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 chose, 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 the suitor picking the casket containing the picture will be the suitor who will get to marry Portia. ‘I may neither choose who I would, nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father’ this shows that Portia would rather have a say as to who she gets to choose rather than being told who she has to marry. She overcomes that after two suitors who she wishes not to marry choose the wrong casket letting her know which casket contains her picture, so that when Bassanio becomes a suitor and she falls for him she is able to hint to him which casket to choose: ‘Tell me where is Fancy bred, Or in the heart, or in the head? How begot, how nourishèd?’ She uses her linguistic knowledge to lead him to the lead casket by rhyming the words at the end of each line with ‘lead: bred, head & nourishèd’. Throughout the rest of the play we see Portia fight back not only through giving herself control of who she marries but also through deceiving the Duke into believing that she is a clever, young lawyer named Balthazar by writing a letter that the Duke receives from, supposedly, Bellario telling him that he cannot make the court hearing but he has sent a young man, a disguised Portia, called Balthazar to take his place. She starts the letter with flattery, saying, ‘Your Grace shall understand…’ This makes the Duke feel elevated and respected because Your Grace is a sign of humbleness showing respect and a feeling of status. She then writes that Bellario is ‘very sick’ so that the Duke would have sympathy for Bellario and therefore be more likely to agree to Balthazar being the prosecution councillor.
...rs in the play) to function as the spokesperson for the law suggests that rather than an attack on the female sex, The Merchant of Venice subtly questions patriarchal assumptions about women.
...deceit, due to her beautiful ambiance yet her secret intelligence. William Shakespeare not only reveals a lot regarding the characters in the story, but the readers understand his perspectives regarding gender inequality. It is definitely well known that he does not believe neither gender is better than one another. Additionally, he does not believe that woman lack intelligence or smartness, he believes their brains are equivalent to men's. Furthermore, William Shakespeare incorporates Portia into the story to promote the message that if people want to prove something, it does not have to be to anyone, besides themselves, and that is extremely significant to the story as well as life in general. So overall, The Merchant of Venice promotes the message, using Portia representing deceit, that gender inequality as well as proving oneself is irrelevant and not important.
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout "The Merchant of Venice" Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader.
Baptista is looking for suitors to marry his daughters and views the marriage as a monetary transaction: "After my death the one half of my lands, and in possession twenty thousand crowns." (2.1 122-123). In this quote, Shakespeare is using the characterization of Baptista to demonstrate how women were viewed as nothing more than objects that could be sold. Baptista told this to Petruchio when he asked how much Kate was worth. In addition, Baptista was attempting to appeal to suitors: "Proceed in practise with my younger daughter; she 's apt to learn and thankful for good turns. Signior Petruchio, will you go with us, or shall I send my daughter Kate to you?" (2.1 165-168). Shakespeare uses Baptista to demonstrate how poorly women were viewed. Baptista is practically selling his daughters and attempting to make them more appealing to suitors, so much as offering to bring Kate to Petruchio. Throughout most of the play, Baptista is looking to marry off his daughters. "Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant 's part, and venture madly on a desperate mart." (2.1 345-346). Shakespeare uses Baptista to demonstrate once again the little value women have and how they are viewed as objects. Baptista is acting as a "merchant" when he is selling his
The nature of the contract between Portia and her father is as follows, Portia’s father state’s that all suitors must first select on of three caskets in order to marry her. The caskets are made of gold, silver, and base lead, all containing different messages. Only one of the three caske...
speaks of music which is to be played while Bassanio makes his choice. Ok, this seems innocent enough; but examine the song--the first two lines of the song rhyme with lead! It doesn't take long for the subliminal message to be absorbed in Bassanio's brain, and the lead casket is chosen. This manipulative device is an indication to me that Portia has a need to make things go her way. She is afraid that Bassanio will make the wrong choice, and therefore assists him.
Shakespeare connects the behavior of women from his Elizabethan society to a Patriarchal Venetian society.
For thousands of years, humanity has been ruled mainly by a Patriarchal society. In this society women have often been seen as objects or inferior humans through the eyes of their male counterparts. The Elizabethan era was no exception to these beliefs, and works of literature often supported these misogynistic views. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, however, the author appears to portray the characters of Portia and Calphurnia in a positive light, ignoring the common stereotypes often associated with female characters. Although Portia and Calphurnia have minor parts in the play, their strength is discernible. Both female characters are portrayed as logical voices of reason, whose intellect and intuition are able to foreshadow Caesar's death. Their loyalty and devotion to their husbands, and their ability to manipulate the most powerful men in Rome, demonstrates that Shakespeare intended to portray Portia and Calphurnia as women of great strength and power.
In the 16th century, women and men were defined as having specific and contrasting roles within society. Men were defined as being powerful and dominant while women were defined as being submissive and meek. These ideals can be seen across cultures and throughout time. With these definitions of gender roles in place, the text suggests that gender is a social construct therefore qualities of femininity and masculinity are subjective. This is shown when Portia cross dresses as the lawyer Balthazar (IV) and when the truths of the rings are discovered by the two women (V). The strong female characters in the play exemplify that women are not confined to their social construct as they manipulate the male characters. During the 16th century only
Throughout Shakespeare’s various works, it has been observed that he rarely uses females in his literature, but when he does, he uses them for a distinct purpose, as is evident in Julius Caesar. By defying the societal standards of her gender and showing genuine interest in her husband’s thoughts and feelings, Portia, the wife of Brutus, reveals key aspects of his character while adding depth to the story. For her time, Portia was a woman who both respected herself and took pride in herself, without allowing society to make a mark on her. This is evident when she states, “Think you I am no stronger than my sex/ Being so father'd and so husbanded?" (Port...
and the ducats in her coffin!” This perhaps is why he has such a bad
‘In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair and, fairer than
flesh and blood, hates him so much that she robs him and runs away to
True Love in The Merchant of Venice Among the various themes presented in the Merchant of Venice most important is the nature of true love. The casket plot helps illustrate the theme of the book. Through a variety of suitors the descriptions of the caskets, Shakespeare shows the reader how different people view true love. He also shows what is most important to the suitors and in some cases it is not true love, but material things and outward appearance. The first suitor who tries to win Portia's hand is the Prince of Morocco.
Shakespeare highlights three of Portia’s suitors, the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio. He does this to heighten dramatic tension, as these three men are the most important candidates to win Portia’s hand in marriage. They reveal the contents of the three caskets and their different characters as exposed as being proud, vain and humble. They also emphasise the racial prejudices of Venice a place where many races clash. Their attitudes towards the caskets and their choices indicate what their character is like. This essay will compare and contrast the three suitors and will explore how Shakespeare influences the audience’s attitudes towards the three men.