INTRODUCTION

In the Merchant of Venice, love plays an important role among the

whole story. Different people give “true love” new definitions, and
making the real love as a tool for them to reach their goal.
Love for everyone in this play, is a tool to escape from their real
life that makes them suffering and also an escape from their past.
Love between men and women are often begin with the seek for
rich and fame. Take Portia and Bassanio as an example, as
Bassanio first mentioned Portia, he was trying to persuade his
friend Antonio to lend him money in order to go to Belmont to
reach Portia:
“Bassanio:In Belmont is a lady richly left,And she is fair and—
fairer than that word—Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her
eyes.I did…show more content…
O me, the word ‘choose!’ I may neither choose whom I would nor
refuse whom I dislike—so is the will of a living daughter curbed
by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot
choose one nor refuse one?”( Merchant of Venice 1.2.20-25). She
didn’t have a chance to determine who she liked and what she
loved, though her father has died, she didn’t have her chance of
choosing her life but instead, follow what her father wanted. She
didn’t want to spend the rest of her life as a property of other
people. Marriage seemed to be the only chance for her to get at
least mentally No matter
Love between father and daughter is more obvious to see on
Shylock and her daughter Jessica. Shylock loved his money, and
his daughter. For Shylock, the christian dominated world is unfair
to him and also he was hated by most of the people in this world.
In the whole play, he had nobody to love except his daughter, and
nobody loved him. He loved her wife as he described the ring: “I
would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys” (3.1.101–
102). His daughter stole the ring and made Shylock n connection
with mercy and generosity, The Merchant of Venice also explores
love and friendship between its characters. The central romantic
relationship of the play is that between Bassanio and Portia.
Their marriage is paralleled by several others: the elopement
of Shylock's daughter, Jessica, with the Christian, Lorenzo; and
the marriage of Portia's servant, Nerissa, to Bassanio's
companion, Gratiano. In addition, numerous critics have
suggested that the strongest friendship in the play—
between Antonio and Bassanio—also approaches romantic love.
In addition, the play shows how strong the amicable ties are that
connect all the various Venetian characters

. Given the generosity that they motivate between characters, love

and friendship might seem to offer alternatives to the ugly
emotions of prejudice, greed, and revenge on display in The
Merchant of Venice. However, beginning with Bassanio's
borrowing money from his friend Antonio in order to woo Portia,
the play also demonstrates that the apparent purity of love and
friendship can be tainted by selfish economic concerns. In
addition, love and friendship are also at the mercy of the law, as
seen in Portia's being subject to the terms of her father's riddle of
the caskets.

2) Romantic love.
 The element of love plays an important role in the drama. There
are three love stories in the play-Portia and Basssanio, Nerissa
and Gratiano and Jessica and Lorenzo. Like any love story, these
three stories have obstacles which are finally overcome.
             Portia and Bassanio represent the highest form of love.
Though initially Bassanio appears to be influenced by Portia's
riches, later in the play, he proves to be a true lover, who has been
charmed by the numerous qualities of Portia. His love for Portia
is also tested by his right choice of caskets. Portia too is in love
with Bassanio. When Nerissa reminds her of Bassanio, she
remembers him fondly and agrees with her that he would be the
most suitable husband for her. She is thrilled when Bassanio
succeeds in chosing the right casket.
             Nerissa and Gratiano's love story is a mere imitation of
the romance between their master and mistress. There is no
fervour or intensity in their love. It is rather a prosaic love as both
of them are guided by common sense. Jessica and Lorenzo's love
is a true love that doesn't allow religious differences to prove an
obstacle in their way.

hakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, has often been

mistaken as a love story. Although the play does involve love as a
theme, the majority of existing themes contradict the qualities of
love and prove this play is not a love story. Hatred is a common
issue dealt with by Shakespeare throughout the play, as is seeking
justice. Another frequently explored theme is deceit. One of the
sub-plots involves love but the main plot is centered on money
lending and the bond. The Merchant of Venice cannot be
described solely as a love story. .
             Hatred is very evident throughout The Merchant of
Venice. It could be described as the driving force of the play as it
was hatred that led to Shylock's notion of the bond in the first
place. Shylock's hatred for Antonio is introduced in the first act
and carries on to the end of the play. "How like a fawning
publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian" (act 1, scene
3). Shylock seeks only revenge and will not consider showing
mercy or any other qualities that resemble love. The Merchant of
Venice is a play that contains a lot of hatred that leads to incidents
that do not involve love and this play cannot be described as a
love story.
             Shakespeare also deals with the act of seeking justice as a
major theme throughout The Merchant of Venice. Seeking justice
throughout the play could also be seen plainly as getting revenge.
This is specifically evident through Shylock's extreme longing for
justice against Antonio. Shylock believes that Antonio has
insulted and hindered him so much in the past that he is
determined to "feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him" (act 1,
scene 3). More than anything Shylock would love to have revenge
on Antonio and see him dead, "if every ducat in six thousand
ducats were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw
them. I would have my bond." (act 4, scene 1). It is obvious that
through this amount of hatred and need for selfish justice shown,
The Merchant of Venice cannot be described as a love story.

