MOV Humanities Perspective

1. Merchant of Venice
Revision Lecture

2. CONTEXT
• William Shakespeare born in Stratford upon Avon in 1564
• Joined an acting company called the Queen’s Men
• Became leading member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men
• Performed at the Globe Theatre from 1599
• Became the King’s men when James I came to throne in
1603.
• Begun writing plays in the 1580s and became prominent

3. Merchant of Venice:
Tragi-comedy
• The Merchant of Venice was written between 1596 – 1598
• In England, Jews had been banished for the past 300 years,
resulting in little knowledge of (them).
• Highly probably that many would have enjoyed the verbal
insults and racist jokes against Shylock.

4. Venice
• Shakespeare never ever visited Venice, learnt a great deal
about Venice from its travellers’ accounts.
• The Venetian Republic was renowned in Shakespeare’s day
for its political independence, its relaxed morals, its
tolerance of different nationalities and religions, and most
of all, its great wealth. (exotic).
• First Jewish ghettos meant to quell the economic activities
of the Jews.

5. Belmont
• Imaginary setting
• Beautiful, rich, country estate – exotic.

6. The Venetian Ghetto
• Because of their central role in economic exchange
(loans), Jews were seen as a necessary evil.
• In 1516, the Venetian authorities designed the ghetto
nuovo: Jews to be relocated and sealed off.
• Not until 1797, did the wooded gates of the Venetian
ghetto get torn down and burned.
• Anto-Semitism continues to persist till today.

7. Persecution
• Anti-Semitism dates to ancient times, resulting in part from Jews’ refusal to
acknowledge the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and from their refusal to
submit to Roman rule.
• Blamed for the death of Christ, Jews suffered severe persecution over the centuries,
including torture, loss of property, and forced conversion to Christianity
• During outbreaks of plague, Christians implicated Jews for spreading the disease.
England decided to solve the “Jewish problem” once and for all by expelling Jews in
1290.

8. A Pound of Flesh
• Giovanni Fiorentino’s collection II Pecorone [ The Simpleton ]
in 1558.
• A young man, Giannetto pursues a mysterious, intelligent
women in Belmonte, who has offered herself and her
possession to the first man who ‘possesses’ her.
• Giannetto’s benefactor, Analdo borrows money from a Jew and
fails to repay on time. Hence the ‘pound in flesh’ reference.
• But Shakespeare had in issue with the selection/bed trick of the
suitor.

9. The Caskets
• Richard Robinson’s English version of the Gesta
Romanorum
• A princess successfully chooses between the gold, silver and
lead caskets in order to marry an emperor’s son.

10. Plot Breakdown
• The plot of MOV can be broken down into four separate subplots which
weave in and out, before coming together at the end.
1. The deal between Antonio and Shylock (a pound of flesh)
2. The love between Portia and Bassanio
3. The elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo
4. A trick Portia plays on Bassanio to test his love of her

11. Plot lines
• Climax Act 4, Portia thwarts Shylock’s attempts to gain revenge
• Conflict: Hostility between Shylock and the others
• Tone: Overtones of tragedy and comedy. Tragic = bitter confrontation
between Shylock and others/ Comedy – Progressing romances

12. Act 1
• Antonio is introduced as benefactor to Bassanio
• Portia’s test for suitors
• The loan deal between A and Shylock 3s (3000 ducats, 3 months, pound of
flesh)

13. Act 2
All that glisters is not gold
• Prince Morocco and Prince Arragon try their luck with the caskets.
• Jessica is revealed to be in love with the Christian, Lorenzo
• The betrayal of Shylock by Jessica’s elopement and theft: “own flesh and
blood” (3.1.17)
• News of Antonio’s galleon being wrecked

14. Act 3
“A Pound of flesh (and more?)”
• Shylock enacts his the terms of his debts
• Bassanio chooses lead for the caskets and receives the ring from Portia
• Antonio is in prison.
• Portia and Nerissa plan to disguise themselves as men.

