Tammy’s Reviews > The Merchant of Venice > Status Update

He is a bit like the prodigal son, going to the father for money, only he does it more than once. Antonio has a huge fortune and he is willing to give freely what he has. His issue is cash flow: it’s all tied up elsewhere. He says how his purse is unlocked to Bassanio (hat tip to the casket story). Bassiano uses the word hazard foreshadowing the lead casket. He hopes that by marrying a rich lady he can pay his debt.

The S and S friends foreshadow the wrecks. The water imagery goes really well with Venice and with chaos because of the disordered lives of many characters. Lorenzo is also under the influence of Mercury. He is eloquent in his poetry but he is a thief and helps Jessice to steal gold ducats from her father Shylock. Bassanio has a debt he cannot pay (like all of us) and he wants to extend himself further to win Portia.

Could he be the silver casket? At first Antonio talks about chaos and his mind tossing. He denies that it is money (Mercury) and love (Venus)--the play’s title! Perhaps it is the emptiness of his soul. In the original bond story by Florentino, “Antonio” runs out of money trying to help “Bassanio.” Shakespeare pulls the shipwreck from the original casket story and puts it into the bond story.

Antonio starts out melancholy (lead, Saturn) on the inside even though on the outside he is gold (a wealthy merchant). I wonder if this means he is disordered and if he is the golden casket. It certainly foreshadows the threat of death in his life. There’s always combining and recombining in Shakespeare: 3 becomes 6 becomes 4 becomes 2. Gratianos may be a lovable rogue. He comes across as a fool but also quicksilver.

The name is interesting. Marlowe named his play The Jew of Malta. Shakespeare names his The Merchant of Venice. Merchant (Mercury and commerce with an opportunity for alchemy: quicksilver and MERCY) and Venice (named for Venus love--mercy is an expression of love). Marlowe makes it obvious the play is about the Jew. Shakespeare leaves us wondering. Is Antonio the Merchant or Shylock?

He asks to be lead to the casket and he pulls out his scimitar. He mourns that he’s fierce in battle and can beat any opponent, but, in this matter, the outcome is due to luck (fortune) and not skill. In this case, an unworthy opponent may win and he may die of grief. She tells him he will go to dinner first and try his fortune afterwards.

AII SI There is more imagery of the sun. The Moroccan prince asks Portia to forgive his hue. He claims that maidens of his clime thinks he’s just fine. Portia tells him that she has no choice in the matter because his father set up this lottery. Then she says something hilarious: he’s just as good as anyone she’s seen so far. That’s not saying much. LOL The story is also full of risk, chance, and lottery.

Bassiano falls for Shylock’s smooth words while Antonio points out even the Devil can quote Scripture. Then Antonio and Shylock get testy with each other and the ugly comes out. Antonio is surprised that he will not charge interest if the bond is a pound of Antonio’s flesh. He thinks he is getting off cheap. What is interesting to me is that flesh is meat and therefore sacrifice. It cannot be eaten so it is useless.

He acts kind and generous when deep down inside Shylock is seething (which is shown in his asides, which are always the true feelings of a character). There is some comedy in this scene and the tension between Jews and Christians is addressed here, too. Shylock retells the story about the piebald sheep and goats and I wonder if this is to foreshadow the choices of his daughter later in the play.

AI SIII In the third scene, Bassiano borrow 3 thousand ducats for 3 months. Delicious! Earlier, Janus (two faces) is mentioned and it seems to foreshadow Shylock. He hates Christians and Antonio, in particular, for how he has treated Shylock in the past (spitting on him and calling him names). The generosity of Antonio also undercuts Shylock’s ability to make money. Shylock sees how overextended Antono is.