Friendship By William Shakespeare 's The Merchant Of Venice

Friendship and love is separated by a very fine margin. Choosing between the two is like choosing between being in Mr.Vidulin’s English class and his photography class (it is nearly impossible). However, when the choice between friendship and love is mentioned in the play, it seems as though the answer is obvious. When Bassanio was in the courtroom talking to Antonio, Bassanio makes a statement that shows that he is choosing the side of friendship when it comes to friendship vs love. Antonio says, ”But life itself, my wife, and all the world are not with me esteem’d above thy life; I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all here to this devil, to deliver you.” (IV, i, 291 - 294) Antonio states that he will give up himself, his wife and the world to Shylock if it means that Antonio survives. This shows that he cares more about his relationship with Antonio in comparison to his relationship with Portia. The message which is associated with the topic of friendship vs love is that a healthy balance of both friendship and love is needed to fulfill a person. In the example with Bassanio and Antonio, Bassanio indirectly shows Antonio that there would be no point to his life and hence the reason as to why he says he will sacrifice his own self. Another major topic touched on in this play is mercy. Mercy can be explained as the power found to show compassion in a state of power. Many of us lack the ability to show mercy, which is a key component of our society. Mercy is shown

It is clear in Antonio’s response that he finds nothing extraordinary about these terms at all. Without hesitation he accepts the conditions of the contract and even goes on to deem Shylock’s proposal as ‘kind.’ In the Shakespearian sense of the word, “kindness” even means tenderness, affection, love, or humaneness (Grebanier, 98). This should suggest to us that the idea to stake a pound of Antonio’s flesh is by no means a representation of Shylock’s devilishness or cruelty. After all, according to Shylock himself, it is only “in a merry sport” that they shall enter such an agreement.

    Antonio feels closer to Bassanio than any other character in The Merchant of Venice. Our first clue to this is in the first scene when, in conversation with Antonio, Solanio says, "Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman, / Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Fare ye well: / We leave you now with better company" (i. i. 57-59). Once Antonio is alone with Bassanio, the conversation becomes more intimate, and Antonio offers an indebted Bassanio "My purse, my person, my extremest means" (137). We find out later that Bassanio needs money to woo Portia, a noble heiress who Bassanio intends to marry. And though Antonio is not in a position to loan money at the time, he does not disappoint

The play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare effectively engages the modern audience through the means of comedic conventions within themes and characters. Comedy conventions such as racial and cultural slurs don’t engage the audience as successfully as they did during the 16th century. Since then, our perceptions have changed because of the impacts of historic events. However, the use of double entendre and gender roles continue to amuse modern day audiences. The Merchant of Venice is classified as a problem play/comedy because it deals with contentious social issues between the characters on stage, who typically represent conflicting points of view within a realistic social context along with comedic conventions. Written by the illustrious William Shakespeare about a merchant of Venice who must default in a large loan provided by an abused Jewish moneylender. Shakespeare uses some of the fundamental aspects of society in conjunction with subtle comedic conventions in order to appeal to a modern audience.

In The Merchant of Venice, Grudges and Personal Rivalries in the trial scene has clearly been expressed with Shylock and Antonio. The central part and the twist of this novel are primarily caused by the rivalries between Shylock and Antonio. The “merry bond” that Antonio signed to help his dearest friend, Bassanio, was the main reason of the trial scene. According to Antonio, “Content in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, and say there is much kindness in the Jew” (1.3.163-164) The bond which Antonio had willingly accepted was that if he failed to pay back 3 thousand ducats in 3 months, Shylock had the right to cut a pound of flesh from his body. As Antonio was a rich merchant and had plenty of ships coming in, with 9 times the money of the loan, he found no difficulty in accepting the bond. However, times were unfortunate for

The goal for many writers is to depict a specific understanding of human nature, and in many cases a discussion of the concept of friendship and loyalty is explored. Friendship, in literature refers to a relationship of mutual trust and understanding between two or more individuals, whereas loyalty denotes to one’s faithfulness to a commitment or obligation. Although both friendship and loyalty can add meaning to one’s life, it is arguable as to whether the addition of the two qualities is truly advantageous. King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies is a play about a king who descends into madness after being betrayed by his daughters who faked their loyalty. Similarly, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men also explores the concept of friendship

