Themes in The Merchant of Venice

Friendship

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• Antonio acts as a creditor to Bassanio's loan out of friendship. Later in the play he is even willing to give his life for his friend's debt.
• When Antonio is facing trial, Bassanio wants to swap places with him so that he dies instead of his friend.
• Bassanio's friendship to Antonio pushes him to give his wedding ring to the lawyer when Antonio is set free.

Marriage

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• The marriages bring romance to this romantic comedy.
• Three couples get married during the play;
• Jessica and Lorenzo
• Bassanio and Portia
• Gratiano and Nerissa
• The marriage of Jessica and Lorenzo pushes Shylock to revenge on Antonio.
• The other marriages fuel the plot around the wedding rings in the last scene.​​​​​​​

Wealth

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• Bassanio's need for money at the beginning of the play drives the entire plot of The Merchant of Venice.
• Some characters (such as Antonio and Bassanio) only rely on money to get them by, whereas other people (such as Shylock) are greedy for money.
• The main difference between the Christian characters and Shylock appears to be that the Christian characters value human relationships over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money.

Prejudice

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• The Prince of Morocco is clearly used to prejudice as his first words to Portia ask her not to judge him by his skin colour.
• Shylock and Jessica are judged harshly throughout the play for being Jewish in a Christian city.
• Shakespeare creates Shylock as a caricature of Jewish stereotypes.
• The constant prejudice against Shylock motivates his actions in the play.

Hatred

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• Hatred against Christians, particularly Antonio, drives Shylock throughout The Merchant of Venice.
• Shylock allows his hatred to grow to the point of wanting to kill Antonio by taking a pound of his flesh.
• Shylock's hateful nature drives Jessica to elope with Lorenzo.

Mercy

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• Shylock is the only character in the play that does not want to show mercy.
• Despite this, Portia influences the others to show mercy on Shylock.
• When Shylock faces execution for his crimes, Portia persuades the Duke to pardon him.
• She then persuades Antonio to exercise mercy by not taking all of Shylock's money from him.

Idealism

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• The Merchant of Venice is structured partly on the contrast between idealistic and realistic opinions about society and relationships.
• The play tells us that love is more important than money, mercy is preferable to revenge, and love lasts forever.
• However, more cynical voices tell us that money rules the world, mercy alone cannot govern our lives, and love can evaporate after marriage.

Isolation

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• The most potent isolation in the play is caused by religious estrangement.
• Shylock is isolated because he is Jewish—his religious beliefs and cultural values remain fundamentally at odds with those of his fellow Venetians.
• Isolation is a fact of life for the characters, and it proves to be fairly insurmountable.

Choices

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• The main example of choice in the play is the three caskets that are laid in front of Portia's suitors.
• There are more abstract choices in the play also. Antonio must choose between preserving his personal happiness as Bassanio's closest friend and enabling Bassanio to win a woman who will come between them.
• The greatest choices are often about the way people treat each other.