The Merchant of Venice Pt. III

Antonio and Bassanio

The Merchant of Venice Acts 4 & 5

I wonder if Shakespeare was truly ahead of his time or if he never thought his modern audience would have so much compassion for a character such as Shylock's. In his time, Shylock's ending would have been just and applauded. His conversion to Christianity was welcomed by this 16th century, English society and since he was a Jew, the taking of his fortune was considered a good ending for such a villain. The reason I think Shakespeare might've been beyond his time, is that as a human there is still compassion, and Shylock's character shows himself to be beautifully human and not at all the scum that Christian Venice portrays him as. Whether or not Shakespeare planned it this way, as a modern reader, I cannot stand the humiliation Shylock goes through, and even Portia's (or Balthazar's) punishment for him. Thank goodness the Duke and Antonio showed mercy, or else this would be one Shakespeare's most cruelest plays. The fact that Shylock didn't have to lose his life or half of his estate does show mercy, although the forced conversion is probably, to me, even crueler. To have to be forced to believe a whole new set of beliefs can make one's life meaningless, as I'm sure Shylock might have felt.
As for Antonio and Bassanio's relationship, it is a bit homoerotic. Bassanio would give up many things, even his wife in order to die for Antonio, and Antonio had Bassanio give away his wife's ring in order to please the young lawyer, or Portia. Granted that this new plot gave way to a lighter tone after the cruel court scene, and that Portia and Nerissa showed their superior wittiness to their husbands once again, I can't help but be upset for Portia. She and Nerissa forgive him because they both know they did it for something honorable, but, nonetheless I'm not sure I would want my husband around Antonio (lol). I feel as though, Portia cannot trust her husband seeing as he would so easily be swayed by his friend to part from such a special gift. Bassanio continually enjoys pleasing Antonio, and Antonio seems rather rash to do anything for Bassanio's happiness. Perhaps it is a type of friendship lost in time, lost in the friendships of 16th century men. Or perhaps it is a gender difference, and men would understand this type of behavior more than I would.

The Merchant of Venice Pt. II

Shylock and Jessica

 The Merchant of Venice Acts 2 & 3

Jessica's treatment of her father is a reflection of her surroundings. Shylock can be considered the plays villain, but I view him as the victim of a hostile environment. He has been spit on, ridiculed, and dishonored many times by the Christians of Venice. They wanted him to convert, but never did anything constructive to truly reach out to him, and in fact, acted contrary to Christian values. Shylock knows that they do not act as proper Christians, and his biggest flaw is being a reflection of their poor behavior. Jessica wants to be well-liked and accepted, which is why she chooses to marry a Christian man and to escape from her father. She in fact, seems so cruel to me, as she runs away with not only Shylock's money, but the ring that was given to him. Since this ring was important to him, one can assume that Jessica knew of its importance, but still nonetheless, decided to take it from her father. I also noticed that Jessica doesn't really get acknowledged when she's around Portia and the others. Although she doesn't get mistreated either, there is the idea that she is getting ignored because she is, still a Jew. The opinion that she has about Portia pushes the reader to think that this is the world that Jessica wants to be a part of, which makes Jessica seem shallow and without much loyalty to her kin. 

The Merchant of Venice Pt. I

The Merchant of Venice Act 1

I love reading The Merchant of Venice; I was in a play a few years ago called Shakespeare and the City. It was a combination of four of Shakespeare's heroines and the TV show Sex and the City. Every woman was a mixture of one of the women in Sex and the City and one of the heroines in one of Shakespeare's plays. I was the Miranda/Portia combo, and I absolutely loved playing this character. Needless to say I had to really research and know the role of Portia, and, since I had never seen an episode of Sex and the City in my life, I also had to watch quite a few episodes to understand the relationship and bond that the four women had. The other character combos were Samantha/Lady Macbeth, Carrie/Viola, and Charlotte/Desdemona. The plots revolved around Shakespeare's plays, while the relationship with the four women plus the narration by Viola was very Sex and the City-esque.
That is why I really love and enjoy this play; I know all there is to know about the role of Portia and really grew fond of her characteristics. I love how much integrity she has and how much she respects her fathers wishes, even if she complains to Nerissa in Act I about the way her father has chosen her future husband, she still goes along with this plan when she could've chosen otherwise. She shows herself to be highly independent and capable of choosing, yet chooses to respect her deceased father. Others know her to be virtuous and honorable, which is not something as prominent in other of Shakespeare's female characters.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. III

