Merchant of Venice
Summary
language
Sentence structure:
Characters
How: leaves out words; changes order
Examples:
Why: to create rhythm; to emphasize a point; characterization
Portia (heiress to wealthy Belmont)
Bassanio (Portia's would-be husband)
Shylock (Jewish moneylender)
separating single words into 2
"he does not go" -> "he goes not" ( xviii)
According to Portia's deceased father's will, he must pick between 3 caskets (gold, silver, and lead) and pick the correct casket in order to marry Portia.
inversion
Dressed as Balthazar, a young lawyer
Why: to create a setting; comedic effect
Puns
Malapropisms
Metaphors
Why language is confusing: sentence structure, word play, old words that we don't use anymore or have different meanings
Similes
comparison of two words as if they were the same
Play on words
"gentle Jew" (Shakespeare, 1.3.190)
comedy
Misused word
"infection" instead of "affection"
"if you please/ To shoot another arrow that self way/ Which you did aim, or to find both/ Or bring your latter hazard back again" (1.1.154-158)
Comparison between two things using 'like' or 'as'
dialogue used to set scene and give stage directions
"her sunny locks/ Hang on her temples like a golden fleece" (1.1.176-177)
about love and marriage
"an angel lies here" (xviii) -> "here an angel with a golden bed / Lies all within" (2.7.64)
Sanjana K and Elise K