15. Act 4: Mercy (i-less?)
The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven (4.1.180-193)
• The trial
• Portia disguised as a lawyer, defeats Shylock in a witty move on legality of his
claims to spill blood: “if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood”
• Duke grants Shylock his life but splits his wealth between Antonio and the
state.
• Shylock has to become a Christian
• Bassanio gives Portia/Balthazar ring as payment

16. Act 5
• Lovers unite and Portia reveals the test of fidelity
• Antonio ships are not ruined
• Jessica and Lorenzo inherit Shylock’s wealth

17. Antonio the Generous
• He is the MOV
• "A stage where every man must play a part, / And
mine a sad one“
• Shares a deep bond with Bassanio
• Solanio on A: "I think he only loves the world for
him".
• Generous yet vehemently anti-Jewish/Semite
• It is he who demands that Shylock be converted a
Christian – the worst penalty.
"Say how I loved you,"

18. Antonio is his own worst enemy
• What make him sad?
• My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate
Upon the fortune of this present year:
Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad. (1. 1. 45-48)

19. Antonio is his own worst enemy
• If we fault Shylock for his viciously vengeful legalisms, we must first fault Antonio
for his contemptuous hauteur and overconfidence.
• I am as like to call thee so again,
To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friends; for when did friendship take
A breed for barren metal of his friend?
But lend it rather to thine enemy,
Who, if he break, thou mayst with better face
Exact the penalty. (1. 3. 112-119)

20. Antonio is his own worst enemy
• What make him sad?
• My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate
Upon the fortune of this present year:
Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad. (1. 1. 45-48)

21. Bassanio the romantic
• Carefree, humorous, romantic
• Indebted to Antonio
• Equally prejudiced against Shylock, calls him a “villain”,
“a cruel devil”
• Helps in the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo by
inviting Shylock to dinner.
"Good signors both, when shall we laugh?"

22. True love or nay?
• Does Bassanio love Portia?
• "In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair".
• He calls her a ‘demi-god’, on seeing her portrait in the lead casket
• He leaves Portia immediately to save Antonio: willing to sacrifice “life itself, my
wife and all the world to save him”
• Yet, he gives an honest account of why he gave the ring away and swears heartfelt
and lifelong devotion to Portia - “by my soul” at the end of the play

23. Portia: The Ideal Woman?
"the fairest creature northward born".
• Quick-witted, wealthy, and beautiful, Portia embodies the
virtues that are typical of Shakespeare’s heroines
• A free spirit who effectively works within the rules. Think
caskets and the trial.
• Deeply loves Bassanio: "Myself and what is mine, to you and
yours / Is now converted".
• Courage and ingenuity in the trial proceedings

24. Portia the bigot?
• Racial bigotry?
• “If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he
should shrive me [hear her confession, as if he were a priest] than wive me” (1. 2. 33).
• “A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go. / Let all of his complexion choose me so”
(2. 7. 72-73).
• Hypocrisy? Does mercy temper justice?
• But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. (4.1.180-193)

25. Shylock : Bloodthirsty orge
• The play’s antagonist
• Bloodthirsty, merciless, menacing, money-minded.
• Described as "villain with a smiling cheek, cut-throat dog,
bloody creditor, damned inexecrable dog".
• "The villainy you teach me I will execute".
• "Thou call'dst me dog ... But since I am a dog, beware my
fangs".

26. Shylock: The persecuted
• "suff'rance is the badge of all our tribe".
• Are his actions a result of his character, circumstances or
persecution?
• I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with
the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If
you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you
poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
(3.1.23)

27. Themes

28. Self-Interest Versus (Christian)
Love/Friendship
• “One half of me is yours, the other half is yours,
Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours,
And so all yours.”
• Evident in everyone (Charity) VS Shylock (Revenge)
• Friendship often requires sacrifice
• Yet, while the Christian characters may talk more about mercy, love, and
charity, they are not always consistent in how they display these qualities.

29. Mercy as divine?
• “The quality of mercy is not strained,
• Context: Old testament (adherence to the letter of the law) vs new testament
(forgives, rather than punish)
• Yet, mercy never manages to be as selfless or divine as Portia represents it.

30. Cyclical nature of hatred/revenge
• Hatred and revenge only leads to a cyclical process, ending in ruin. (Shylock)
• Would pursuing justice have been the better discourse?
• “The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.”

31. Gender
• Women Can Be as Competent and Devious as Men - Portia

32. Appearances VS Reality
• “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”
• MOV as a mirror for the audience