Merchant Of Venice Analysis - 1046 Words

Gift giving is a long thread that proves to weave the characters of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice together. French anthropologist, Marcel Mauss, proposes that gift giving, although seen as a generous offer, is actually guised as formal and social deception (pg 1). The formal and social deception that Mauss speaks about is what we colloquially express as â€Å"you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.† In the Merchant of Venice, there is a consistent back and forth of gifts given under the pretense of the future upholding of favors. The assumption of the upholding of a favor tends to be unspoken, but yet, not any less expected. There is an inherent collecting of gifts; gifts that rack up and need to be repaid in some way, shape or form.†¦show more content†¦The extreme kindness portrayed by Antonio here elicits an equally extreme response from Bassanio to prove his worth and gratification towards Antonio: â€Å"I owe you much, and like a willful youth That which I owe is lost; but if you please To shoot another arrow that self way Which you did shoot the first, I do not doubt, As I will watch the aim, or to find both Or bring your latter hazard back again And thankfully rest your debtor for the first â€Å" (Act 1.1 Ln: 146-152) Bassanio has previously been in debt to Antonio, yet here is expressing gratitude and imploring Antonio to take another chance on him. The kindness that Antonio portrays is a gift to Bassanio. A gift that Bassanio does not thing he is worthy of hence, why he makes an unnecessary case to Antonio for lending him money. The way that this gift plays out is rather interesting. After Bassanio secures a loan and the hand of Portia, he is now able to pay back Antonio using Portia’s money easily. Yet, the actual monetary value of the loan is no longer the issue now. Upon hearing that Antonio’s ships have been destroyed andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Merchant of Venice Essay513 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeares play The Merchant of Venice is based on a simple enough plot, but it gives a more complex view of the characters involved. It portrays each characters attitude, opinions and actions and shows how they affect the other characters. ====================================================================== Shylock is perhaps the most noteworthy character. He is centred on most of the plays events. Throughout theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Merchant Of Venice 1918 Words   |  8 PagesPerformance Analysis of T he Merchant of Venice Jordan Thomas Mullineaux-Davis William Shakespeare has regularly throughout time been referred to and could be viewed as anti-Semitic because of the cultural implications within many of his plays. A particularly strong example of this could be The Merchant of Venice. This essay will explore arguments of post-colonialism within The Merchant of Venice, discussing the pertinent issues of anti-semitism, racial isolation and prejudice. It will also commentRead MoreAnalysis Of Merchant Of Venice And Frankenstein 1179 Words   |  5 Pages Preconceptions In both Merchant of Venice, by Shakespeare, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, identities, prejudices, and judgements are constantly put to the test. 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