The Merchant of Venice Self-Interest versus Love Essay

While there are many fundamental themes in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, only one seems to drive the play to its inevitable conclusion. There is a constant theme of self-interest versus love. On the surface, this seems to be the dividing factors between the Christians and the Jew. Shylock is portrayed to only care about money and profits, while the Christians are shown as people who value human relationships more. Examples of this theme are shown through Shylock’s behaviour, the many weddings of the Christian characters, and the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio. The Christian characters view Shylock as someone who only cares about money and business. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock is a cold-hearted man, who†¦show more content†¦This shows that some human relationships do indeed matter to Shylock more that money. However, Shylock wants revenge for the loss of his daughter through the fulfillment of the bond. In court, he is defeated because of his selfishness. Moreover, his insistence that he have a pound of flesh rather than any amount of money shows that this resentment is much stronger than this greed. The Christian characters also present an inconsistent picture. There are many loving relationships in this play such as the one between Bassanio and Portia, Jessica and Lorenzo, and Gratiano and Nerissa. When one looks deeply into these relationships, they would see parallels to the ones of today. For instance, the three marriages will probably not last. One of the main reasons for this is because they all got married too fast, leaving no time to realize that they are probably not meant for each other. This is evident in two – and possibly three – of the relationships. Gratiano and Nerissa get married after knowing each other for only several hours and Bassanio and Portia get married before they get to know each other. Jessica and Lorenzo’s marriage might split for other reasons, such as their different religion. These all show true love in The Merchant of Venice. When we first meet Bassanio, he is with his good friend Antonio asking for money. Antonio has previously lent money to Bassanio and he hasShow MoreRelated Self Interest versus Love in The Merchant of Venice Essay610 Words   |  3 PagesSelf Interest versus Love in The Merchant of Venice While there are many fundamental themes in The Merchant of Venice, only one seems to drive the play to its inevitable conclusion. There is a constant theme of self interest versus love. On the surface, this seems to be the dividing factor between the Christians and the Jew, as Shylock is supposed to only care about money, profits, and such, while the rest of the cast value human relationships more. 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