How does a close study of two speeches reveal the themes and ideas in "The Merchant of Venice"?

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How does a close study of two speeches reveal the themes and ideas in “The Merchant of Venice”?

By Dave Lacey

The themes and ideas in the Merchant of Venice are very controversial nowadays and in Shakespeare’s time were very much a ‘hot topic’. The play is about mainly justice and mercy as they are the main themes that run throughout the play. At the time this play was written there were two main religions in Venice, Christianity and Judaism, with Christianity being the superior religion. If anyone was a Jew they were treated by Christians as dirt. The Jews were kept in their own part of Venice and once dark the gates were locked so they could not get out. The two speeches which will be compared are Portia’s and Shylock’s speeches. Shylock’s speech is about revenge whilst Portia’s is about mercy.

Shylock and Portia are from two very different backgrounds. Shylock is a money lender and a Jew (Jews believed that interest should be charged whereas this was against what Christian law). Portia is a daughter of a rich and wise Lord, but he is dead and Portia is not allowed to marry anyone without his permission. So her father has set up a task to prove if the man is the right man for Portia and by picking the right casket he gains access to all of Portia’s money and gold.

Shylock’s speech is given right after he comes home from a Christian banquet he was invited to. When he arrives he finds that his daughter has stolen from him and run off with a Christian man called Lorenzo as well as his servant leaving him. This means he is very angry which explains why there is a lot of rage and anger in his speech. His speech is centred on his plea for justice. His speech is also based on money and revenge. An example of him being mocked and treated like dirt is in his speech. (“He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled mine friends, heated mine enemies – and what’s his reason? I am a Jew.”) There is a lot of anger and rage in this speech which evokes the sufferings endured by Jews throughout history whilst turning him from a cardboard stage villain to a complex character.

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In this interpretation Shylock in an outcast who just wants social expectance but this is far from possible for him. This is shown in his speech, some of which is as follows “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs”, “Fed with the same food, hurt by the same weapons” and “warmed and cooled by the same summer and winter as a Christian is?” He then goes on to say what is considered to be the most powerful thing he says throughout his entire speech and it is also a triplet and at the end of ...

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