I find it worth mentioning that in act four of Shakespeare's play the Merchant of Venice, the value of trust is questioned. Of course there is the on going suspense early on and throughout the play about whether or not Shylock will get his pound of flesh from Antonio. This situation later becomes brought to its climax when both Shylock and Antonio sit in front of the Duke and decide what the conditions are going to be, based on their agreement. This can be seen as the trust or lack of trust in business simply because these gentlemen were unable to come to an agreement outside of the court system. Shylock's trust was not enough for Antonio to keep is word, among other things.
Another example of trust in act four scene two, includes the incident when Portia is dressed in male attire and disguise to be involved with Antonio's judgement. The trust between Bassanio and Portia is broken because Bassanio (not knowing that Portia is in disguise of course), gives away the ring which is symbolic of the love between Portia and Bassanio.
After Nerissa finds out how easily Portia was able to get Bassanio's ring she decides to pull the same prank on her husband. This leads one to truly evaluate the significance marriage has in the lives of the characters and the ways in which trickery is used to test ones love. Unfortunately Portia and Bassanio were ultimately forced into somewhat of an arranged marriage, leaving many options of failure to present themselves. The fundamental values which most people seek for in a partner were never reached by Bassanio and Portia.
The second issue which has been repeated throughout the play and made it's debut in the fourth act is the problem of sex. It is interesting that Portia is disguised as a man in a court room where a woman has no voice or power. Even if we consider the point that Portia had to be disguised to hid her identity from Bassanio, we can still acknowledge the question, why is it that Portia was disguised as a man? Shakespeare tends to play with identity in his work and one can't help but think of the relevance it has to the plot and what message is being delivered simultaneously.
I think a reader can comment on the Merchant of Venice as a play which forces the reader/viewer to negotiate with themselves the social problems and struggles which Shakespeare appears to make camouflage to the plot. I find that mostly Portia, Bassanio, and Shylock bring attention to these themes.
4 comments:
I agree with this post. Up until now I hadn't realized how much trust plays a part in the exchange between Shylock and Antonio. I do think that this is a place where, as we discussed in class, religion comes into play. In addition to not being able to settle out of court, it was clear that Shylock was not very trusting of Antonio because of his Christian beliefs and actions.
I agree with this post, as well, and also want to add the presence of justice in Act IV. Obviously, justice is prevelant because of the court setting, but also, as we discussed in class, justice is most important for Shylock (as trust is, as well). As for Portia being dressed as a man, this is yet another instance of a woman having to "change genders" to get near men as anything but a pretty lady. In "Twelfth Night," Viola had to disguise herself as a man to serve Orsino. It seems that women are rarely taken very seriously (even the stubborn Beatrice is broken by love in "Much Ado About Nothing).
I think a lot of the trust that's lacking between Shylock and Antonio is based almost solely in ignorance. Antonio is a Christian who perhaps doesn't quite understand the Jewish tradition, and likewise, Shylock is deeply mistrustful (as we saw in the scene where he tries to shield his daughter from the Carnival festivities) of Christians in general.
With Portia and Bassanio, however, I think any trust that Portia has for her new husband is a result of the trust she already harbored for her father, and her faith in his judgment. He devised the plan in choosing a suitable partner for Portia, and she dutifully followed through.
Of course this play is about business, money and all of the mechanical things that go with it. This post highlights the underlying humanity that flows throughout the play. Very nice.
Post a Comment