The Merchant of Venice presents a world in conflict in which the characters need to navigate between opposing and conflicting values. They need to attend to their romantic interests as well as their financial and legal obligations, to balance justice and mercy, to juggle their friends and their lovers. Each of the three trials in the play (the trial of the caskets, the trial of the contract of the pound of flesh and the trial of the rings) is an attempt to resolve these dilemmas. Each trial confronts a seemingly irresoluble conflict -- only to miraculously solve the problem. In the world of comedy, we can have our cake and eat it, too.
Choose ONE of the trials. What are the values at stake? How is the conflict resolved? What is this trial telling us the nature of these values? Are they really conflicting? Is there a strategy to resolve the problem? Or is it only in the never, never land of the play that we can ever hope to square the circle?
In my opinion, each of these trials, while it may seem like an impossible conflict to solve at the time, can easily happen outside the world of comedies and romance and in a real life situation. For example, the trial of the caskets is seen in everyday life all the time. In The Merchant of Venice, Portia’s father forces her into a contract of marriage. This contract/will states that the father gets to pick whom his daughter marries. This is achieved by creating three caskets, made out of gold, silver, and lead. The suitor who picks the right casket wins the girl. In the real world, this situation arises quite often. The first example is arranged marriages. While these might not happen in our world, in other countries, arranged marriages are a way of life. Arranged marriages are very similar to what Portia is experiencing. With these situations, it is very hard for the women to fall in love. Portia states,
ReplyDelete“Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray thee set
a deep glass of Rhenish wine on the contrary
casket, for if the devil be within and that tempta-
tion without, I know he will choose it. I will do
anything, Nerissa, ere I will be married to a sponge. (1.2.95-99)
Portia is saying that she will do anything not to marry a man without experiencing love. How often do arranged marriages involve love? Not very often. The marriage is forced upon the women, who are not allowed any opinion.
The second example of how this trial is similar to real life is when a girl brings her new boyfriend home, and the father either interrogates him or refuses to accept that she has a boyfriend at all. Refusing to acknowledge the boyfriend means he is refusing to accept that the daughter is in love. This is similar to Portia’s predicament because the father has ruled out Portia’s ability to fall in love, by creating a trial and contract.
Overall, the Trial of love can easily happen in the real world and not just in fairy tale land. Portia is very lucky that she has found someone like Bassanio, who is smart as well as someone she loves. In our world, that doesn’t happen too often ;)
Another one of the trials is the actual trial, Shylock’s prosecution of Antonio over their bond. In this scene, one of the more lengthy and intense climaxes in the Shakespearean pantheon, the values of legality and compassion come into direct conflict, as Shylock unwaveringly demands a pound of flesh from Antonio in payment of his debt. As Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, attempts to save Antonio, she faces a difficult situation: can these two fundamental principles ever be reconciled?
ReplyDeleteAntonio, the play’s titular merchant, is perhaps the embodiment of compassion in the story. While he is a smart, successful businessman, he always treats his friends and associates with extreme generosity and affection. When Bassanio asks him for a loan, despite the fact that he has yet to pay back his previous debts, Antonio immediately informs him that, “My purse, my person, my extremest means/Lie all unlocked to your occasions” (I.1.145-6). That is quite a giving statement, especially coming from someone known as a shrewd, respected merchant. In fact, Antonio is apparently known across the city for lending without interest to those who need help. Shylock grumbles, “He lends out money gratis and brings down/The rate of usance here with us in Venice” (I.3.44-5). However, Antonio perhaps bites off more than he can chew with his kindness to Bassanio, as he agrees without hesitation for his flesh to be the forfeit if he is unable to repay his loan to Shylock. Thus, when the Duke and Antonio’s friends advocate for mercy on his behalf in the courtroom, they are not simply defending some random Venetian citizen; they are defending one of the most beloved figures in the city, a man himself recognized for his mercy and, in their minds, certainly worthy of it himself.
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Shylock, on the other hand, is the personification of justice in Merchant. The law is final and immutable, and fairness is a principle not to be questioned. As a usurer, when someone takes a loan from him, it is only proper that they pay him interest back. When Antonio makes a deal with him, however barbaric it might be, the agreement must be held. However, at least in Shylock’s mind, this state of affairs has simply been imposed on him by the world around him. He argues:
Delete“If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong
a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian
example? Why, revenge!” (III.1.67-70).
Retribution, as experienced by his nation all the time, is an integral part of society, and that must not be altered. Therefore, when the Duke pushes him to show mercy for Antonio, Shylock shows absolutely no consideration of budging, stating, “The pound of flesh which I demand of him/Is dearly bough; ‘tis mine and I will have it” (IV.1.100-1). He and Antonio conducted a business transaction, and this is simply carrying out the bargain. There is nothing more to say. “I stand for judgment” (104), Shylock declares, and he means this to the core.
