How do I love thee....Let me count the ways! 5 in The Merchant of Venice

Normally, Shakespeare’s comedies center consistently around love, or the theme of love. The Merchant of Venice is no different, although the road to these loving relationships is exceptionally challenging. Like many of the comedies, The Merchant of Venice uses weddings to solve the issues at hand, with one major exception. In this play, the weddings occur in the middle of the story, not so much as a resolution, but as a driving factor for the action. The love that binds these unions is just one of the several types of love described in the play. In The Merchant of Venice, love breaks down into the following categories: marriage love, obsessive love (or greed), brotherly love, father-daughter love, and religious love.

By the conclusion of the play, three couples have formed everlasting bonds: Portia & Bassanio, Nerissa & Gratiano, and Jessica & Lorenzo. Each of them, however, has a unique type of love-relationship. Portia, who is not free to choose her own husband, would be forced to love whoever chose the correct casket. Nerissa reminds Portia of Bassanio’s worth, saying that “he, of all the men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon was best deserving a fair lady” (I. II. 86-87). When Portia does recall Bassanio’s love, she begins to hope he will return for a chance to win her. But still, she is a prize in this play, her father leaving her no option. Therefore, the relationship between Portia and Bassanio is a love of chance.

Bassanio, on the other hand, has a love all his own, an undying love. He was willing to do anything to get to Portia, which is the entire reason the bargain between Shylock and Antonio is made. Even still, with Bassanio’s desires to be with Portia aside, he only wanted to court her because she was “richly left” (I. I. 160). In the end, they are happy, but if the initial desires for romance were for material possessions, when does Bassanio make the shift?

Gratiano and Nerissa have a love entirely different than that first mentioned; theirs is more of a lucky-love. Nerissa, Portia’s lady-in-waiting, has to ask for permission to marry, as does Gratiano. However, once their love is discovered, it is honored with a wedding in conjunction with Portia and Bassanio’s.

Additionally, Jessica and Lorenzo (whom I did not discuss in the first blog) go behind Shylock’s (Jessica’s father) back in order to live their love. Their type of love is almost unconditional, where they must risk their lives to be together—similar to other loving relationships seen in Shakespeare’s plays.

The second major type of love exhibited in The Merchant of Venice is an obsessive love, or greed. Shylock loves his wealth. When Antonio and Bassanio come asking for a loan, Shylock is in the perfect position to show his dominating stature on them, while displaying a love for money. Antonio receives a loan of three thousand ducats at the cost of his flesh if he fails to pay it back. Why would he then, literally risk his own skin, for Bassanio and Portia? The answer is simple: Antonio displays a stronger type of love than greed…a brotherly love.

“Even though Antonio’s role in the play diminishes after this first act, his unreserved and risk-filled act of friendship is the model for similar kinds of other passionately various acts, such as those of Bassanio and Portia and Jessica, all of whom, to different degrees (but none to the extent of Antonio), are moved by love to accept great risk in return for great reward” (Harp 41).

The Merchant of Venice, as a play, would not exist without Antonio, although he is the character that falls out half-way through. Antonio pushes the action along because of his love for his friend; he makes a completely selfless act and agrees to Shylock’s terms. Therefore, if Antonio fails to repay the loan, Bassanio can still be alive and happy.

Next, father-daughter love exists between Shylock and Jessica. Jessica must escape from her father’s house in order to marry Lorenzo. Jessica does not display mutual love for her father; in fact, she says that she is “ashamed to be [her] father’s child!” (II. III. 16). In order to be in love, Jessica must escape her father, diminishing the idea of a father-daughter love.

Finally, religious love, which ends up being theme all its own in this play. Shylock—a Jew—and Antonio—a Christian—naturally do not get along. In fact, within seconds of seeing Atonio, Shylock confesses that he “hate[s] him, for he is a Christian” (I. III. 32). Harp states in his article that “its Christian citizens who have no interest in loving their enemy” (43). Perhaps not the love, but the lack of love, is what drives the conflict between religions. As a Christian, Antonio would have been taught to love thy neighbor as thyself, but this practice does not show in the play.

Five types of love exist in the play, but there are several more instances where love is hidden, but an overlying theme. Shakespeare uses the idea of love to push the action along, but he also wrote The Merchant of Venice in a unique manner. Harp claims that “In The Merchant of Venice love and desire are everywhere in evidence, as are the boundaries which seem to, but ultimately do not, hold them to cheek” (39). Love is not as much the bandage at the end of the story as it is the wound like requires it.

