"The Merchant of Venice is a deeply disturbing play, whose interpreters over time have sought to purge it of its most dangerous and disturbing energies. It is a play in which the question of intention, of what Shakespeare may have intended, is relevant but not recoverable, and finally not determinative" (Garber 311).
Majorie Garber focuses much of her article on the idea of polar opposites and the theme of love (sound like Shakespeare?). As we decided during the second week of class, these ideas can be taken, shaped, and transformed into something brand new.
To start off, a major theme of The Merchant of Venice is the battle between Christian and Jew. As Garber puts it, "this play concerns itself with the assertion and undercutting of these absolute polarities," (283). In Shakespeare's day, these apparent opposites create dynamic tension that stimulates and moves the play forward. Shylock being the wealthy Jewish moneylender and Antonio the Christian victim, places this play in two spectrum. The drama (of the comedy?) comes from the tension of not being able to pay the loan back.
What if this was taken a step further, to the idea of happiness and depression (on a certain degree). For instance, take two of the central characters in the play (i.e. Portia and Antonio). In the beginning of the play, Antonio is distraught. Why? His fortune is sailing away to sea and he has no idea if his money is going to return. Portia is in a similar state: Her father, having died, left conditions regarding who she could marry (another Shakespearean theme, perhaps?) Therefore, she has no choice over who she will spend the rest of her life with; the deciding factor is three caskets, only one containing her portrait. The opposite of this melancholy existence is the joy both characters feel toward the end of the play, where Garber states Portia is pleased to be married and Antonio is happy to repay his debt, in whatever form it may be.
Another major theme is money. Considering Shylock plays what would be known as the villain, although that may not be the best description and his position deals with the loaning of money, it is no wonder why money is a theme in this play. It starts with Bassanio's debt, mentioned in the first moments of the play. Garber says that Bassanio will "invest in his attempts to win her [Portia], and in order to do so he will borrow more money from Antonio" (284). So, in order for Bassanio to make money, he will take money from someone who has no money as it is. Smart idea?
How about the idea of a choice for marriage? The concept that the casket creates the destiny is similar to taking away someone' s freedom. The right to marry whomever a person chooses is the norm for our day; in Shakespeare's time, as we discovered, it was not uncommon for a girl and boy to be bequeathed to one another at birth.
Garber continues to talk a lot about the standing of Jews in Venice/Belmont during this period. This information leads a reader to decide how to react to Shylock...are his intentions good, evil, normal for his situation. Garber states it best: "From first to last this play is quintessentially about interpretation, about the act of decipherment; the casket's choice with its three metals and three mottoes, Shylock's reading of the bond, Portia's recourse to an even more literal interpretation of the contract concerning the pound of flesh" (303). Everything in The Merchant of Venice relies on the reader's mood and the time they experience the words. So, take the play and listen to Garber...interpret the Merchant of Venice as you will.
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