More handpicked essays just for you.
Communication in a romantic relationship
Communication in a romantic relationship
Communication in a romantic relationship
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Marriages everywhere have their troubles, yet everyone is able to relate to other couples problems. By looking at A Delicate Balance and The Merchant of Venice we will see their perspective on how marriages have changed over time of the martial relationship. After getting an overview of these books we will then apply it to present day and see if anything really has changed. The marriages I’ll be analyzing is Bessanio and Portia from The Merchant of Venice and Tobia ad Agnes from A Delicate Balance. By examining Bessanio’s behavior towards Portia and Tobia’s toward Agnes, we can see how the role of the husband has changed from emotional support and conversations to the development of the wives having bigger roles. One thing that is very …show more content…
If it wasn’t obvious before Tobias and Agnes weren’t the greatest. When there are with others they show interest in what each other has to say. But once it comes to be alone together Agnes mostly did all the talking. Truthfully most of the time Tobias didn’t really listen to any of her rants. Thus paying more attention to the content of his alcoholic beverage then his own wife speaking to him. You would hope that maybe the newlyweds Bessanio and Portia do a better job at communicating to one another than them. In my opinion, I don’t think they do any better than Agnes and Tobias. Therefore, here is a quote to develop better understand of their relationship.
Portia: “You were to blame-I must be plain with you. To part so slightly with your wife’s first gift, a thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, and so riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him swear never to part with it; and here he stands. I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth that the world masters. Now in faith, Gratiano, you give your wife too unkind a cause of grief. And, ‘twere to me, I should be mad at it.” (Shakespeare, 1600, p.
…show more content…
As discussed before neither of the fiction couples had it. As for the real relationships, it’s a different story. There is somewhat a little emotional support between my parents. They have been marriage for thirty years. Faced plenty of bumps in the road. Their relationship is more than just leaving together though but it’s not a couple on either. They are more like friends that support each other. The loving connection no longer there only when it comes to a kiss goodnight before bed. Even if they actually listen to each other and are compassionate about the struggles each other are going through. They never saw to agree with their opinion on how to fix it. From my perspective, they have the ‘50s style marriage. Were you must agree with what the husband’s views are, the wife is the housekeeper, the husband to quote brings home the bacon and does the yard work. Thus making the emotional support rather one-sided my mom supports and is there for my father but he isn’t there for her. Emotional support is a two-way street, not one way. But when I look at my brother’s relationship with his fiancé Sarah they do share emotional support for each other. Somehow a couple that is only been together for about fours years has more support for each other than a couple that has been together for thirty years makes no sense. Part of me wonders if it due to the fact they are still getting to now reaching
In describing the most important qualities of an ideal marriage, one would likely place an abundance of love, mutual support, trust, and honesty somewhere near the top of the list. Even in the best of unions, successfully cultivating these qualities requires mindfulness, yet malicious meddling by outside parties can erode these foundations. In “Othello,” William Shakespeare conjures up the destruction of a blissful marriage at the whims of the diabolical Iago. Similarly, in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” a picture-perfect couple is torn apart by the ill-intentioned revelations of a desperate man, Nils Krogstad. Though both detail lives and love unravelling at the hands of disgruntled employees, the similarities end there. The relationships between the husbands and wives are vastly different, as are the motivations and actions of the two saboteurs.
as two different points in time. This shows the readers that this unhappy marriage issue is not a very unusual problem. It happens to many people in many diffe...
Risk is the exposure to danger. Taking risks are necessary because risk reveals experience to an individual. Hazard has both malevolent and benevolent outcomes, which can affect the overall atmosphere in a play. The content of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice includes many scenarios of risk-taking among the relationships between characters. The Merchant of Venice consists of four different plots: the bond plot, casket plot, love plot, and ring plot; in which characters are exposed to danger. Risk serves a major responsibility as it divulges many elements of dramatic significance throughout the play. Shakespeare manifests hazard through rival arguments, lovers’ commitments, and father and child agreements.
The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men. We see how she is manipulated by men through her father, who though dead, still manages to control who she marries from his will. He states in his will that from three different caskets the suitors will have to choose, in each of which will contain either a letter to the suitor or a picture of Portia. In one of the three caskets, either the lead, silver or gold casket, there will be a picture of Portia.
soon have several ships in port, agrees to part with a pound of flesh if the
An example of Shakespeare’s view of women is that they were perceived as over-fastidious and pompous individuals in Elizabethan society. This is conveyed by Portia’s remarks “Let all of his complexion choose me so” (2.7) when the Prince of Morocco choses the golden casket. In this statement there is no remorse for her racist accusation, not even by the idea that she has criticised a Prince, who is as equally powerful as she is. From this, it can be argued that she is cruel, even though this is fuelled by her anxiousness to find the perfect husband, as well as using this as a metaphorical warning for other potential suitors. Shakespeare uses Portia’s arrogant and arduous personality to represent Elizabethan society’s attitudes to foreign ethnicities. This is an idea which links to the religious conflict between Christianity and Judaism, therefore showing that in Elizabethan times, the Christian population were thought to have had the responsibil...