Works Cited

Harp, Richard. "Love and Money in the Merchant of Venice." Modern Age (2009): 37-44. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts. Ed. M. Lindsay. Kaplan. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 2002. Print.

5 Annotated Sources on "The Merchant of Venice"

Shakespeare Biography

Gray, Terry. "A Shakespeare Timeline." Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet. 1998. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. .

Terry Gray’s timeline of Shakespeare’s life provides the same information as one could expect in any biography, but the format for the information is unique. The site is developed into an interactive timeline, where one can click on the links to see information pertaining to The Lost Years or Shakespeare’s Death. Because the site is designed in a unique fashion, I would greatly use this in a classroom setting. The flow of the site would engage some students and cause them to pay attention when the information gets a bit dry. Many people could use this site to find information because, first, it is easy to follow and understand; and second, the site comes from Palomar Community College, providing credibility.

The Merchant of Venice: The Play

Hadfield, Andrew. Rev. of Blood Relations: Christian and Jew in "The Merchant of Venice", by Janet Adelman. Comparative Drama (2009): 412-14. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

“Christians were, of course, converted Jews and, however hard they denied their origins or despised the Jews, they could not erase this fundamental understanding of their identity” (412). Hadfield’s previous line becomes a major focus during her paper; she would argue that this idea shows how The Merchant of Venice is about more than just prejudice beliefs. Adelman examines the relationship between Antonio—a Christian Merchant—and Shylock—a Money lending Jew. The article being examined is only a review from Adelman’s book on the same subject, but the work is still something that can be examined. Adelman creates a strong argument about our ideas of prejudice. The Merchant of Venice has many situations where religious beliefs play a vital role, and Adelman brings these ideas to the surface in her book. Hadfield presents the ideas in a way that, if the book were available, I would use it for a classroom presentation. This theme is important and one that needs to be addressed when covering The Merchant of Venice.

William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. By Michael Radford. Dir. Michael Radford. Perf. Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins. Sony Pictures Classics, 2004. Movie Trailer.

The nicest part of this movie trailer is the way the characters are displayed. From just the few moments and glimpses at the work, one is able to decipher that, while a comedy, this play is not family friendly. The tension and turmoil that build in The Merchant of Venice is easily recognized in the movie trailer. Many people could watch this trailer, and later the movie, and create their own depiction of the play. A nice aspect of the movie trailer is the use of lighting and quotes from the play that set up the action that is bound to take place. Students will be able to recognize characters (if they already read the work) and can decide whether the story follows the idea they constructed in their head. Ultimately, I would use the movie for a classroom presentation, but it would be interesting to show the trailer before beginning the play and discovering students’ first impression of the work.

Teaching Shakespeare in School

Cohen, Paula M. "Shylock, My Students, and Me: What I've Learned from 30 Years of Teaching "The Merchant of Venice"" American Scholar 79.1 (2010). MasterFILE Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

Cohen mentions first in her article that she has taught The Merchant of Venice for the last 30 years and it has yet to lose its excitement. Right away, this signals that this play offers a lot of information for students and can keep them entertained. Cohen notes that her students, even after all the years, still agree with the basic ideas of the play: Shylock is the villain, Portia and Bassinio are the pair of lovers, and Antonio is the noble who goes out of his way to save his friend. Regarding practical use, it does not so much come down to this article, but the idea behind it that could become relevant in a classroom setting. Thanks to Cohen’s story, one can look at the play and know that students can find something to relate to.

Salomone, Ronald E., and James E. Davis, eds. Teaching Shakespeare into the Twenty-first Century. Athens: Ohio UP, 1997. Print.

Teaching Shakespeare to students is a challenge; getting these students to understand Shakespeare is more of a challenge. Therefore, this book provides an excellent starting point when it comes to instructing Shakespeare. The book focuses on several aspects of teaching Shakespeare, such as role-playing, paraphrasing, and using plays to teach Shakespearean plays. The book provides many significant teaching techniques and I know that, if I had to teach this play in the classroom, I could use this textbook as a great starting point. The practical usage from this book comes from its ability to approach Shakespeare in a variety of ways. If one method is not sufficient, the next may be. The text provides possible ways to allow students to connect to Shakespeare.