... must have been a difficult task for Katrina Dunn, the director. I enjoyed her modern twist of such an aged classic. The story of The Merchant of Venice revolves around Bassanio, a middle-class man, who overcomes many obstacles to woo Portia, a lady of nobility who is forced to marry under the request of her deceased father's will. Bassanio believing that the only way he could stand a chance ... against Portia's many suitors is if he could reflect an image that matches one of nobility. He goes to ask Antonio, his best friend and a merchant of Venice, to sponsor a little excursion to woo P...

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• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... ?..." meaning all people are the same and that we 'Jews' should not be treated differently. In the play, the first conflict is between Antonio and AShylock because of the issue of racism. Therefore, racism is a main theme in The Merchant Of Venice. Another theme in SHakespeare's play is love. Love is portrayed in this play through Portia and Bassanio. Without the theme ... in the play. THus, love is a main theme in the Merchant of Venice. In WIlliam Shakespeare's play, the theme of friendship is present. THe universal theme of friendship is presented through Bassanio and Antonio. Antonio,...

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• Grade Level: High School

... play is in my eyes. Portia doing what she can for her one true love, Bassanio. Money is of no importance to her especially when it comes to the happiness or unhappiness of Bassanio. There are many places in the Merchant of Venice that show Portia and Bassanio's indifference, and what seems to be apathy toward wealth. Many are hidden and many are as clear ... his extravagant living which has left him in debt to others. At first money seems to be of some importance to Bassanio, but towards the middle of the play his thoughts seem to change. Although Portia's father does not have a so-call...

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• Grade Level: High School

Critical Evaluation The Merchant Of Venice Task: Explain fully how Shakespeare intertwines the story of Portia and her fathers wishes with Shylock and the Merchant of Venice. "The Merchant of Venice" written by William Shakespeare concerns two very bizarre circumstances. A young heiress in Belmont, Portia has her future husband chosen by her dead father, this is because in her fathers" will ... he had written that her husband has to be chosen by an adapted version of Russian Roulette. A while afterwards events occur when ... without shedding any blood and cutting no more than one pound of fl...

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• Grade Level: High School

"The Merchant of Venice" "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare is a play about love, friendship and money. I intend to mainly focus on the latter, and examine whether or not "money is the root of all evil." "The Merchant of Venice" has a lot to do with friendship and love, for example the love between Antonio, a merchant and Bassanio, a Lord who is in great debt. At the beginning of the play we learn of Bassanio ... 's plan to pay of all his debts by marrying a rich Heiress named Portia, Bassanio asks Antonio ... will tend to do to a person! So it ends up that Shylock losses the cas...

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• Grade Level: High School

The Merchant of Venice In the world of Shakespeare's play, the Merchant of Venice, contracts in their many forms are very important. There are binding legal agreements such as Shylocks contract with Antonio and the legalitorys surrounding Portia's fathers will. Less rigorous are the ... the hatred and mistrust he has concerning Antonio, this hatred stems from the fact that Antonio: "Lends out money gratis and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice" (I, 3,41-42) But more importantly because of his religious beliefs: "How like a fawning publication he looks. I hate him for he is...

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• Grade Level: High School

... , and, second, that the structure, and hence society, is dependent on a continuum of homosexual bonds, from platonic to homoerotic. Newman explains that The Merchant of Venice offers circumstances of not only Levi-Strauss's exchange system but also the feminist criticism of it. The main subplot, Bassanio's acquisition of Portia, strengthens homosocial bonds between the ghost of Portia's father and as it is precluded by financial agreements between Antonio ... - (p. 23). This literature as well as the commercial language represented in The Merchant of Venice represent a newly capitalist En...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... other works, it features many themes. The play is an intricate tapestry of rich themes, which underpin the main plots and characters in of the story. 'The Merchant of Venice' is woven together by these essential themes, and they are all illustrated and developed in different ways. The ... major themes in this play centre around love, money, loans, prejudice, Father daughter relationships and friendship, and are all intertwined throughout the play. To capture the full extent of ... Portia. So Bassanio can reach his destination, his friend Antonio receives a loan from the Jewish moneylend...

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... on Merchant of Venice Through his prose and sonnets, Shakespeare expresses and makes his readers think about the three main themes that he had incorporated into this short passage of his work The Merchant of Venice. By subtle means, Shakespeare depicted the strongest emotional and social themes in this short exerpt. Shakespeare opens this passage by touching the levels of the society. It is sort of an ... irony that Gratiano calls Antonio a "royal merchant" (Act3 Scene2 Line238) because just in the next person's ... dialogue the readers learn that all of Antonio's ships hadnt made it .....

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1) Friendship And Loyalty The whole play is interwoven with the theme of friendship and loyalty. It is witnessed first in the friendship between Antonio, a rich merchant and his intimate friend, Bassanio. Both of them a loving bond of friendship. Basssanio, a spendthrift, has taken a loan from his friend, Antonio. It is Antonio's ... love for Bassanio that makes him disregard Bassanio's frivolous habits and sign the fatal bond, even at the risk of his life. ... Bassanio reciprocates his love for Antonio with the same ardour. Just after winning Portia, when he comes to know of the danger to A...

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• Grade Level: High School

... being. Another theme that presents itself in the play is religion. This play is seen as very controversial because of the anti-Semitic feelings voiced throughout. In Venice, at Shakespeare's time, Jews were being persecuted and were commonly seen as villains. Ironically, the villain of Merchant of Venice is the Jewish usurer, Shylock. All throughout the play, Shylock is taunted and ridiculed for being a Jew. ... though he is wealthy, he still isn't worthy of being treated like a human being because he is Jewish. Another example of how these two themes are connected is through Jessica an...

• Word Count: 1397
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Is Antonio, the title character in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Gay? Does he love Bassannio in a homosexual way? Is Antonio's willingness to risk his life for Bassannio a clue to his true feelings toward him? ... all be bored to tears instead of entertained. Antonio's love for Bassannio is indeed relevant to the outcome of the play, and if he had said, um nah, sorry Bass, but I can't help you out, Shakespeare's story would end there and no one would be studying The Merchant of Venice today. The fact of the matter is that since this ... play is old, and the times have changed we all must ...

• Word Count: 1530
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School