Isabella's only power could be in saying 'no', her 'no' to Angelo that she would not leave the world despoiled and soulless, 'no' to Claudio that she would sacrifice herself, 'no' to the nunnery that she had wished to enter or 'no' to the Duke's offer of marriage. Isabella's role ability to be self-determining was quite different from Portia's advocacy in The Merchant of Venice, for Isabella was the tool of the Duke, fulfilling his scripting. Her nun's garb should have ensured a neuter role, and she intended her pity and love for her brother to involve her in this world only so far as to counsel him in honour. Despite her self concept, two men of the world with power over her saw her as a beautiful sexual object to be acquired. Against this, Isabella's strength was in theological purity, going straight to the sense of the Gospels. We cannot cast the first stone. We must have mercy for others, because "he which is the top of judgement" had mercy on us. Because the censors usually eliminated the word 'God', references were oblique, but there could be no real substitution of 'Jove' or 'the gods' here where the sense was so very New Testament. Isabella was preaching to a society which had gone far in condemnation and execution in the name of religion; she was a beacon of clear light.
Bassanio was so grateful towards Balthazar that he was able to place Balthazar of above importance to Portia his wife. Portia then compares Bassanio giving up her beloved ring to if she were to give her body to the doctor as a parallel. Prior to the men being made aware of Portia and Nerissa’s disguises, they explain their reasoning’s as a necessity. Once Bassanio and Gratiano know the truth, they apologize with fear as they now know the power these two women posses. Gratiano ends the play by stating “I’ll fear no other thing so sore as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring” (V, I, 324-325). Gender roles are now reversed as the play concludes which shows that gender itself is a social construct and is not
at the end of the 16th century was overtaken by England which was at a
Newman, Karen. “Portia’s Ring: Unruly Women and Structures of Exchange in The Merchant of Venice.” The Merchant of Venice: Authoritative Text, Sources and Contexts, Criticism, Rewritings and Appropriations. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 252-70. Print.
...nificance with those of the Jewish faith who might befriend him, and it gives him a cynical, negative perspective of the culture around him. However, at the end of the play Antonio does seem to find some small measure of happiness when he comes to understand how much Portia has done on his behalf. This shows him that his perceptions of her understanding may have been limited because he more than likely did not expect his strongest ally to be the wife of the man he loves, "Sweet lady, you have given me life and living;/For here I read for certain that my ships/Are safely come to road" (Shakespeare 228). Thus, Antonio could be recommended for therapy because his depression has the potential to be ameliorated with a deeper understanding and acceptance of his thinking regarding life.
The Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare takes place in Italy in the late 1500s. The play focuses on 4 main characters: Antonio, Bassanio, Shylock and Portia. Antonio is a Venetian merchant who is in love with his best friend. Bassanio is the best friend of Antonio and the husband of Portia. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender and is hated by the people of Venice due to his religion. Lastly, there is Portia, wealth woman from Belmont. She is forced, by her father’s will, to marry the suitor who chooses the correct casket. Bassanio ends up being the lucky suitor and gets to marry Portia. Soon after the marriage they receive news of Antonio's appending sentence to death. Portia being a loving wife gives Bassanio the money to pay the bound. She decided to disguise herself as a doctor names Balthasar and replaces Bellario, so he can defend Antonio. Balthasar’s (Portia) duty is to look over the cause for the Duke and see if the still stands. She wants to save Antonio from death because he is the best friend of her beloved husband. In court, Portia demonstrates her intelligence and bravery in ways the Italian society consider worthy.
Throughout the Merchant of Venice, while Portia is being courted. the reader can see that she does not like any of the suitors, except Bassanio. She finds a flaw in all the suitors and readers, as well, can see. the flaws in each as they present themselves to her. Her true love however, is for Bassanio
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice contains many themes and elements that are considered timeless or universal. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defines a timeless or universal element as a “representation of men in all ages and all times.” A universal element is relevant to the life of every human being – it is universal. The first major theme that plays an important role in the play is the Christians’ prejudice against the Jews. A second important theme is the attitude toward money. Perhaps the most important theme of the play is the love between people. This love can occur between the same sex, or the opposite sex, platonic or romantic. In Merchant of Venice, the three timeless elements are prejudice, money, and love.
Bassanio knows that he’d be leaving his newly wedded wife at home, alone, to be with a friend. Antonio also wants to know whether Bassanio will come to his death and resolve between the two. This fuels the fire of Portia’s want to be Bassanio’s only love. At the end of Act III, Portia configures a plan: rather than pulling Bassanio away from Antonio, she decides that she will help Antonio. Portia therefore decides that she will give Bassanio the money, in double, to bring back to Venice to conserve Antonio’s life. As a result of this, Bassanio will be indebted to her. Portia later