The Merchant of Venice Group at eNotes

Good question. We don't know the precise answer, of course, but we can...

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:49:22 PST

Good question. We don't know the precise answer, of course, but we can perhaps make some suggestions based on what we are told about the characters in the play itself.We know that Jessica hates living with her father, and that her escape is partly to escape from their life together: she tells LauncelotI am sorry thou wilt leave my father so; Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness...She's bored!...

What would happen to Jessica if she told Shylock of her plans to leave...

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:07:54 PST

What would happen to Jessica if she told Shylock of her plans to leave his house, marry Lorenzo and become Christian?

william shakespeare

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:28:39 PST

Describe Shakespeare's language?

This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are,...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:39:16 PST

This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are, a pound of fleshTake then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh; But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice.Portia seems to suggest that the law is against shedding "Christian blood", though very often in this play "Christian" and...

Does Venice have a law against shedding "human" blood, or...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:04:29 PST

Does Venice have a law against shedding "human" blood, or specifically "Christian" blood?

Is Salanio's account really so awful? Though he does refer to Shylock as...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:41:19 PST

Is Salanio's account really so awful? Though he does refer to Shylock as "Jew", and even "dog Jew" at one point (we'd expect that, bearing in mind he's in Antonio's contingent, and an enemy of Shylock's), all he does is tell the facts. It seems to me that there's no reason why the two actors couldn't play this scene in solemn, hushed tones, as if they understood how much this man has suffered.You're right to pair this...

Is Salanio anti-semitic?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:04:21 PST

Is Salanio anti-semitic?

Simple answer - because Shylock is not the only merciless presser of...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:26:30 PST

Simple answer - because Shylock is not the only merciless presser of oaths and bonds in this play. Everyone is interested in money and bonds in this play, and I think the discourse of these financial promises and obligations is either bankrupt from the start or never bankrupted. It's one of the key puns of the play, here's Portia in the final scene:You should in all sense be much bound to him. For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.There's...

In "The Merchant of Venice", why is Portia playing the...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:13:51 PST

In "The Merchant of Venice", why is Portia playing the merciless presser of oaths & bonds here, almost a kind of faux Shylock?

Shylock's argument has merit, since Venetian society does allow slave...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:21:58 PST

Shylock's argument has merit, since Venetian society does allow slave ownership. He has the law on his side, and he is demanding that he be given the same respect as any Christian slave owner. He is arguing that the immorality of his actions are not the court's business, since they are ultimately no different from the actions of Christian slave owners.

Portia's attitude to money is typical of the super-rich: it solves all...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:58:32 PST

Portia's attitude to money is typical of the super-rich: it solves all problems. When she hears of Bassanio's predicament, her immediate reaction is that the debt can be paid off instantly, in double or treble amounts if necessary. She just does not see it as a problem. She is an intelligent and resourceful person as we see later, but her whole world and upbringing are such that she is insulated from a lot of reality and is somewhat blinkered...

I must say I rather like this question and there may indeed be something...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:48:43 PST

I must say I rather like this question and there may indeed be something in your suggestion. The problem with Antonio is always that we don't know him sufficiently well to come to any sure conclusions about what drives him into his ill-advised bond. The great friendship that exists between him and Bassanio would surely have been tested to the limit by Bassanio's previous borrowing but no, here is Antonio again prepared to hazard a huge amount...

Good question - both are plausible readings! Shylock has taken the...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:32:23 PST

Good question - both are plausible readings! Shylock has taken the centre of most modern interpretations of the play (of the modern filmed version of the play which, with Al Pacino as Shylock, puts Pacino's face right under the title on the cover!) largely due to the extra frisson created post-Holocaust by the anti-semitism directed towards him. He is indeed a merchant, and his "bond" for a pound of Antonio's flesh forms the centre...

It depends what you think of Bassanio! Clearly the casket game is...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:45:36 PST

It depends what you think of Bassanio! Clearly the casket game is designed to avoid the gold-digger: the fact that Portia's picture is in the lead casket is designed to select a husband who doesn't trust in outside appearances, in fact, distrusts them so much that he'd rather open a lead box rather than a golden one. "All that glisters is not gold". Portia's daddy knew she'd be very well-off when he died - and so wanted to avoid a...

I think the simplest answer to your question is to say that the market...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:42:10 PST

I think the simplest answer to your question is to say that the market underlies everything in "The Merchant of Venice" I think one of the most cunning things about the play is the contradiction - and, contrary to what you say, I think there is always the contradiction - between the romantic, fairytale, "comedy" nature of Belmont, and Bassanio's motives for going there. Antonio knows in the first scene that Bassanio will...

Is Antonio or Shylock The Merchant of Venice"?

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:34:44 PST

Is Antonio or Shylock The Merchant of Venice"?

This question should be on the discussion board.You've asked a very...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:14:45 PST

This question should be on the discussion board.You've asked a very difficult question that Christians struggle with. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon [meaning money or wealth]."Where do you draw the line? Let me give an example. I have done editing work for two...

Does Antonio rather like the idea of sacrificing himself for Bassanio's...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:11:10 PST

Does Antonio rather like the idea of sacrificing himself for Bassanio's happiness?

Does Shylock show much reason when he argues that so-called Christians...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:09:27 PST

Does Shylock show much reason when he argues that so-called Christians keep slaves and think nothing of it?

If words intentions, and meanings are undependable what good are bonds...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:16:22 PST

Lancelot (like Feste in Twelfth Night) is an expert at playing with words and their meanings. Can anyone "for tricksy word/Defy the matter". If so, then the whole world could fall into chaos. They play raises this possiblity but must somehow contain it or the play itself is no better than nonsense.