CRITIQUE ANALYSIS

THE MERCHANT OF
VENICE
Loozada Darah Althea English Performance Task
G10: Mariano Ponce Ma'am Analyn
 Introduction: The material will concentrate on a
summary and analysis of "The Merchant of Venice."
William Shakespeare, The paper will also include a
critical study of the play and the governing aspects like
Gender equality, feminism, and capitalism. Such events
took place in Europe, including Venice, during the 16th
century.

Summary: Antonio, an anti-Semitic businessman,

borrows money from the Jew Shylock in order to
assist his friend to pursue Portia. Antonio struggles
to return the debt, and Shylock demands a pound of
his flesh without compassion. Portia, the heiress who
is now Antonio's friend's wife, disguises herself as a
lawyer and saves Antonio.

Analysis: (Feminist Approach) The Merchant of Venice is

a play about the rivalry between Bassanio, who wants to
marry Portia in order to pay back his debt to Antonio, and
Shylock, who wants revenge on Antonio for lending money
without interest and making anti-Semitic remarks. Shylock's
desire for vengeance on Antonio suggests a deeper need
to protect his humanity and way of life. In the play's
climactic scene, Bassanio leverages Antonio's credit to get
a loan from Shylock, tying Antonio to Shylock and ensuring
their eventual encounter. In the play's final trial scene, the
struggle between Bassanio's desire to rehabilitate his
character by showing himself a faithful friend and Shylock's
desire to defend his humanity by exacting revenge on
Antonio comes to a climax.
Shylock argues for his ability to collect his bond by claiming
that he has the same rights as any other villain in Venice.
Nevertheless, Portia, dressed as Balthazar, claims that
Shylock has violated the law by threatening Antonio's life in
order to collect his debt. Shylock is not only unable to
retrieve the money he lent but he is also deprived of his
livelihood and religion, indicating that the world of the play
would not recognize Shylock's humanity or way of life. At this
scene, where the trial was held, we can clearly see that a
woman is capable of tremendous things. This is the point at
which Portia outsmarts Shylock and plots everything. This
also illustrates that one's gender does not prevent one from
doing anything.

Conclusion:
Being a woman entails being
unpredictable; it requires being
able to be powerful and forceful
while yet being nice. It entails
being sympathetic and vulnerable
to those they care about without
feeling weak for doing so. It
entails pushing for our aims in the
face of hardship along the road.