Shakespeare draws attention to 3 of Portia’s suitors, the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon, and Bassanio. The Prince of Morocco is the first suitor of the 3 suitors. His first line is, ‘Mislike me not for my complexion’ (Act 2 Scene 1).
However his character is proud.
He says the lead casket is not worth hazarding everything and continues on to the sliver casket. He goes to the gold casket thinking that ‘what many men desire’ describes Portia. His choice can be explained by the fact that it is only his royal blood and his fortune that gives him respect. This means the Prince of Morocco judges what he sees from the outer appearance. The second suitor is the Prince of Arragon. His pride is shown through his choice of casket and his reaction to choosing the wrong casket.
He comments on the inscription on the gold casket, ‘I will not jump with common spirits and rank me with barbarous multitudes’. (Act 2 Scene 9) Thinking the gold casket was too common for him, he passes the gold and the silver, thinking it wasn’t grand enough. He does not stop to consider the lead casket saying that it would have to look more attractive for him to hazard anything for it. The silver casket is the one that grabs his attention the most because that no one deserving Portia should go empty-handed. His pride leads him to assume he is worthy of Portia. His reaction when he finds that he didn’t get the right casket is ‘Did I deserve no more than a fool’s head?’ (Act 2 Scene 9).
The Essay on The Merchant Of Venice Portias Suitors
ter> Compare and contrast Portias three suitors, examining their characters Shakespeare highlights three of Portias suitors, the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio. He ... inscription of gold casket, I will not jump with common spirits/And rank me with barbarous multitudes.(Act II Scene ix) and thinking gold was too ...
He accepts his fate and says ‘I’ll keep my oath.’ (Act 2 Scene 9).
Bassanio is the last suitor. He receives better treatment than the other two suitors do. Portia plays music in the background to help him so that he will choose the right casket. He says to Portia ‘Let me choose; for as I am, I live upon the rack.’ That shows that he is impatient and anxious to marry Portia. He comments that men give signs apparently that they were brave but on the inside, they were cowards.
His reaction to choosing the right casket is joyful. Although she is very beautiful, she is a different person on the inside. Portia is an intelligent person and shows this by her quick thinking with her plan to marry Bassanio and follow him in secret to Venice to save Antonio. She is a woman who loves her intelligence and enjoyment from using it. She is also intelligent in her relations with people. She realizes the value of her fathers’ ‘Trail by Caskets’ and thoughtfully underestimates her talents in order to build up Bassanios’.
Her intelligence was way past that of the other characters in the play. Besides her intelligence, she also has a sense of humour, the entertaining touch with which she describes the different suitors who come to win her. Portia shows that she does not have a mean wit but a gentle one because she won’t make fun of anyone while they are in her company. She is also very sneaky because when she went to Venice, she hid herself and dressed as a boy ‘… and turn two mincing steps into a manly stride.’ (Act 3 Scene 4).
Near the end of the play in Act 4 Scene 1, she tests Bassanio to see if he will give away the ring he swore on.
‘I will have nothing else but only this; and now methinks I have a mind to it.’ (Act 4 Scene 1).
Shylock is always being criticized for being a Jew. People have been taught hate, rather than it being a part of their personality. Revenge can be a tool in inspiring them to act evil.
We are introduced to Shylock in Act 1 Scene 3 where we learn of the abuse he has suffered in the hands of the Christians. ‘… you call me a disbeliever, cut throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine’ (Act 1 Scene 3).
The Essay on How does Shakespeare compare and contrast the characters of Antonio and Shylock in the trial scene?
Shakespeare portrays the characters Shylock and Antonio in the trial scene to be victims of the trial scene. In my opinion, Shylock is the main victim as he is discriminated for following a different religion to everyone else in the court. Being a Jew meant that the other people in the court were racist against Shylock meaning that they treated him unfairly in comparison to Antonio; who was helped ...
He points out that while Antonio spit on him and called him a dog, he expects him to lend him money. Antonio doesn’t care about his speech and says he will call him this again.
Shylock is na ” ive in the way that he believes he can take on the Christians and win. Shylocks’ punishment is cruel with Antonio forcing him to convert to Christianity ‘He presently become a Christian;’ In the trial scene, Shylock’s hatred towards Antonio becomes obvious in Act 3 Scene 3, he repeats ‘I’ll have my bond’s hows that he is openly aggressive. he is eager to kill Antonio and to prove him wrong. He also refused to show mercy when he was asked by Portia and the Duke ‘On what compulsion must I? Tell me that.’ (Act 4 Scene 1).
Although he wants revenge, it is a natural human mistake to want to have revenge when you have been wronged.
