The most evident division of The Merchant of Venice arouses when the characters of Antonio and Shylock are brought into light, but that is just an example of what happens generally in the play. It is left out of consideration, though, that the mayority of the character's happiness depend on Shylock as their goodness is created in contrast to the character of the Jew.
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| The Merchant of Venice, 2004 move adaptation. |
The Merchant of Venice was first wrote as a comedy, which results obvious when considering that it shows a happy ending where all the characters are contempt: Antonio still lives, Portia makes sure Bassanio is in a debt of love to her, Bassanio holds no grim on his back, Lorenzo and Jessica love each other...but what about Shylock? He is the sole chap of the play who is, in a allegorical way, erased of the plot, and since he was the object of despise of the other characters, his nonexistence results in the joy of them. The happiness of the characters depends on Shylock, more specifically, his disappearance and defeat.
By despising the Jew along with his mates Bassanio, Lorenzo and the Anti-Semitic Gratiano, Antonio builds this identity of good fellow even though they are not morally better than Shylock. Antonio, as Harold Bloom (1892) portrays him, has another hidden side which basically "manifests his piety by cursing and spitting at Shylock;" Bassanio borrows money and favor from almost everyone; Lorenzo is basically a lusty bandit; and Gratiano can be perfectly considered a xenophobic flatterer. They need a foil to whom contrast their own behavior and they get that in the person of Shylock.
Such ideas lead to questions about ourselves: Are we that good we think we are? Have we used someone to gossip about as an excuse for establishing relations? Have we been happy when a hated one is in pain or sorrow?
References
Bloom, H.; Wright, W.A.; Shakespeare, W. (2005) Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. NY: Riverhead Books.
