Audens Dystopia - The Merchant
Auden, W.H. "Brothers and Others." "The Dyer's Hand" and Other Essays. New York: Random House, 1948. In a casual but seminal essay on the play, Auden calls The Merchant of Venice one of Shakespeare's "Unpleasant Plays." The presence of Antonio and Shylock disrupts the unambiguous fairy-tale world of romantic comedy, reminding us that the utopian qualities of Belmont are illusory: "in the real world, no hatred is totally without justification, no love totally innocent."
The Merchant of Venice is Far from Perfect
In a perfect world, hatred would be without justice; love would be totally innocent. However, utopias like that are nonexistent; thus, one can easily look around, like Auden, and ...
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forget the real world, one would be trampled down by its massive stampede of events, bonds, et cetera constantly being made, ubiquitously in its domain. Shylock and Antonio are just one pair of culprits adding to the ultimate imperfection of Venice. However, the bond made between Shylock and Antonio sets them completely apart from the normal villainy dealings, "If you repay me not on such a day... let the forfeit / Be nominated for an equal pound / Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken..." [Act 1, Scene 3]. A shrewd merchant, Antonio does not immediately agree to this. He first reasons it out: "Within these two months--that's a month before / This bond expires--I do expect return / Of thrice three times the value of this bond." [Act 1, Scene 3] If all goes well, our merchant of Venice would have no difficulties in paying Shylock back. However, not all goes well; a while after this bond, rumors on the Rialto suggest that Antonio has lost his fortunes at sea. With not ...
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[Act 1, Scene 3]" He will not allow her to mingle with Christians. "Nor thrust your head into the public street / To gaze on Christian fools with varnished faces... [Act 2, Scene 5]" Thus, he has destroyed her innocent love. In order to love, she would have to defy him.
In Belmont, true innocent love can be found. Even when her beloved Bassanio goes nigh to choosing a wrong casket, Portia does not stop him. "I pray you, tarry... I could teach you / How to choose right, but then I am forsworn. [Act 3, Scene 2]" She has faith in her father's will, even if it does mean that she loses her Bassanio. Bassanio, the impulsive lover, innocently reasons the three clues etched upon the walls of ...
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"Audens Dystopia - The Merchant." Essayworld.com. May 13, 2004. Accessed November 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Audens-Dystopia-The-Merchant/7731.
"Audens Dystopia - The Merchant." Essayworld.com. May 13, 2004. Accessed November 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Audens-Dystopia-The-Merchant/7731.
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