The Merchant of Venice

Hello friend!

I have brought you a new blog post today. Happy reading!!!

[WARNING: This contains MAJOR spoilers]

The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. It’s highly critically acclaimed, and the term “extracting a pound of flesh” originates from this extremely ingenious and beautifully written play. Though it has been classified as a comedy by most critics, it’s most remembered for Shylock’s [the main antagonist; a cranky, vicious, malicious Jewish moneylender] dramatic speech, beginning with “Hath not a Jew eyes?” It’s quite a heart-rending speech, and it made me feel sorry for him, but his speech can’t excuse his actions. Not by a long shot. Antonio, the titular “merchant of Venice”, is largely a passive character [even though the play is named after him. I don’t like him much. On the one hand, he’s kind and generous, while on the other, he’s a die-hard racist with a particularly low opinion of Jews; he just can’t stop insulting Shylock.]  The lead female, Portia, is my favourite—she’s extremely beautiful, sharp-witted, resourceful and generous [and has a wicked sense of humour, too. The way she sends Shylock packing is simply amazing. However, I don’t like it when Shakespeare’s women disguise themselves as men to get their way. It’s like he’s saying, “Look, reader, women can only get their work done if they’re disguised as a man. They may be extremely sharp and resourceful, but it’s of no use if they’re not disguised.” Portia, Rosalind from As You Like It, Viola from Twelfth Night—why?] Anyway, I’d better get on with the story. I’d be here all day if I began describing the state of characters in my old friend Shakespeare’s plays!

Bassanio, a young Venetian nobleman, is smitten with the beautiful and wealthy Portia, the heiress of Belmont. He’s a prodigal and boastful man [he doesn’t have enough money to buy fine clothes and travel to Belmont to woo her], so he asks his gullible and generous friend, Antonio, to loan him 3,000 ducats.  Antonio agrees at once [though Bassanio has borrowed from him before and squandered it all], but since he does not have much cash on him—his ships and merchandise are busy at sea to Tripolis, the Indies, Mexico and England—he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender. Well, what do you suppose happens next? That desperate fool Bassanio turns to old Shylock, naming Antonio as the loan’s guarantor. Shylock harbours a murderous hatred for Antonio, who has already antagonised him with his open, unapologetic and completely unreasonable antisemitism. Alright, even I can’t stand Shylock—he’s extremely cruel and money-minded—but I don’t dislike him because he’s a Jew! There’s another reason for the enmity between these two—Antonio’s habit of lending money forces Shylock to charge lower rates. Shylock is reluctant to grant the loan at first, citing the abuse he has suffered at Antonio’s hand; however, he sees in this an opportunity for revenge, and agrees to lend the sum to Bassanio without interest upon one condition [ yeah. There are no free lunches, especially not with Shylock.]: if Antonio is unable to repay it three months from now, a pound of his flesh will be forfeit. [Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “What kind of horrifying request is this?! That blood-sucking moneylender!!”. I think so, too. But don’t worry, Portia saves Antonio’s life while his friends just stand around gawking at her. Humph.] Bassanio is naturally unwilling to stake Antonio’s life, but Antonio breezily assures him that he will be able to repay the sum “twenty times over.” He signs the bond. Bassanio reluctantly takes the money and departs for Belmont, accompanied by his close friend, Gratiano [he’s super, super annoying]. He means well, but lacks self-control; Bassanio warns him to behave himself in Belmont.

