Merchant of venice

CONCLUSION

Through specific analyses, the following becomes evident: Shylock is not a stereotypical Jewish character, and both Antonio and Shylock are complex and changeable. The role of Antonio is as important as that of Shylock, who is his counterpart. Antonio is isolated at the end neither without any particular reason nor because of his sexual inclinations: rather, he is expelled from the society to which he wishes to belong as a result of being too willful, similarly to Shylock who is excluded from the Jewish society. This thesis argues that The Merchant of Venice is a highly entertaining play in which we can take delight in the dynamics o f the art of conversation, attitude, and position of the characters. It is revealed that the equilibrium of the two protagonists, Antonio and Shylock, is maintained by the author, suggesting that The Merchant of Venice is a suitable play for a modern production, whose audience typically consists of people with different cultural backgrounds. Lastly, by providing examples of exploration for fresh interpretations, this thesis demonstrates how useful a pragmatic literary stylistic analysis can be as an approach to a Shakespearean drama text. In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare presents us with precisely the complex and varied “universe of thought and feeling” that Hazlitt celebrates. The resolution is not so neat and harmonic as to prevent us from eliciting concern, dissatisfaction, or skepticism towards the conclusion of the play. Antonio’s lonely martyrdom adds a tone of sadness to the jovial marriages of the younger generations. Shakespeare’s complex and at times humanizing portrayal of Shylock demand the reader to consider more closely the justice 83 of his ultimate fate, as he ends up alone at the end of the play. The comedy as a whole carries darker undertones. As John Lyon writes, “Shakespeare is habitually drawn to endings which work on different levels and in different directions. He is too resourceful a dramatist not to succeed in drawing his story material into some kind of resolution, and too intelligent a thinker to resist the further opportunities for interrogative and subversive skepticism”. It seems Shakespeare’s all-encompassing and universal sense and understanding of the world leaves us unable to discern with certainty a single true interpretation of The Merchant of Venice, and his works more generally. It is precisely through his ability to provide us with not just one, but many, even infinite, evaluations of a single work, however, that we can appreciate the true worth of Shakespeare’s mind. In addition, Shakespeare has created strong female characters in this play, both Portia of Belmont and Jessica, Shylock's daughter. I recently read Macbeth where Lady Macbeth is more ruthless and calculating than her husband. In The Merchant of Venice, Portia uses a mind game to find a worthy suitor and later on disguises herself as a lawyer in order to free her husband's dear friend Antonio from Shylock's bond. I remember all these years later being naturally drawn toward Portia's strong character when I read this play in school, which is why I feel that schools select this work so that girls have a protagonist that they are captivated by while reading.While the Merchant of Venice is officially deemed a comedy because three sets of characters marry, the play also contains dramatic elements. I am more drawn toward the intrigue in tragedies, so, naturally, the plot involving Antonio's bond to Shylock in order to assist Bassanio in wooing Portia, held my attention more than the actual romance involving Portia and Bassanio as well as Nerissa and Gratiano. Additionally, the role of Jews' in society which lead Jessica to renounce her Judaism in order to marry Lorenzo, was heart rending to me, as opposed to romantic.