My Reflections on “The Merchant of Venice”

When I first read “The Merchant of Venice” in Chinese at eleven, I didn’t feel a lot because I was too young then. But now sixteen and becoming more mentally mature, I read this masterpiece in English again and found myself much enlightened. I have come to appreciate how skillfully Shakespeare characterizes each person in this play and how intriguingly he employs the English words. This is a story telling about friendship, love, greed, and respect in life, which themes are worth exploring again and again.

The story unveils in Venice, Italy, where Antonio, a merchant, has a long-lasting friendship with Bassanio. One day, Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan because he needs money to marry Portia. Antonio agrees with delight, but he does not have the money on hand, so he borrows money from a greedy Jewish moneylender, Shoylock. Shoylock lends money to people in need and then earns money from the high interest he charges. Shoylock requires Antonio to pay back the money as scheduled; otherwise, he will get a pound of his flesh as punishment.

To marry Portia, Bassanio first should pass a test of choosing the right casket containing Portia's pictures from the three offered, which are respectively made of gold, silver, and lead. Bassanio chooses the correct one and wins Portia's heart. Meanwhile, Antonio's ships sink, so he is not able to pay back the loan from Shylock. Clever Portia learns about this and decides to disguise herself as Antonio's lawyer. She reminds Shylock that he cannot let Antonio bleed to death, because the contract they have previously signed does not allow him to cost Antonio any drop of blood. Eventually, Portia saves Antonio with her wisdom.

From the story, first, I have learned about how valuable the friendship between Antonio and Bassonio is. Although Antonio himself is in great difficulties, he does not care anything about himself but just aches to help Bassonio out. They both show genuine friendship in seeing each other through the difficulties faced. To my mind, if we happen to have a faithful friend like Antonio in this cold world, it will be a real blessing. Apart from Antonio’s loyalty to friends, I admire Bassonio's virtuousness as well. He acts not out of avarice, but out of sincerity. He chooses the lead case, not the gold one, because he knows Portia is kind-hearted and innocent. Even a lead case will not undermine her inner beauty. That’s why her father uses this strategy to distinguish the wise from the foolish. Moreover, Portia exercise her intelligence to save Antonio, which is a great example for us to follow. That is, when we encounter obstacles, we should calm and compose ourselves to seek solutions, instead of panicking and getting nowhere.

A second revelation to me from “The Merchant of Venice” is the hatred between Antonio and Shylock, due to their different religious backgrounds, is incredibly strong. Antonio is a Christian while Shylock is a Jew. It is a Christian world of commerce that dominates in Venice. At that time, Christians thought that it was “evil” to lend money and charge interest. Based on the Bible, Christians were not supposed to loan money to any other person for interest. However, the Jewish religion did not have any rules to ban such a practice. Being minorities then, Jews would sometimes take moneylending as a good way to make a living and support their family. So this is why Antonio and Shylock argue and look upon each other as enemies. From this conflict, I have come to realize we should learn to tolerate and respect different religions. Otherwise, fights or even wars may arise from discord and hostility caused, which events have been repeating themselves many times throughout history.

“The Merchant of Venice”, to be sure, is one of Shakespeare’s best-known and most popular comedies. Yet, unlike most other comedies, it is very inspiring and enlightening. Finished with the play, I still feel the power of words in it pounding on my heart. My insights into friendship, love, and respect from this story will definitely make a big effect on my future life. Thanks a lot, Shakespeare!