The Merchant of Venice is a classic play that was written by William Shakespeare, a famous playwright, about a merchant in Venice named Antonio who has invested in many ships, but his friend Bassanio needs money to court the beautiful Portia, asking for a loan. But Antonio doesn’t have the money, and so directs Bassanio to a man named Shylock, who holds a grudge against Antonio but still agrees to the loan, yet instead of charging interest, asks for a pound of flesh seemingly as a joke if the loan is not repaid on time. Later, Shylock’s daughter elopes with Antonio’s friend Lorenzo, taking valuables. Two suitors vying for Portia’s hand have to try the lottery of caskets to find out who will marry her, and both fail, the Prince of Morocco choosing the golden casket and the Prince of Aragon choosing the silver casket. Bassanio however manages to correctly choose the lead casket containing Portia’s portrait and wins her hand. Antonio’s ships have been lost at sea, and Shylock is angry enough so that he insists on their prior agreement of a pound of flesh. The lawyers are Portia and her maid Nerissa, who save Antonio by saying that Shylock may not take any blood with him. For threatening the life of Antonio, Shylock forfeits his wealth, and later, Antonio finds that his ships are fine. The Merchant of Venice is an amazing piece of literature that is incredibly entertaining.
One of the most important parts of literature is the absolutely crucial antagonist and how they can be villainous while also seeming realistic and helping the story. A good antagonist must be interesting and have a reasonable motive for attempting to harm and hurt the protagonist, with many factors leading up to it. Inside of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender and is the primary antagonist of the entire story. First of all, he immediately has a dislike and a grudge against Antonio for possibly being antisemitic and for also undermining his loans by avoiding adding interest. This grudge transfers to Bassanio while they are attempting to negotiate a loan, and causes Shylock to jokingly ask for a pound of flesh, and leads Bassanio to say “[There is no answer] To excuse the current of thy cruelty.”. Later, as Shylock’s daughter elopes with a friend of Antonio, this pushes Shylock over the edge and causes him to actually demand the pound of flesh, knowing it would most likely be fatal to Antonio. As the Duke says, “Thou'lt show thy mercy and remorse more strange. Than is thy strange apparent cruelty;” This is a great way to introduce an antagonist and to also motivate them to harm others by pushing them over the edge with some kind of tragedy and also a previous incident. The Merchant of Venice includes an absolutely crucial piece of literature in that it has a great antagonist that is logical and interesting.
One method of making a story much more complex and fascinating is to use advanced vocabulary that helps to rivet the reader more. For example, instead of saying something basic such as “That is very mean”, a good author could instead write the line as “That is exceedingly unkind.” Using vocabulary that fits the situation is very important. In The Merchant of Venice, one of the best parts of the entire play reads “So can I give no reason, nor I will not, More than a lodged hate and a certain loathing“ This advanced vocabulary allows us to feel the story more than just simply saying basic words that are empty and hollow. It shows how Shylock is emotionless and cannot be swayed but does this better because of how complex and sophisticated the wording goes, and allows us to see how much Shylock dislikes Antonio. And one of the more comedic parts of the play reads “O wise young judge, how I do honor thee” and this is humorous due to how the judge is absolutely against Shylock yet Shylock does not know that the judge is actually Portia. These complex words used in this situation enables the play to become more interesting and to allure the reader more. Having a large vocabulary helps allow the author to write more creative and innovative stories that serve to interest the reader more than blander words could. The Merchant of Venice the crucial, massively important feature of utilizing fitting vocabulary to help make the story more interesting.
Finally, the keystone, the centerpiece of every work of literature, is how riveting and creative the plot is, because of how that determines much of the story. The plot is the backbone of a story, and no matter how interesting the characters are or how sophisticated the vocabulary is, the plot still determines what makes a good story. In The Merchant of Venice, the plot is very creative and funny, and has all the trademarks of a good story, with a climax and several problems. Bassanio has the problem that he doesn’t have enough money to court Portia, but another problem is created by the solution of getting a loan. Antonio is facing potential death, but Portia manages to save him by pretending to be a male lawyer and talking about how Shylock cannot draw blood upon taking the pound of flesh, saying “But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed
One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate” This plot is very unique and special, and finally, Portia saves Antonio with justice saying “Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest.” A good plot allows every story to become much improved and is what all techniques attempt to build upon, improving and benefiting the reader. The Merchant of Venice has a fantastic plot that is also interesting for many readers to learn about and feel absorbed in the ancient world.
The Merchant of Venice is a fantastic play that has every aspect of an interesting story, including a logical yet still villainous antagonist, advanced vocabulary that serves to increase the depth of the story, and a plot that rivets and fascinates the reader. It has the villain Shylock who, despite wanting to basically cause the death of another, still has understandable motives because of how he naturally has a bias against Christians and Antonio’s friend stole her daughter away from him. The vocabulary used inside of the story illustrates a stunning story and helps to make the story more realistic and understandable. Finally, the intriguing plot hooks the reader in and makes them continue reading throughout the entire story, because of how creative, innovative, and special the plot is. The Merchant of Venice chooses a great plot and is an incredible story that I would recommend for everyone.
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