Portia's (Balthazar) Anger
"I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all here to this devil, to deliver you. Portia: Your wife would give you little thanks for that if she were by to hear you make the offer." (Shakespeare 161). 6. This is dramatic irony because we as the readers know that Balthazar is really Portia. She states that Bassanio's wife wouldn't appreciate what he was saying if she could hear it, and in fact she is his wife. This dramatic irony adds to Shakespeare's them of self interest vs. genuine love. This is so because it highlights that Bassanio doesn't really love Portia. He is truly in love with Antonio, and Portia can see this. This shows that Bassanio is married to Portia because he wants her money. Shakespeare uses this to express his distinction between Genuine love and self interest. He is showing the readers, or viewers, that in some instances people choose to be with people because of the wrong reasons, and not love. He does this by showing that Bassanio would do anything for Antonio, besides what they both want; which is be with him. He instead chooses to be with Portia for her money.
Bassanio's Intentions
"I have a warranty to unburden all my plots and purposes how to get clear of all the debts i owe." (Shakespeare 15). 7. This detail seems important because this is the very first time that Bassanio references Portia in the play. This is the girl he plans to marry, and the very first thing you see him say about her is that she is a plan for him to get out of his debt. He states nothing about how beautiful or how good of a person she is; the first thing he says is she is his way into money. This is not a coincidence, Shakespeare did this to support his theme of genuine love vs. self interest. He shows that Bassanio isn't planning to marry Portia for love. He is only doing it for his financial gain. Shakespeare does this to show his viewers that people decide to be with others for superficial reasons all the time. He is criticizing this tendency of individuals through his character interactions. He also shows this with Portia and Bassanio's first interactions as a couple. The very first thing that happens between the two after he chooses the right casket, is she gives him over a million dollars, in our times money, to pay Antonio's debt with. Shakespeare has this be their first interaction for the same reason he has Bassanio first mention her as an investment.
Shylock's love for Jessica
"Hear you me, Jessica, lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum and the vile squeling of the wry-necked fife...to gave on christian fools with varnished faces..." (Shakespeare 67). 1. The imagery in this speech reveals all the things that Shylock doesn't want his daughter to be exposed to. He doesn't want her to see the christians acting the way they do during carnival. He wants to shelter her from all these bad influences. Shakespeare has him do this to show the viewer just how much Shylock loves and cares about Jessica. Shakespeare wants the viewer to see this to express how bad her betrayal affects Shylock. He uses it to prove his point about women making poor choices, and being unfaithful to their fathers. He displays Shylock's love for Jessica,and her disregard for him. She easily takes his money and leaves with Lorenzo. This is especially hurtful to Shylock because he hates that his daughter ran away with a christian. Shakespeare was making the point that women should respect their fathers more, and make better decisions.
Jessica and Lorenzo's relationship
"The moon shines bright. In such a night as this, when the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees and they did make noise... Cressid lay that night." (Shakespeare 181). 2. The setting gives the effect of a beautiful night that this couple should be enjoying but aren't. All they do with this beautiful night is use it to compare their relationship to horrible relationships in mythology. They can't appreciate the moon or wind because all they can do is argue. Shakespeare does this to show that their relationship is actually very bad. They don't love each other, and all they can do together is fight. Shakespeare uses this to further one of his main themes which is self interest vs. genuine love. these two individuals did not get married because they love each other. They did it for personal gains. Lorenzo did it for money, and Jessica did it to become a christian. Shakespeare displays them arguing and unhappy to show the viewer that marrying someone for self interests is wrong, he feels that you should be with someone that you genuinely love.
Bassanio's Permanent Flaw
" I never more will break an oath with thee. Antonio: I once did lend my body for his wealth... will never more break faith advisedly." (Shakespeare 199). 3. The author seems to feel that Bassanio won't be able to keep his promises with anyone, and he will keep letting his friends down. This quote is foreshadowing of events that don't happen by the end of the play. The reader can assume, based off of this scene, that Bassanio will break this promise to Portia. With him breaking that promise will come Antonio now loosing his soul because he has absolute faith in Bassanio. Shakespeare has Antonio give absolute trust to Bassanio, and has him let him down multiple times, to make his point of christian hypocrisy. A good christian individual should be able to make a promise to his friend, and follow through with it, yet Bassanio lets him down on multiple occasions. this scene is just foreshadowing of another instance where Bassanio breaks his promise, and harms his friend. Shakespeare does this to show the readers that you should keep your promises. You should always be truthful especially when it involves your friends well being. This is just one instance of this theme that he shows throughout the whole play.
