Moment 7 - Act 5 Scene 1

“Troilus… Troyan… Thisbe… Dido… Medea”

“Troilus… Troyan… Thisbe… Dido… Medea”

Jessica and Lorenzo are comparing themselves to lots of classical lovers who had tragic stories and many were betrayed. Shakespeare uses this to foreshadow the future breakdown of the relationships in the play as they are flawed so could be doomed.

“I am never merry when I hear sweet music” “The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds is fit for treason stratagems and spoils.”

Jessica not liking sweet music is a reference to Act 3 Scene 5, in which Shylock hates Christian music. Shakespeare uses this to remind us that Jessica cannot leave her past behind. This is her last line of the play and gives her a very unsatisfying ending, as even after everything she has risked and given up to start a new life with Lorenzo, she is unable to escape her roots and is still mistreated. Lorenzo indirectly says that because Jessica does not like the music, she is fit for treason stratagems and spoils, so is insulting her and disrespecting his wife in front of her, in the exact same way that the two other Christian husbands did. This shows how Shylock was right when he said “These be the Christian husbands” in Act 4 Scene 1, so Shakespeare gets us to notice the discrimination from Christian men and question it, because no matter how kind, resourceful and brilliant these women are, they will never be respected or treated well enough.

“Give order to my servants” “my house” “my house” (structure)

Portia repeats the personal pronoun ‘my’ as she still sees the house and servants as her own, even though they technically belong to Bassanio now, because she is reluctant to relinquish power and wants to keep control. This is reinforced by how Portia’s dialogue dominates the scene, as is he is determined to be in control of every situation she is in. This subverts the social norms of the time, as women in Elizabethan times were expected to be very pure and accept their husbands’ ownership of them in marriage, especially in a very religious society. Portia subverting these social conventions would have created comedy through the shock of it, especially as she is a fictional character.

“Let me not be light, for a light wife doth make a heavy husband”

Light means unfaithful, so Portia is teasing Bassanio in a very sexually liberated way which would have been a source of humour, intended to lower the tension at the end of the plat after Act 4 Scene 1.

“About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring that she did give me… like cutlers poetry upon a knife: ‘love me and leave me not.’”

Gratiano reducing the ring to a hoop of gold takes away it meaning and suggests Gratiano is not serious about the relationship and was not motivated by love, just by desire and by the heat of the moment. Furthermore, he mocks the poetry that Nerissa chose and had inscribed in a dismissive way, disregarding her love and efforts and showing how he does not truly care for her or respect her.

“Why I were best to have cut my left hand off and swear I lost the ring defending it”

This injects comedy into the scene as the very dramatic and hyperbolic consideration of Bassanio is funny to the audience.

“My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away”

Gratiano immediately gives Bassanio away to make himself look better. This betrayal is comedic as after all they have been through together, he is still the same disloyal self-obsessed character.

“My finger hath not the ring upon it, it is gone”

Bassanio knows he has let Portia down, so does not try to lie about it or hide anything. This very frank admittance of guilt using simple language shows how Bassanio has changed during the play and contrasts with Gratiano’s rude, uncaring response.

“Even so void is your false heart of truth”

Portia’s uses very serious, heightened language to guilt Bassanio greatly and establish her power over him. She has used the scenario of the rings to ensure she holds all the control in their relationship in the future as her desire for power is not something she will give up even in her love for Bassanio.

Bassanio & Portia talking about the rings (structure)

Bassanio uses anaphoric of “if you did know” and repetition of “the ring” to create a very structured argument about why he gave away the ring, to soothe Portia, explain what happened and show his remorse. However, Portia uses the same techniques as Bassanio, such as further repetition of “the ring”, to parallel his speech and twist his words to trap him. This emphasises Bassanio’s total defeat as he does not stand a chance against Portia and her wit in this relationship.

“I was enforced to send it after him”

Bassanio is possibly trying to protect Antonio by not saying why he really gave away the ring. Or he could be protecting himself by not stating his true motives.

“Know him I shall, I am well sure of it”

This is a euphemism / sexual innuendo as Portia is very sexually liberated and continually defies social norms to bring comedy to the scene, as even though the audience at the time may not approve of it, they would find it funny because Portia is a fictional character.

“I dare be bound again, my soul upon the forfeit, that your lord will never more break faith advisedly”

Nothing has changed for Antonio since the beginning of the play, as he is once again wagering himself and offering himself up to make up for Bassanio’s mistakes. Shakespeare changed the source material Il Pecerone which he based The Merchant of Venice off, as in Il Pecerone, the Antonio character - Ansaldo - got married at the end, whereas in The Merchant of Venice Antonio remains single, which Shakespeare uses to symbolise how Antonio has not changed or progressed at all throughout the play and is not really happy, giving him an unsatisfying ending and making the audience question the ending.

“The rich Jew”

This is the last mention of Shylock in the play, and he is barely an afterthought, not even referred to by his real name, which creates a further unsatisfying ending for Shylock.

“So sore as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring”

This is the last line of the play, and is a sexual pun from Gratiano, meant to give the play a comedic ending. However, although the ending is broadly happy, there are dark undertones as there is a possible tragic future for all the couples.