Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice - themes

There are many themes that run throughout the play, The Merchant of Venice. Explore the main themes of love, justice and money looking at how they affect characters and influence the story.

There are several main themes that run through this play, often linking and overlapping with each other. The idea of cultural and religious intolerance is dealt with, as well as the status of women. The important themes in The Merchant of Venice are:

• money
• justice
• love

Money and financial wealth are key to this play. The title itself refers to the merchant Antonio who trades in the Rialto. Each of the characters is connected in one way or another with money – either through a lack of it (Bassanio), a love of it (Shylock) or an excess of it (Portia). The question of worth and value is also raised. Shylock is upset about the loss of a turquoise ring that was given to him by his beloved Leah. It is the sentiment rather than the monetary loss that he is sad about. Later, when Balthazar/Portia asks Bassanio for his ring as a gift he replies that he would rather find the most expensive ring in Venice than give away his love token.

In this play Shakespeare makes us think about the importance of fairness, justice and mercy. Antonio does not like the way Shylock makes his money because he thinks that charging excessive interest on loans is unjust. When Shylock agrees to lend 3000 ducats to Antonio he asks for a pound of flesh as his insurance. We might think that this is unjust as it places a financial value on human life. When Antonio’s ships sink, he is unable to repay his loan, and so by the strict laws of Venice he must stick to his contract. However when Bassanio offers to pay double the original loan, Shylock still insists on his pound of flesh. As an audience we are invited to think about whether it is always right and fair to stick to a contract or, in certain cases, mercy and flexibility are best.

You may find similar themes in the following plays by Shakespeare:

The theme of justice and the law also appears in Romeo and Juliet. It is the Prince’s law that means Romeo is banished from the city after killing Tybalt – an act of mercy because the penalty is really death.

This play deals with different types of love, often by comparing it to its opposite – hate. We see the love between friends with Portia and Nerissa and in particular with Antonio and Bassanio. Parental love is presented through Portia’s father and Launcelot and Old Gobbo. Then, of course there is the romantic love that we see in the relationships between Bassanio and Portia, Nerissa and Gratiano, and Jessica and Lorenzo. All of these can be contrasted with the hatred between Shylock and Antonio.

Did you know? In the time when the play is set, women were treated as property. They belonged to their fathers or brothers and later their husbands. Marriages were often arranged on their behalf.

You may find similar themes in the following plays by Shakespeare:

• Romeo and Juliet – this tragedy is all about the love between two teenagers from warring families.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream – in this comedy, a group of young Athenians find their true loves with a little help from some fairies.
• Much Ado About Nothing – there are lots of mix-ups and miscommunication in this comedy, but love rules in the end and everything turns out fine.