Literature is simply a collection of creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture. In the years dating back, poetry was used as a tool of communicating to the populace about leadership, vices in the communities, and also to educate members of the communities among other things. William Shakespeare is a celebrated literature author across the globe. He, Shakespeare, made use of literature to communicate with people about various things that were happening during his times. At the beginning of his writings, William showed his love for comedy and history by writing comical and historical plays that were loved by many. However, Shakespeare found love in writing about darkness and history. One of his historical selling books was The Merchant of Venice. The Merchant of Venice is a play whose central theme revolves around love and money. The papers also show the ideas of hatred, justice, and mercy. All the thoughts in the Merchant of Venice are evident universally till to date, and that is the reason, Willian Shakespeare is referred to as the Western Canon.[1] To augment William Shakespeare highlight of the society, Carol Anne Duffy, in the poem Pygmalion’s Bride highlight the difficulties women undergo in the community today. Therefore, it will be prudent to discuss the universal relevance of literature concerning the play The Merchant of Venice and Pygmalion’s Bride.

In the world today, there are a lot of tensions brought about by the hatred that exist among different civilizations, culture, and religions. For instance, the hatred that exists between Muslim extremist and Christians which has seen Christians fall casualties of various terror attacks across the globe.[2] Similarly, there is a lot of racism going on between African civilization and western civilization. In the play, The Merchant of Venice, there is a lot of hatred between a Christian, Antonio, and the Shylock, the Jewish. When Bassanio comes to lend Antonio some money to suit Portia, since Antonio does not have some money with him, he sends Bassanio to borrow some money from the Shylock which he will repay once he sells his goods. The Shylock at first refuses to lend the money to Bassanio when information reaches him that Antonio, the Christian was the one going to pay him back his treasure.[3] However, due to his greed for money owing to the profit he will make, the Szhylock decides to lend the money to Bassanio. Additionally, in the court, Shakespeare brings a scene where Antonio continuously spits on the Shylock because of their long hatred between the Christians and the Jews in Venice.

Many societies and governments in the world today are so much focused on capitalism and forgetting to embrace humanity and being compassionate. On one side the banks and several commercial entities are very much concentrated in making profits at the expense of human lives. The capitalist act of people today is reflected in the Character Shylock in the play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, escaped and fled with her lover Lorenzo. During the escape, Jessica took gold and jewels with her. The next morning Shylock realizes that her daughter had escaped with some of her treasures. Shylock goes to the street lamenting how her daughter had deprived him of some of his valuables instead of crying about his lost daughter. Shylock goes as far as calling his ducats his daughter. Such acts by Shylock are a clear indication that he values money as much as his daughter. Consequently, when Antonio fails to pay his debt, Shylock demand that he be killed just like the contract they signed states so that he can gain his treasure which was a pound of flesh. Antonio’s friends plead for mercy, but Shylock insists on the strict implementation of the contract they had signed.

Money and materialism in the world today dictates the different aspects of the lives of people. Money dictates the value of relationships one might call him/ herself in. For instance, people will prefer to marry the rich because of the real treasures the rich own and not for love.[4] Money and materialism as a dictate of people’s lives are also witnessed in the play The Merchant of Venice. Bassanio does not want to marry Portia nor because of his love for Portia, but because of the material treasures and wealth that Portia owns. He goes as far as lending money to go and suit for Portia in Belmont. Bassanio’s primary motivation for asking Portia’s hand in marriage is because of his vast accumulated. Bassanio knows that by marrying Portia, he would use her wealth to pay all his debt. Bassanio’s intentions are seen in court where he offers to pay Antonio’s debt owed to the Shylock using his wife’s money. To add on, after taking cash from Antonio, Bassanio insists that the proceeds of lending money from Antonio was an investment on the side of Antonio although the latter likes lending money to people as an act of responsibility. Bassanio insists the money lending to be an act of business between the two and not as a result of their love for each other.

Women are not usually respected as much as men are. In most cases, women are usually seen as a tool of sex. As a result, women typically undergo sex-related vices such as rape and being married to a man who they do not feel but rather are meant to please. The poem Pygmalion’s bride shows clearly the vices that women have to deal with in the world today. “Cold, I was, like snow, like ivory,” this quote from the poem alludes to many things that women go through.[5] Coldness is an indication that the woman has no nay feeling towards the man she is currently with and that there being together is forceful. The woman is forced into being with the man without taking into accounts the feelings of the woman. Dynamic marriages usually occur in various kingdoms across the globe. The snow in the poem indicates the woman’s purity and naivety. Given the fact that she was born into womanhood, the society thinks that her role in the world should be to please the sexual desires of men and therefore her consent into the matters of marriage is not essential. At the end of the poem, she gives herself to the man due to the fear of being harmed and faked her pleasure towards the man. In instances of rape, women usually have no option but to give themselves to the men and pretend to be enjoying the satisfaction due to the fear of being killed since they as a result of being overpowered.

Literature is an accurate reflection of society back then and today. The Merchant of Venice though written several years back, the book still reflects some activities taking place in the community today. Additionally, Duffy’s work also highlights the problems that women undergo in society today. It was, therefore, essential to have an in-depth look into the two books, The Merchant of Venice and Pygmalion’s Bride and to discuss the universal relevance of these pieces of literature. As discussed above the books are an accurate reflection of the society. For instance, there are a lot of tensions across the globe brought about by the hatred that exists between different religious groups and civilizations just as the hostility between the Jewish and Christian that is depicted by Shakespeare.

Additionally, many economies and communities have turned into capitalism at the expense of fellow humans. Many people would rather lose their friends or relatives and makes profits just as in the case of Shylock and Antonio the merchant. The society today is more advanced, and there are changing trends across the globe. Women should also be empowered and given equal opportunities to women. Women should be given a chance to make decisions on their own regarding marriage issues.  Men, on the other hand, should also respect women. With respect, social vices women undergone by women will be a non-issue in our societies.

Bibliography

Bloom, Harold. The western canon. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.

Duffy, Carol Ann. “Pygmalions Bride.” New Selected Poems 1984-2004: 184-85.

Rauf, Feisal A. “The relationship between the Muslim world and the United States and the root of Islamophobia in America.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 51, no. 2 (2016): 189-197.

Russell, Bertrand. Marriage and Morals. Routledge, 2017.

Shakespeare, William, and M. Lindsay Kaplan. The merchant of Venice: texts and contexts. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.

[1] Bloom, Harold. The western canon. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.

[2] Rauf, Feisal A. “The relationship between the Muslim world and the United States and the root of Islamophobia in America.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 51, no. 2 (2016): 189-197.

[3] Shakespeare, William, and M. Lindsay Kaplan. The merchant of Venice: texts and contexts. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.

[4] Russell, Bertrand. Marriage and Morals. Routledge, 2017.

[5] Duffy, Carol Ann. “Pygmalions Bride.” New Selected Poems 1984-2004: 184-85.