, both are seen as outsiders, Shylock as Christians don’t want anything to do with him, “Antonio: Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, a goodly apple rotten at the heart. O what a goodly outside falsehood hath.” And Antonio being solitary in contrast to the romance and love his friends are getting involved in, “Antonio: You know me well, and herein spend but time to wind about my love with circumstance.” A major theme that runs throughout the play relates to the fact that things are not always as they seem to be, like when Shylock plays on the importance of the pound of flesh, how Shylock wants to profit of Antonio’s death, “ Shylock: Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound. Bassanio: Your answer to that. Shylock: Antonio is a good man. Bassanio: Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? ... Shylock: My meaning in saying he is a good man, is to you have to understand me that he is sufficient.” Antonio’s judgement is perhaps blended by an overwhelming desire, regardless of lost or risk, But Bassanio is more aware of Shylocks vengeful and dangerous nature than Antonio.
Shylock is a Jewish money lender during the Elizabethan period and has a daughter, which has fallen in love with a Christian man, who which Shylock hates, and has not spoken to his daughter since, and so much, he has taken his only child out of his will, “Jessica: … I shall end this strife; become a Christian and thy loving wife. … Jessica: Farewell, and if my fortune be not crossed, I have a father, you a daughter lost.” The people of the Elizabethan age had very different views about lending money and charging interest compared to today. Shylock was a greedy man; he charged a lot of interest on top of what people had borrowed off him, “Shylock: … Methought you said, you neither lend nor borrow upon advantage. Antonio: I do never use it. … Antonio: And what of him? Did he take interest? Shylock: No, not take interest, not as you would say directly interest.” Shylock shows a complete hatred of Antonio and all he stands for; Antonio does not charge a lot of interest sometimes even none which is Shylock is totally against, Shylock is in it all for profit, not to help out people as Antonio is, “Antonio: … Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow by taking nor by giving of excess …”
The only reason for Shylocks good nature of letting them borrow the three thousand ducats is profit and in order to achieve that he is prepared to take a short term loss of three thousand ducats so he can kill Antonio and practice usury with out competition.
Act two Scene two introduces some comparisons between Shylock and Bassanio as masters for Lancelot Gabbo, “Launcelot: Indeed the short and the long are, I serve the Jew, and have a desire …” Shows the difference between appearance and reality. Which suggests that in the end ‘truth will prevail’ or, the plot will be revealed. This shows another sign of friendship between Bassanio and Gratiano, when Bassanio asks Gratiano to travel with him to Belmont, “Gratiano: I have a suit to you. Bassanio: You have obtained it. Gratiano: You must not deny me; I must go with you to Belmont. Bassanio: Why then you must.” Lancelot Gabbo wants a new master, his comic soliloquy at the start of the scene shows a difficult decision has come to hand, “Launcelot: Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew my master.” The Jew and the devil would have been seen as similar characters by the Elizabethans, therefore if he stays in Shylocks service, he stays with the devil; if he stays with the enemy and goes to Bassanio, he will offend just the same. … Launcelot: Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation … Launcelot: O rare fortune, here comes the man. To him father, for I am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer…” So really he has no choice. Here there was a process started, from with shylock will eventually be stripped of all he has; religion, servants, daughter and his wealth.
In the first scene Bassanio accuses Gratiano of being ‘aioe wild, to rude and bold of Venice’, yet he allows Gratiano to go with him to Belmont, this shows the strength of there friendship, it shows that no matter what comes between them, they will not let it ruin there friendship. The Gabbo’s provide some light relief/humour where there is confusion between old Gabbo not recognising his son and the misuse of various words.
Act four Scene one is the court room scene where Antonio is brought to trial so Shylock can claim his pound of flesh as so said in the bond. Unluckily for Shylock the judge was biased and very unsuitable to try the case, but in Elizabethan times, the law was the law and no-one could change how they felt about different religions. Shylock rejects pleas for mercy from the duke and demands the law. Portia who is currently disguised as Antonio’s lawyer, a man and Portia’s waiting woman Nerissa who is also disguised as a man. In the Elizabethan times, Women was not allowed to be lawyers and Shakespeare doing this in his play makes suspense in the audience, making them think whether or not they are going to be caught and triaged them self. Portia judges that Shylock must be merciful if Antonio is to live. Antonio tells the duke that he accepts the verdict and will oppose shylocks fury with patience and a quietness of spirit, this shows his noble nature. The duke tries to reason with Shylock and attempts to play upon feelings, compassion and mercy for a fellow human being. This is an interesting parallel with Shylocks own “If you prick me…”Shylock tried to gain our sympathy for his case by appealing to the common fellowship and feelings of man. Where the duke tried a similar plea but fell on deaf ears. Where the duke gave the long speech to Shylock trying to convince him to drop the case, Shylock said he would rather have the pound of flesh because it humours him, he has a lodged hate and a certain loathing for Antonio. Antonio accuses Shylock of having a hard heart, meaning he is incapable of showing mercy, love or friendship. Bassanio offered Shylock more money, up to six times the amount that was originally laid down on the bond, Shylock still refuses. Here without knowing it Shylock just refused the very amount hat Portia said she’d be willing to pay. By implication, Shylock is already rejecting Portia’s plea for mercy.
The duke asks Shylock, “How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none?” and in doing so prepares us for the time when the court and its officers will show shylock no mercy. When shylock was asked if he had brought a doctor with him to stop the bleeding when the pound of flesh was removed, Shylock answered, “I refuse to, it is not so nominated in the bond, and he shall have his bond and nothing else.” There is a brief moment when the audience see a touching and dignified scene between Antonio and Bassanio, in contrast to the bloodthirsty and homicidal attitude of Shylock. Shylock placed his trust in the law and the law will give him revenge on Antonio. Shylock however is not only frustrated in his desire to gain revenge on Antonio. One begins to get the uncomfortable feeing that perhaps this time it is Portia and the Christians who will extract revenge and not soften there justice with mercy. Because he is foreran and conspired to take the life of a Venetian half his goods go to Antonio and the other half to the state of Venice, his life is at the duke’s mercy. Perhaps the crowning fate is Antonio’s demand that Shylock become a Christian, this shows that Antonio shows mercy on Shylock, and does not want him hated anymore. There is a certain poetic justice considering Shylocks hatred of Christians. Elizabethan audiences may well have found this amusing and believed he deserved what he got.
I think that throughout the play, the audience have been made to think that Shylock is nasty, and deserves everything that comes to him, as in Act four Scene one the court room, Shylock lost everything, his money, daughter and his own religion and his life was under the decision of the duke. But also behind all of this is love between Portia a rich heiress, and a poor good man who is friends with Bassanio, and when Antonio’s life is on the line, Bassanio does not stop for anything to help him, and secretly his newly wed wife Portia, is helping him win the case, by being a lawyer for Antonio against Shylock and his bond.