Antonio describes Shylock as a devil in disguise, because the devil Also tried to trick Jesus using the bible. This conveys to the the reader, that Antonio thinks that Shylock is a wicked person, guided by his own self-interest. He even goes to the extent of saying that Shylock is an evil soul, producing holy witness, just to get what he wants. The use of the simile, “A goodly apple, rotten at the heart.” Tells us that Antonio is warning Bassanio that what may seem nice and good on the outside, could be bad and evil on the inside. This is the first instance we see Antonio show a bit of resentment towards Shylock. After seeing what these two men have said about each other, it is no surprise that one of them is Jewish(Shylock) and the other a

Their friendship develops from hate, to getting by, to happiness, and finally for abandonment. The characters in both stories demonstrate the three types of friendships identified by Aristotle and presented by Todd May in this article “Friendship in the Age of Economics.” Most of the time , the characters demonstrate friendships of pleasure or usefulness. Todd May says that, “Consumer pleasures are transient.

Even though love and friendship are regarded as two forms of relationships where no one seeks any pragmatical purpose, in fact they covertly embody different sorts of self-interest. The triangular relationship among Antonio, Bassanio and Portia in The Merchant of Venice and the friendship between Abigail Williams and the girls in The Crucible are both based on selfish motives. Bassanio asks Antonio for money in order to marry Portia. However, his motive for this marriage consists of not solely his love for Portia but mostly his desire to have Portia’s wealth and be able to pay his debts. He reveals this motive in Act 1, Scene 1 when he tells Antonio that he will be able to pay his debts when he marries Portia. Also Bassanio’s asking his friend, Antonio, for money contributes to the claim that friendship can be used for self-seeking economic purposes. Similarly, the indirect relationship between Portia and Antonio serves to an analogous purpose. Since Portia knows that her

In this quote, Bassanio describes Antonio as his best friend. Though the audience witnessed how close their relationship is in Act I, the quote is another example of Bassanio directly complementing and describing Antonio, this time in order to explain why Antonio’s situation affects him significantly. Through Bassanio’s heartfelt speech, Shakespeare further delineates the close friendship between Bassanio and Antonio. Furthermore, the speech also conveys Bassanio’s respect for Antonio. Not only does Bassanio complement Antonio for being kind and honorable, but Bassanio also claims that Antonio is the most honorable in Italy.

In contrast, The Merchant of Venice generates another embodiment of justice through Shylock’s desire in search of a fair treatment from Antonio. Antonio is in need of money for Bassanio; yet, Shylock is willing to “lend” him “thus much money,” but first Shylock tells Antonio how unjust he has been to him, “…you spet on me on Wendesday last; You spurned me such a day; another You called

This is where the link of Antonio’s homosexual feelings towards Bassanio can be seen. In the end, Antonio is unable to pay Shylock back on his loan. Antonio, on the verge of having a pound of flesh taken, directs a speech toward Bassanio regarding his love for him. A closer look at this particular speech, which occurs in Act IV Scene I, can help the reader to better understand Shakespeare’s intricate wording that portrays homosexuality in Antonio.

In the beginning of this play, we are introduced to a melancholic Antonio, who claims he does not know why he is sad, but his friends Solanio and Salerio suggest that he is worried about whether or whether not his ships will make it back, which can make or break his wealth. At this point in the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend reveals that he is not only broke, but in serious debt. Bassanio says he owes Antonio “the

the ancient grudge I bear him”. Here he is saying that he has an old

The Merchant Of Venice is structured partly on the contrast between idealistic and realistic opinions about society and relationships. The play tells us mercy is preferable to revenge. Shylock chose revenge over mercy against Antonio and how his choices affected him. The Court of Venice begging mercy of Shylock. Finally, Portia forgiving Bassanio for giving away his wedding band.