Gluttony of Christians
" But hear thee, Gratiano, thou art too wild, too rude and bold of voice... and in such eyes as ours appear not faults." (Shakespeare 57). 4. The tone of this part is critical of Gratiano's character. Shakespeare uses Gratiano to represent the character of most of the christian religion. He feels that the christians in his time are gluttonous and hypocritical. He displays this theme through Gratiano throughout the entire play. This scene where Bassanio tells Gratiano that he is too vulgar, is exactly how Shakespeare feels about most christians in that time. He wants his viewers to see how it is wrong for the christians to say one thing, and then do another. He uses this description of Gratiano's character as a commentary of christians as a whole. He had to do this subtly due to the time period he was in. There is no way that he could have just stated these facts. He had to conceal them in a character in a play.
Shylock's Fury
" How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian... if i can catch him once upon the hip, i will feed fat the ancient grudge i bear him." (Shakespeare 29). 5. Shylock feels immense anger and hatred for Antonio. This anger is, in part, due to the fact that Antonio has treated him poorly in the past. However, the more prominent reason he feels hatred for Antonio is the fact that he is a christian. There are multiple occasions that Shylock expresses his disgust with christians throughout the play; this is just the first one. Shakespeare displays Shylock with this hatred to express the mistreatment of jews from christians. He doesn't display Shylock as a hateful person with other jews, like his daughter or Tubal. He just shows him as a hateful individual when he is around the christian characters in the play. This leads the reader to believe that Shylock may have actually been a decent kind person at one point in time. But due to the way that christians treated him, he has grown a hatred for them. Shakespeare does this to show the viewer that it isn't right to mistreat a group of people because they have a different religion.
Jessica's Choices
" Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, one night fourscore ducats!" (Shakespeare 101). 8. This is an interesting sentence because it shows the bad decisions that Jessica makes. This is right after she has ran away with, and married, Lorenzo. In order to do this, she has already stolen from, and abandoned, her father. She threw away everything she had in her life, and shamed her father to be with Lorenzo already. This account form Tubal shows that she is continuing to make poor decisions. Instead of saving the money they stole from Shylock to start their live together, her and Lorenzo choose to spend almost all of it in one night. She also sells her father's most valuable possession in order to pay for a prostitute. Shakespeare displays Jessica like this to express his theme that women can't make good decisions, and are bad daughters. He feels that all women are poor at making decisions, and they should respect their fathers. This was a common believe in his time, so this idea shown in his play was accepted by his audiences. Today this idea is less accepted because today women are more independent and are respected way more.
Shylock's Revenge
" If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge!" (Shakespeare 99). 9. Something i notice about this speech is this is the point where Shylock actually decides to cut Antonio. This is a major shift in Shylock's character compared to earlier scenes. Earlier in the play he secretly expressed his hatred for Jews, and he shied away when they talked down to him. But after this throughout the rest of the play he becomes bold and confident in his dislike of the Christian characters, and his revenge plot. He becomes adamant about getting his bond, Antonio's flesh, because it will prove that Jews are the same as christians. He takes it beyond a simple consequence of the bond he had, and turns it into a quest to gain all Jews respect. Shakespeare does this to prove his theme of the importance of mercy. If the christians would have showed Shylock mercy earlier in life he wouldn't be determined to get his revenge on Antonio, and all christians. He makes it his revenge of all the poor treatment that he,and his people, have received from the christians. He chooses to stop at nothing because they never stopped their mistreatment of Jews.
Christians Ignorance
" A Daniel still, say I! A second Daniel!- I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word." (Shakespeare 165). 10. This reminds me of a Politician stealing an idea from his opponent in a campaign race for an office. this relates to this scene because Shylock used the phrase "A Daniel" because the judge, Portia, was ruling in his favor. Yet when she started to go against him, Gratiano used it to mock Shylock. This scene also highlights Shakespeare's theme of Christian hypocrisy. "A Daniel" is a reference to the christian bible. Shylock is the first one to make this reference in this scene, and then Gratiano says thank you for teaching me that word. A good christian should know a character from the bible. He shouldn't be learning it from a Jewish man, who, according to the christians, are terrible people. this situational irony effectively show christian hypocrisy, by showing that a Jew knows more about the bible than them. Shakespeare is stating that Christians shouldn't be so focused on criticizing others, and should focus more on their own flaws.