Newman's critical essay, Portia's Ring: Unruly Women and Structures of Exchange in The Merchant of Venice, focuses on the structures of exchange as they exist Karen in Shakespeare's play. The play, she argues is told in the rhetoric of the commercial world, even, she notes, in Belmont where life is generally free of direct commercial involvement, but the love alliances forged there are a representation of exchange in the commodity of women.
Before examining exchange in the play, Newman takes time to discuss the idea of exchange as it relates to anthropology. The first essay Newman names is that of Marcel Mauss who notes that one of the most significant exchanges is that of gift-giving. Mauss argues gift-giving's significance as it establishes social bonds between the giver and receiver. In his Elementary Structures of Kinship, Claude Levi-Strauss reworks Mauss's theory by citing marriage as the most significant gift exchange. Marriage, Levi-Strauss proposes, is a gift exchange that takes place, historically, between to men. The woman, being the commodity of exchange, serves to strengthen homeosocial bonds. Newman then recounts the French Feminist, Luce Irigaray's critique of Levi-Strauss, who argued that the exchange structure was crucial to social stability. Irigaray proposes consequences to the structure, first being the objectification of women, and, second, that the structure, and hence society, is dependent on a continuum of homosexual bonds, from platonic to homoerotic. .
Newman explains that The Merchant of Venice offers circumstances of not only Levi-Strauss's exchange system but also the feminist criticism of it. The main subplot, Bassanio's acquisition of Portia, strengthens homosocial bonds between the ghost of Portia's father and as it is precluded by financial agreements between Antonio and Bassanio, it strengthens their bond, which Newman notes is often read as one of a homoerotic nature.
Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, has often been mistaken as a love story. ... The Merchant of Venice cannot be described solely as a love story. Hatred is very evident throughout The Merchant of Venice. ... Deceit is a recurring issue throughout The Merchant of Venice. ... The Merchant of Venice cannot be described as a love story. ...
** The contrast between Belmont and Venice In "The Merchant of Venice" Shakespeare creates an interesting contrast between the mercantile, tumultuous city of Venice and the peaceful, gracious world of Belmont. ... Venice itself was Catholic city and politically independent. ... Belmont in contrast to Shylocks Venice is full of music. ... In Venice, ceremony runs into difficulties. ... Shakespeare is a shrewd dramatic engineer and in words of Joan Holmer he "fashions an artistic unity out of the richly varied and often contradictory elements that constitute The Merchant of Venice". ...
The Merchant of Venice is one of the wonderfully exciting plays showing at Bard on the Beach. ... I feel that Mara Gottler captured and brought to life the atmosphere of The Merchant of Venice. ... It would be a pleasure to see where she goes after The Merchant of Venice. ... The Merchant of Venice is a splendid play to watch for all ages. The Merchant of Venice is a "must see" play. ...
The Merchant of Venice is a play both about love and hate. ... Shakespeare displays the repugnant effects of hatefulness in The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare demonstrates love in The Merchant of Venice amongst the Christians. ... (Jessica- 3,5,18-9) The Merchant of Venice is set in Italy in Venice and Belmont, representing the two worlds of the play. ... (Bassanio- 1,1,161-9) The Merchant of Venice is a play both about love and hate. ...
German merchants were housed in the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, located in the Rialto, the commercial heart of Venice. They provided Venice with necessities such as silver, copper, iron and gold. ... The Greek community was composed of mariners, scholars and merchants. ... Following the commercial and territorial expansion, merchant galleys were built in order to make the longer journeys to new markets and to transport cargo faster and more safely. ... This isolated Venice and greatly reduced trade. ...
(Murry, 189) The Merchant of Venice had the sole purpose of being made into a feel-good story. ... The coherence of The Merchant of Venice is not intellectual or psychological." ... (Murry, 203) "The Merchant of Venice is not, and was never intended to be a, realistic problem-play." ... (Murry, 205) DON"T KNOW WHAT TO PUT There are some critics that agree with what John Middleton Murry said of The Merchant of Venice, but others critics such as Alexander Leggatt view The Merchant of Venice as quite different. ... (Leggatt, 154) The Merchant of Venice never really does get order from al...
In "The Merchant of Venice" Shakespeare uses these elements as well as inspired plot and visual imagery to create a play that is increasing in popularity today. ... "The Merchant of Venice" contains four intertwined plots, which allows Shakespeare to include elements that appeal to all audiences, including revenge, romance and humour. ... It also continues the "something for everyone" aspect of "The Merchant of Venice", which makes it so universal and popular. ... Whilst this language is still present, "The Merchant of Venice" is easier to read and more simply structured than many of Shak...
The Merchant of Venice? ... This is whyThe Merchant of Venice? ... A place of great beauty, luxury and extremely artistic, it is the perfect setting forThe Merchant of Venice?. ... Although it is not the final scene, it is the finale of theThe Merchant of Venice? ... With these thoughts in the audience's heads, it is easy to see why Shylock is doomed from the start of the trial even before it has begun.The Merchant of Venice? ...
Critical Evaluation The Merchant Of Venice Task: Explain fully how Shakespeare intertwines the story of Portia and her fathers wishes with Shylock and the Merchant of Venice. "The Merchant of Venice" written by William Shakespeare concerns two very bizarre circumstances. ... A while afterwards events occur when a Jewish money lender called Shylock to get a forfeit that he should rightfully claim off of a merchant Antonio when the money lent has not been given back. ... Meanwhile in Venice we see Shylock's daughter, Jessica, has fled fro...