How is Portia able to reconcile these two seemingly incompatible ideas? It appears that, despite everyone’s strongest efforts, Shylock’s unstoppable force of justice will destroy Antonio’s rock of compassion. However, through the resolution of the trial, Shakespeare ultimately supports a different message, that compassion can be achieved through justice and rule the day. Portia is able to devise a method of saving Antonio through the contract itself, turning strict justice upon Shylock and forcing him to become the man reliant upon the compassion of others. As she notes to Shylock, “For, as thou urgest justice, be assured/Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir’st” (329-30). Portia uses justice to allow compassion to triumph, freeing Antonio and repaying him for his many kindnesses for others. Shakespeare appears to be arguing that the principles of fairness and justice do aid the compassionate in the end and that it always is beneficial to show mercy and pity to others. For it never can be truly held against you, and, as seen in Merchant, it can come back to benefit you in the most unexpected ways.
The three trials of the play are all miraculously resolved. With this seemingly impossible resolution, the conflicts lose their intensity. The benefit to the play losing its seriousness is that it gains the light, humorous aspect to the play. If the play did not have the miraculous happy ending, it would be too dark to be considered a comedy. I would like to discuss the ‘Trial of the Caskets’. Of the three trials, I found this trial to be the most entertaining. The dilemma was not only about the legality issue of the caskets but of the fate of all the choosers. Ultimately, the two who are meant to be together, are together. It is not only miraculous that Bassanio chooses the correct casket, but that the other two suitors choose the wrong one. While reading, I was not “on the edge of my seat” in hopes that Bassanio would choose the correct casket. I did not anticipate the scene for two reasons. The first being that this is the first time Bassanio’s love for Portia appears legitimate. In Act I, Bassanio seems more distracted by the thought of getting out of debt than by the beauty of Portia. He devises the plan to marry Portia as a way “to get clear of all the debts [he] owes (1.1.141).” Later, in the choosing of the caskets Bassanio is suddenly enthralled by Portia’s beauty and wants nothing but to be in love with her. This miraculous change of priorities contributes to the fantastical sequence of the the casket choosing. I think although the events seem unrealistic, it is significant for the play’s comedic characteristics.
ReplyDeleteOne of the trials is the Trial of Caskets, where Portia’s dead father’s will is for her to marry the man who chooses the correct casket. Each of three caskets contains a scroll and only one contains Portia’s imaging, meaning whoever picks that casket is to marry her. There is one gold, one silver and one lead casket to choose from. This trial is testing the suitor’s values on appearance vs. what is on the inside. Many suitors make the mistake of thinking that the gold or the silver is the correct choice because Portia herself is so beautiful, valuable and worth as much as the material of the casket. No man believes that the lead casket is the right one because it is visually unappealing and not fit for Portia. But, like Portia’s father had anticipated, the right man worthy of marriage will overlook appearance and realize that looks can be deceiving and what is on the inside is what matters. Bassanio chooses the lead casket because he knows that all that glitters is not gold, meaning it’s the inner beauty that truly matters, and he is correct and by Portia’s father’s will, gets to marry Portia. This conflict is resolved entirely because Portia actually loves Bassanio and he is the one to choose wisely and “win” the Trial of Caskets.
ReplyDeleteThis trial is telling us to look past outer beauty because not all that appears beautiful is in fact what it looks like; beauty is deceiving. I think that in the case of this trial, it is always possible to square the circle. Any decent person would look past materials/appearances and try to see the inner beauty.
