Written in 1596, the play explores the changing times occasioned by the adoption of capitalism in the wider Europe. It has an Italian setting and starts with the lead of Bassanio as he attempts to pay the debts of love for Portia. Antonio, his friend, offers to guarantee a loan from Shylock on condition that Shylock would take a pound of Antonio’s flesh in case they failed to pay in time (Shakespeare, p. 27). The Merchant of Venice is a creation of the changing social, political face of Europe through a microcosmic structure of early modern society. Shakespeare portrays the interactions between the characters of Antonio, Portia and Shylock to represent the capitalistic interactions between merchants, moneylenders and landlords. Moreover, the social theme of anti-Semitism is captured through the interactions between Shylock and Antonio. The play’s presentation of the concept of anti-Semitism and religion has relevance in both traditional and modern periods.

The changing face of the world during the time of the play’s composition is largely depicted in the play. For instance, the concept of capitalism is depicted through the actions of the moneylender and his insistence on Antonio’s guarantee. In addition, the fact that Shylock insisted on having Antonio killed even after being offered twice the amount borrowed portrays moneylenders in a bad light. Shylock was not intent on recovering his money but on revenging against Christians through the killing of Antonio (Adelman, p. 46). Further, the growing discord between different religions is well captured in the play. Shylock does not like Antonio because of his anti-Semitic sentiments and actually wants him dead. However, this does not go well for Shylock as he is forced to surrender all his wealth.

The play was written in an era of capitalism when the world was changing in both sociopolitical and economic fronts. By exploring the potential dangers of capitalism, the play helps in the furtherance of the era’s development. The play further helps in the movement of the society from a system of social organization into a solid market system by averting violence. The staging of the play in an Italian city is perfectly done to coincide with the increasing growth of the mercantile industry in Europe and specifically Italy (Sharp, p. 257). Today, the world is faced with imminent violence as people and countries compete against each other for the resources available. Still, the play has huge applications in today’s society as people are discriminated based on their religions and faiths. In this year, for instance, the world anticipates violence as the US government has banned immigrants from Muslim countries. This event is similar to the discord that was present in the play pitting Christians against Jews (Jackson & Arthur, p. 184). Indeed, the whole world would benefit from watching the play as it paints a grim picture of increasing tension based on different social-political contexts.

The Merchant of Venice is structured to portray the changing sociopolitical and economic face of Europe due to the onset of capitalism. The concepts of anti-Semitism, religion and capitalism are perfectly articulated in the play. In addition, the play contributes to the development of its era through awareness of the vices attributed with these negative concepts. It has huge applications in the modern world as people continue to grow discord pitting different social political inclinations against each other. Perhaps the whole world should watch the play to understand the danger of imminent violence presented by these vices.

Works Cited

Adelman, Janet. Blood Relations: Christian and Jew in the Merchant of Venice. University of Chicago Press. 2008.

Jackson, Ken, and Arthur F. Marotti. “The turn to religion in early modern English studies.” Criticism 46.1 (2004): 167-190.

Shakespeare, William. “The merchant of Venice.” Palgrave Macmillan US, 2002. 25-120.

Sharp, Ronald A. “Gift Exchange and the Economics of Spirit in the Merchant of Venice.” Modern Philology 83.3 (1986): 250-265.

 
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