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Love And Wealth

1. LOVE AND WEALTH

In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare takes a more unusual approach to
this subject, treating love as just another form of wealth. Love and
money are alike, Shakespeare seems to be saying, in that they are
blessings to those who can pursue them in the right spirit. On the
other hand, those who are too possessive, too greedy, will get
pleasure neither from the pursuit of romantic love nor from the
accumulation of wealth. Bassanio sets out to win Portia's love,
solving his money problems at the same time. Shylock, in contrast,
is a miser who hoards both his gold and his love and loses his
daughter and his riches simultaneously. Antonio demonstrates the
love of one friend for another by pledging his own flesh to
guarantee a loan for Bassanio. He, too, is rewarded for his
generosity. Not only do Antonio's ships come in at the end of the
play, but Bassanio's fortunate marriage enriches Antonio as well,
bringing him Portia's loyalty and friendship.
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2. MERCY VERSUS JUSTICE

A number of Shakespeare's plays are concerned with the question of
justice and the nature of legitimate authority. The Merchant of Venice
poses the question of whether the law should be tempered by mercy,
or whether it should be morally neutral. If neutral, then the law
can become a tool in the hands of men such as Shylock, who use it to
further their own personal vendettas. In Act IV of the...

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