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice contains a series of trials where two conflicting interests are pitted against each other. In the first, Portia is luckily able to both marry a husband that satisfies her father’s demands and one whom she loves. In the second, mercy is pitted against the law; Portia, in disguise, resolves the issue by forcing the law to be merciful and saving Antonio’s life and also Shylock’s soul. Lastly comes the trial of the rings. Portia and Nerissa give to Bassanio and Gratiano respectively each a ring; the men swear that they will never part from it and it shall be a sign of their love. After the Trial of the Pound of Flesh, the lawyer and his clerk, Portia and Nerissa in disguise, demand the rings as compensation for their work. The men are now torn between their honor and their love for their new wives. They eventually decide to give up the rings; on their return home, Portia and Nerissa ‘notice’ that the rings are gone and are furious over their husband’s easy loss of their precious rings. Miraculously, because it was they who stole the rings in the first place as a test, Portia and Nerissa forgive their husbands and presumably live happily ever after. However, this is an extremely improbable situation, had the rings been taken by anyone else they would have been lost forever and it is dubious whether they would have forgiven them. In this case, honor and love are indeed conflicting. In fact, whether they keep the rings or give them away they are dishonored in some way. If they keep them, then they are dishonored in the eyes of the lawyer for not thanking him for saving their friend’s life. On the other hand, if they do give them away, they are breaking an oath to their wives and it might become known that their word means little, with the added consequence of hurting their love interests. In this way, one can say that they actually chose the greater of two evils. It is only in the ‘never-never-land’ of the play that this situation would be resolved. In another circumstance, free of mistaken identity, they would end up wifeless, ringless, honorless, and penniless.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the all of the trials are set up to seem impossible to solve, but during the climax of out anticipation they are miraculously solved, and it all works out for the best; the classic “happily ever after” feeling. The trial of the caskets reflects this theme. The casket trial is a conflict of appearance versus reality in that the outside worth of the casket is indirectly linked to the worth of what is inside the casket. Portia’s father set up a trick of reverse psychology for solving the casket mystery. The winning suitor, Bassano, chooses the lead casket because he values what is on the inside, meaning interior beauty, rather than the outside, similar to the concept of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” This trial tells us that there is a conflict of inner and outer beauty and how people are quick to choose outer beauty before they know what is on the inside. This trial tells us that inner and outer beauty are commonly confused. The conflict is resolved by all the previous suitors choosing the incorrect caskets, due to the fact that they chose for the outer beauty of the casket, and Bassanio choosing the correct casket because he is smart and chooses the inner worth. The strategy to choosing correctly is to not choose a casket because of what it is made of, like the gold and silver caskets. In my opinion, the strategy of choosing the lead casket to show that what is on the inside is more important is a life lesson, but it also conveniently works out that in the play it is Bassanio that chooses correctly; the man that Portia actually wants to marry chooses correctly. I think that the situation falls more with the square the circle concept because this is an uncommon setup in life today; however, I think that the lesson we learn that what is on the inside is more important that the outward appearance is common today and can apply to man situations.
The Trial of the Pound of Flesh seems irresolvable at first. Shylock is legally allowed to have this trial and his bond, and Antonio says that he confesses the bond. By the law, Shylock can have his pound of flesh, and neither Antonio nor his friends are able to do anything about it. As hard as they try to save their friend by telling the Duke to “Wrest once the law to your authority. / To do a great right, do a little wrong, / And curb this cruel devil of his will” (4.1: 223-225), nothing seems to work. The law is on Shylock’s side and no one can think of a way to change the inevitably tragic outcome of this trial. Even though Bassanio, Gratiano, the Duke, and Portia (as Balthazar) try to reason with the Jew and ask him to show mercy, he replies, “On what compulsion must I? Tell me that” (4.1: 188) and “My deeds upon my head! I crave the law, / The penalty and forfeit of my bond” (4.1: 213-214). Finally, after asking Shylock multiple times to “Be merciful; / Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond” (4.1: 242-243), and after he refuses every time and demands the flesh, Portia (Balthazar) tells Antonio: “You must prepare your bosom for his knife” (4.1: 255). Antonio says goodbye to his friends and his life, and prepares for Shylock’s knife. However, just as Shylock is about to cut Antonio’s flesh, and when Antonio’s death seems inevitable, a miracle happens. Portia (Balthazar) stops Shylock and tells him that even though he is entitled to a pound of flesh, if he sheds even a drop of Christian blood, or takes even a little less or a little more than a pound, all of his lands and goods will be confiscated and he will lose his life. All of a sudden, the law is completely against Shylock and in favor of Antonio. ‘Balthazar’ tells Shylock: “Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir’st” (4.1: 330). Shylock is obviously at a loss; he does not anticipate such a turn of events. Now it is very probable that Shylock will indeed be executed, but even this is resolved. The duke says to him, “That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit, / I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it” (4.1: 384-385). Also, Antonio asks to set aside Shylock’s fine for one-half of his goods, provided that after his death, he will give that money and all that he possesses to his daughter and son-in-law, and that he converts to Christianity. When asked whether he agrees to these terms, Shylock replies, “I am content” (4.1: 410). So, in the end, this difficult trial is resolved. The law has not been broken, Antonio’s life has been saved, and Shylock has been set on the right path, that he may lead a better life than he did before.
ReplyDeleteIn the trial of the rings, Portia and Nerissa convince Gratiano and Bassanio to give them their rings, not knowing it was them. After the men give the rings away, they come back to their wives and are scorned. Instead of this being a helpful way to test their husbands, I find it to be a critical lack of trust within their relationships even though the women were disguised to help their husbands. The values at stake in this trial are trust, love, loyalty, and manipulation. The conflict is resolved by the women telling the truth, but it could have gone much worse. If the women had viewed this as more of a test, the men would have failed. This could have caused strain in their relationships. On the other side, the men could have had a violent reaction to the manipulation done by the women. Instead of this, and basically throughout the play, people take manipulation and deception as given instead of a lack of trust.
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