The Merchant of Venice : Themes
The Merchant of Venice is a notable literary work by William Shakespeare. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Merchant of Venice.
Themes
Friendship: “Friendship” is a major theme of this play. All the characters in this play are bound by friendship. Antonio and Bassanio are very good friends. Bassanio asks Antonio to borrow money for his needs. Antonio borrows a large sum of money from the merchant Shylock and gives it to Bassanio. Here, Antonio was the guarantor of this money. The condition was that Shylock would cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body if he failed to repay the money within three months. Antonio fails to return the money as his merchant ship sinks at sea. Then Bassanio rescued him from this danger with the help of Portia in many tricks.
Prejudice: Prejudice is a major theme in this play. As we see, in choosing a groom, Portia follows her father’s method thoroughly. This theme is also expressed through Shylock’s vindictive attitude towards Christianity.
Lack of Control: In this drama, we find the theme of “Lack of Control” through the main characters. Portia, the heroine of this play, is worried about marriage. Because no one can solve the riddle of the casket given to her by his father. Shylock, on the other hand, is too busy to take revenge on Antonio.
Some other themes of this play are:
- Mercy
- Riddles
- Justice