Being human is a profound paradox- Merchant of Venice Essay PDF

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Merchant of Venice Essay Primarily about Shylock, Essay about the inconsistencies of the characters within the play, Analysis of quotes included...

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Being human is a profound paradox. Explore how this is reflected in The Merchant of Venice. You must discuss two characters. In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice the paradoxical nature of the human condition is thoroughly explored. This notion is demonstrated in all characters in the play as they are portrayed as multi-dimensional with various driving forces for their actions. The perceived “hero” of the play, Antonio, is a prime example of contradiction within the human psyche as he often acts with malice towards Shylock but acts jovially towards others, most notably Bassanio, who he was willing to take a blood bond for even whilst knowing the severity of the bond. Another character that also amplifies the ambiguity of an individuals’ nature is Portia. Portia is similar to the perceived antagonist in the play, Shylock, in that she has fixed external forces that heavily dictate her circumstances and yet even with this shared connection she is quick to sentence him to a grotesquely unfair and unjustified fate. In Act 1 of the play the audience is introduced to Antonio and subsequently his behaviour towards both his compatriots and Shylock. In regards to his friends Antonio acts civilly and perhaps with gullibility, trusting Bassanio again even though he has let him down in the past. Towards Shylock however, Antonio acts crudely and crassly. In a meeting between Antonio and his friend Bassanio, Antonio offers to take a bond for Bassanio so he can meet Portia. “My Purse, my person, my extremest means/Lie all unlocked to your occasion”. Through the employment of anaphora and monetary jargon of “purse”, Antonio demonstrates his unwavering loyalty and generosity towards Bassanio. Thus, Antonio is initially portrayed as kind and loyal. In doing so Antonio is established as a paradoxical character, as, despite his generosity and compassion towards Bassanio, he espouses racist ideologies witnessed in his treatment of Shylock; his racism towards Shylock is antithetical to his persona and status as a Christian. Later in Act 1 when speaking with Shylock, Antonio warns Bassanio of Shylock’s perceived deceit. “The devil can cite scripture for his purpose. / An evil soul producing holy witness”. Antonio’s extended metaphor likens Shylock to an entity of evil, essentially the devil. Essentially, Antonio warns that although one may use biblical precedent to justify their actions, this does not mean such actions are ethical. There is however, irony in this statement, as although Antonio claims to be a moral Christian, he treats Shylock poorly solely due to his religious identity. Thus, it can be seen that Antonio is an embodiment of a paradox as simultaneously acts with both malice and kindness towards different characters within the play.

Portia is another character that is fundamentally paradoxical. This can be seen by her behaviour in Act 4 of the play. In this act Portia is mainly motivated by her love for Bassanio and acts in a manner that makes him most happy rather than what is necessarily fair. In act 4, Portia disguised as Balthazar tries to appeal to Shylock’s sense of mercy in plea to change Antonio’s fate. “The quality of mercy is not strained/ It droppeth as gentle as the rain from heaven.” Through her use of religious allusion, Portia emphasises her view that mercy is a divine quality which has a positive effect on both parties. In this way, she attempts to persuade Shylock to exhibit mercy towards Antonio. Her actions however, are largely paradoxical and hypocritical, as she urges Shylock to display mercy while she continues to dehumanise and mistreat him. Even with her strongly anti-Semitic views Portia still believes she is a good person as she alludes to her Christian beliefs. “In the course of justice, none of us should see salvation”. Portia’s allusion to the Christian belief of salvation highlights her perception that justice and Christian values of the time period were intrinsically linked. Her behaviour is once again hypocritical and ironic, as while Portia claims to hold moral superiority over Shylock, she exhibits very little mercy towards Shylock herself. Thus, Portia is inherently a paradoxical character as she believes she is acting with good intent but fails to see the negative ramifications her ‘ideal’ Christian actions have on other characters.

Both Antonio and Portia have a shared interest in converting Shylock to Christianity as punishment for his actions once the bond was nullified. Portia’s and Antonio’s actions at the end of the play are a direct reflection on how Christian’s were meant to act during that time period, both would be praised for being able to convert a Jewish person to Christianity, as this belief aligned with that of the Elizabethan society as well. Further, in an act to dehumanise Shylock, Portia directs Shylock to “Down therefore, and beg for the mercy of the duke”. Shylock’s act of kneeling symbolises his submission to the Venetian authority and inferiority to the Christians. This directly contrasts his previous demeanour, thus highlighting Shylock’s severe loss and isolation in the court, and in the wider society. Forcing Shylock to give up his dignity furthers the notion that Portia believes her actions are for the greater good, while her conduct is simultaneously derogatory and demeaning, once again demonstrating her enigmatic nature. Antonio worsens Shylock faith further by demanding that he “presently become a Christian” to which Shylock replies “I am content”. Shylock’s truncated sentence emphasises the inevitability of his conversion as a means of escaping worse punishment. By forcing Shylock to convert to Christianity, Antonio is effectively stripping Shylock of his identity and belonging. This ruthless behaviour contrasted with Antonio's previous behaviour of making quips and ‘smart’ remarks at Shylock seemingly harmless in comparison, further highlights the paradox of his character. To conclude, Portia and Antonio are both prime examples of the profound paradox that is being human. Portia in the sense that she believed her actions were good while they simultaneously had negative ramifications on other characters, and Antonio in the sense that he was aware of his contradictory behaviour but still chose to act in that manner....