Antony and Cleopatra Acts 4 & 5

Antony's last moments alive left me feeling a lot of sympathy for this celebrated war hero. He put all of his identity and honor into being a great leader, and when his honor was threatened by Caesar as Egypt's ships fleeted from helping him, he decided it was better to die than to continue to live defeated. Likewise, in terms of personal affairs, he was defined by Cleopatra and her betrayal meant he didn't have her; he'd lost his identity. On the other hand, his death was very much a Roman death. He would have rather died and defeated his own self, than die being defeated by someone else. This proves to be an honorable death as Caesar acknowledges Antony's value as a Roman leader and willingly mourns his death. Antony resembles a tragic hero because he was never able to successful in both of his pleasures or identities. He was either a great lover, or a successful war hero, but not both. This is truly a tragedy since he could never be at peace with himself over his two identities.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. II

Antony and Cleopatra Acts 2 & 3

The feminist in me is almost angry at the plot in Antony and Cleopatra. The plot, albeit indirectly, assumes that women are responsible for the actions and flaws of the men in the story. For instance, the Romans see Cleopatra as the harlot that is distracting Antony from his Roman duties. Octavius Caesar believes that if Antony marries his sister Octavia, that this will somehow unite them and mend any sort of animosity. The burden lies on Octavia for bringing such balance. Why, I ask myself, must this pressure lie on Octavia, or the blame for Antony's actions be put on Cleopatra. The funny aspect of it is that the Romans still believe Antony to be a great war hero, which he probably is, but as much as they may reference his recent lack of devotion to Rome, they do not look down on him. Whereas with Cleopatra, the Romans see nothing but an exotic pleasure of Antony's. I believe Antony should be held fully responsible for his actions, as well as Caesar. Peace and loyalty between Antony and Caesar should be the responsibility of  the two instead of using a woman as a mediator. This only means that Octavia is forced to be a great wife, one who will support Antony and one who will look out for the good of the people... which I guess would be her way of being of service to Rome. Caesar tells his sister that she should not come to him plainly or display herself as common maid, rather she should make a spectacle as she parades the city. He links theatrics with power, and although he resents Cleopatra for her theatrics, he knows how powerful the representation of power can be.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. I

Antony and Cleopatra Act 1

I imagine the love story of Antony and Cleopatra to be a version of Romeo and Juliet that takes place among more powerful and older people, but basically the same. At this point in the story, the two are obsessed with each other, so much so that Antony has been ignoring his duties to Rome. During this semester, I have also taken an ancient civilizations class, and we learned that ones duty to Rome, however powerful one may be, was of the up most importance. One could not fully call oneself "Roman" if one did not sacrifice it all for service of the state. Being so that Antony was no common citizen, the frustration of Octavius Caesar are fully understandable; Antony was to be an example for the people and he was neglecting that role. He would hardly even be identified as Roman during this time in history.
Going back to the parallel between Antony and Cleopatra and Romeo and Juliet, they have become infatuated with each other to the point that they have forgotten about feuds and responsibilities. Antony, still being the Roman that he is, still feels somewhat inclined to be of service for Rome, yet Cleopatra acts like a foolish girl in love around him. I'm most curious to find out how the story ends for Cleopatra than any other character so far.

Macbeth Pt. III

Macbeth Acts 4 & 5

Lady Macbeth shows some humanity in the last Act, as her guilt and nervousness leads her into madness. As sad as her drive into madness is, the fact that she is moved by the deeds she has helped influence, helps the reader feel some sympathy for her and brings her back from being completely evil. The visions she beings to have of her hands being bloody, shows her ability to feel remorse which is a very human emotion to feel. She commits suicide, which in Christian tradition, was the ultimate sin one can commit since there is no salvation from such a sin. While in the eyes of Christian tradition this may seem terrible, and it is, I also believe that this further proves her humanity instead of her being pure evil. As a reader, making her human once again is important, it makes for a much less scary tragedy and one where one can explore realistic human tendencies. Macbeth shows the reader the absolute ugliness in human nature, and that to me, is far more intriguing than something that seems out of this world.