Enter the lovely Portia! The scene revolves around a conversation between her and her close companion, Nerissa. Portia is awash with suitors, but she deeply dislikes all of them, and secretly hopes that Bassanio—whom she took a liking to some time ago—will come to woo her. Her late father, who naturally wanted only the best man for his precious jewel, has created a will that states that every suitor must choose correctly from one of three caskets—gold, silver and lead. Two of her suitors, the narcissistic Prince of Morocco and the conceited, feather-brained Prince of Arragon, leave empty-handed as they ignored the lead casket and chose the gold and silver ones respectively [fools. They had the nerve to think they deserved her! She’s too good for any man in the play, actually!] The last suitor to visit is Bassanio, much to Portia’s delight. He instinctively chooses the lead casket [the correct one! Hurray for Portia!] and weds her amidst tumultuous joy and celebrations. Gratiano and Nerissa take a liking to each other [well, that was fast!  Let’s hope it lasts] and marry each other with Bassanio and Portia’s blessings. However, this joy can’t last long; it’s the calm before a furious storm.  Bassanio receives a letter from Antonio, stating that all his ships are lost at sea and, as the due date draws near, he will have to give up a pound of his flesh to Shylock; Bassanio, Portia and Gratiano are shocked upon receiving this news, and Bassanio and Gratiano depart for Venice immediately. Meanwhile, in Venice, Shylock views this turn of events with unholy glee; he gets hungrier with each passing moment, and simply can’t wait to get his clawed hands on Antonio. Portia’s little gray cells start ticking furiously; she determines to save Bassanio’s selfless friend herself, and sends her servant, Balthazar, to her cousin, Bellario, [a lawyer. He’s in Padua, which is about three hours’ journey from Belmont] for advice and a lawyer’s robe. Figured out her plan already? Isn’t she super impressive? She makes a very convincing lawyer!

She takes Nerissa with her to Venice. The climax takes place in the court of the Duke of Venice. Shylock [who reminds me of a ravenous vulture] refuses Bassanio’s offer of six thousand ducats [twice the amount of the loan], insisting that he will have his pound of flesh, and nothing else. The Duke wishes to imprison Shylock, but is unable to nullify a contract; Portia appears as a saviour, dressed as a lawyer, and the Duke refers the case to her, asking for the “young man’s” help.  The lawyer identifies himself as Balthazar, a very learned “doctor of the law.” As Balthazar, Portia repeatedly asks Shylock to show some mercy: “Mercy is twice blest: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes”. However, this eloquent plea falls on deaf ears. Shylock will only have his pound of flesh.  She hits upon another plan. She glances at Antonio, who is standing in the dock with quiet resignation and making no attempt to defend himself. She turns back to Shylock and declares that the law will grant him his pound of flesh, but he can only extract a pound of flesh; if he draws so much as one drop of blood, his land and money will be seized by the state, and he will be executed.  Of course, cutting off a pound of flesh is not possible without drawing blood—and anyway, Shylock doesn’t care how much Antonio bleeds! I was simply enthralled. I gotta say—Portia is one of the greatest women in literature. She beats all the men in this play hollow. She doesn’t have any competition! Shylock is stumped. Defeated, he concedes Bassanio’s offer of six thousand ducats, but Portia warns him that he will not get off scot -free; he has tried to take another citizen’s life, so half his property will go to the state, half to Antonio. She leaves his life in the Duke’s hands. The Duke pardons Shylock [he’s magnanimous, huh] and is seriously awed by Portia’s intelligence. Bassanio, who is extremely grateful to this mysterious young lawyer, offers to give “him” a present [the idiot doesn’t even recognise his own wife! Fool!]. At first, she politely declines, but then an idea strikes her—she asks for the ring he is wearing. Bassanio is reluctant to part with it, stating that it is a gift from his wife, but she insists [Antonio badgers him, too. He gives in to the dual pressure.] Nerissa, who is disguised as the lawyer’s clerk, likewise succeeds in retrieving her ring from Gratiano [who does not recognise her. This play is full of insufferable fools.] Portia and Nerissa reach Belmont before their husbands and Antonio; they pretend to believe that the men gave their rings away to random women, before revealing themselves at the lawyer and the clerk, respectively. [I simply loved this scene. It was hilarious!] As all the outer characters make amends with each other, Portia takes Antonio aside and reveals that his ships have landed safely. Happily ever after! That’s all for now. See you next time!

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