Themes of The Merchant of Venice
The themes of The Marchant of Venice begin with the trial of friendship so rich a merchant like Antonio when approached by his friend Bassanio admits to having little money to support his visit to Belmont.
But Like a true friend Antonio decides to raise money for his friend by the means of a loan. When the other merchants are unable to provide the required sum Bassanio is forced to approach Shylock who countries a very tricky bond with the insertion of taking away the life of Antonio. The Marchant of Venice in Hindi
Again Antonio is not even slightly upset by the crude terms of the bond. He goes ahead in spite of Bassanio’s anxieties, signs the bond, and lends three thousand ducats to his friend.
Friendship is thus given prominence in the play that certainly seeks to highlight this unusual characteristic of the rich Merchant of Venice. A city that was once the commercial capital of the world, Venice does create a picture of fierce competition and absolute risk in the field of commerce.
The Merchant of Venice summary
Antonio has sent all his ships to different parts of the world, Shylock and other jews thrive in this city by charging high rates of interest on loans, and the laws of Venice have been so framed as to provide full protection to the life and business interests of its citizens.
Shakespeare thus draws a complete picture of a business metropolis. But in Antonio, he creates a character who can renounce his life and wealth for the sake of friendship. Surprisingly the play uses no rhetorical passage to exalt such a selfless ideal of friendship.
Antonio’s message to Bassaino expresses his great self-control-he does not want to have Bassanio merely for the sake of sympathy: he wants to see him for love alone. In this relationship of friendship, Bassanio shows equal magnanimity and quickness of response.
The great happiness of having so rich and beautiful wife does not deter Bassanio from reaching Venice and offering ten times the money he had borrowed from Shylock.
The few moments that he spends in the court are very agonizing to Bassanio who holds himself responsible for Antonio’s ruin.
But Antonio is entirely unperturbed with dignity and a spirit of renunciation be requests the Dake not to make any further appeal to Shylock. Shakespeare thus wished to underline the importance of friendship in a world ruled by caterers of money.
That the feelings of the heart have a share in providing the ultimate happiness of men and women is shown in other parts of the play as well.
Portia is worried about her fate-She is not sure whether she will be married to the right man in such a situation. But Nerissa tries to assure her by saying that there is a sanctity in the wishes of a dying person that current but be conducive to happiness.
And it turns out to be so. Bassanio, the only young man whose character and the person had a favorite in the press on Portia, is successful in choosing the right casket. The Merchant of Venice presents quite a different picture of love for a long time.
Friendship and love in Merchant of Venice
Bassanio and Portia have known each other but without any opportunity of declaring their love, After the will of Portia’s father is announced, Bassanio cannot even express his desire openly as it would be entirely meaningless.
Such is also the perception of Portia who, aware of the futility of any such expression, allows a song to be played while Bassanio’s in the course of selecting the casket.
And it is also apparent that Bassanio’s strong feelings have had an unconscious share in his selection of the right casket.
Merchant of Venice
It is the purity of feelings that helped him enter into an objective frame of mind and choose prudently love is, even by the Crypton messages on the caskets and on the scrolls inside then, supposed to be united to practical concerns and wisdom.
Although lost in the thoughts of each other, both Bassanio and Portia discharge their worldly deities very conscientiously. The idea of justice however forms the main thrust of themes of the Merchant of Venice.
Explained so eloquently and lucidly it at once connects the religious and the legal conceptions of justice. Justice, as Portia rightly submits, must be tempered by mercy, spontaneous, and well-directed.
As human beings, we are all and we daily seek forgiveness from God for our omissions and commissio1s: likewise, we must be merciful to those who have done anything wrong.
Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
Only this sense of mercy makes justice valid of course, Portia uses biblical language to explain it. But it has certainly such elements as to make it universal, In all religions, there is an emphasis on compassion in the exercise of which we less the suffering of others and enable ourselves.
The trial scene of the play constitutes its nucleus it residue the crisis and upholds the value of notability in but strong legal terms that its appeal is both emotional and intellectual.