Portia

Portia is the wealthy heiress of Belmont. Before his death, her

father created three caskets and only the man to choose the
correct casket could marry his daughter. Not being able to choose
her own husband and being forced into limited feminine roles,
Portia lacks autonomy within her society. However, she finds
ways to circumvent the systems which oppress her, and
demonstrates a surprising amount of agency by the end of the
play.
Bassanio

Bassanio is Antonio’s best friend. He’s obsessed with two things:

money and Portia. And since Portia is super rich, we could argue
it’s just money. Bassanio is also manipulative and cunning
throughout the play, using convoluted rhetoric to convince
Antonio to lend him money and using figurative language to
make it pretty clear he likes Portia for her money.

Any other context

In addition, the commitment of love through marriage is highly

valued by Portia in particular, who is one of the few characters in
the play that values love without any superficial motivations, such
as social status or wealth. While many value love because of the
physical and emotional connection one can form with another
human being, characters such as Bassanio and Shylock prioritize
material goods rather than their companion. The matter of love is
perplexing in The Merchant of Venice due to the lack of
consistency of actions to demonstrate true love among the
characters in the play.

the bond that is shared between Antonio and Bassanio throughout

the play portrays two very committed and loyal friends that
borders homosexuality. By examining Antonio’s behavior, it is
made obvious through his actions that he profoundly cares for
Bassanio. Before entering into the agreement with Shylock,
Antonio pledges, “My purse, my person, my extremest means/
Lie all unlocked to your occasions,” therefore promising
everything that he has—including himself

If Bassanio did not really care about Antonio and was only using
him exclusively for his resources, Bassanio would not have
reacted in this way when hearing this shocking news. Even
though Bassanio demonstrates concern in this way, a stark
contrast is created toward the end of the play when Antonio risks
his life again for Bassanio. Antonio promises, “I once did lend my
body for his wealth, / Which but for him that had your husband’s
ring / Had quite miscarried. I dare be bound again, / My soul upon
the forfeit, that your lord / Will never more break faith
advisedly,” a very strong-willed promise intended for someone
that almost caused Antonio’s death (5.1.249-253). After Antonio
again declares his commitment to his friend through this
additional act of love, Bassanio does not acknowledge this
sacrifice but instead is more concerned with Portia’s deception
towards him. Bassanio does not even seem to be affected when
Portia proclaims that some of Antonio’s ships have docked safely.
The lack of interest shown by Bassanio towards the sacrifices that
Antonio has made for him in multiple instances within the play
establishes the possibility that Antonio is a financial and social
resource, rather than a friend. Bassanio’s high level of self-
interest casts doubt on whether he desires a romantic relationship
with Antonio.
While it may be more evident that Antonio may have a love
interest in Bassanio, Bassanio’s intentions may not be as clear.
Antonio is willing to risk his livelihood, reputation, and life to
ensure Bassanio’s happiness. The promises that Antonio pledges
to Bassanio resemble the promises that couples make in their
wedding vows, which illustrates the essence of Antonio’s love for
Bassanio. In contrast, Bassanio does sacrifice his ring and the
promise he made to Portia in exchange for Antonio’s love.
Although Bassanio does not willingly give the ring to Balthazar
(Portia) and its meaning away at first, Antonio persists, “My lord
Bassanio, let him have the ring. /Let his deservings and my love
withal / Be valued ’gainst your wife’s commandment” (4.2.447-
449). Portia’s test of Bassanio’s loyalty demonstrates that he may
be more loyal to Antonio than the audience may have thought in
the beginning of the play, which may cast doubt on Bassanio’s
relationship with Portia.
Portia takes her relationship with Bassanio very seriously
throughout the entire play and expects Bassanio to demonstrate
the same level as respect towards her. Portia was thrilled when
Bassanio passed the casket test and makes him pledge his loyalty
to her, using a ring to symbolize their intimate relationship. Part
of the commitment to Portia includes, “when this ring / Parts from
this finger, then parts life from hence: / Oh, then be bold to say
Bassanio’s dead,” showing the reality of Portia’s thoughts toward
Bassanio (3.2.183-185). Bassanio understands the great
importance of his relationship with Portia but still concedes to
Antonio’s advice when Bassanio gives the ring away as a token of
gratitude for saving Antonio’s life. Portia is rather forgiving at the
end of the play because, even though he broke his pledge of
devotion, Bassanio still remains married to Portia. The time
constraint that Bassanio experienced when deciding whether to
give away the ring gives the audience insight regarding the way
Bassanio truly feels. When under pressure, it appears Bassanio
chooses Antonio instead of his wife to whom he already pledged
unconditional love and loyalty. In addition, Portia understood the
distress her spouse was experiencing when Antonio’s life was at
stake and reacted in a way to relieve Bassanio’s worry.
Portia acts as a highly devoted wife in The Merchant of Venice,
even though her husband may not appear to be very devoted. As
previously mentioned, Bassanio was highly disturbed when
discovering that Antonio will not be able to financially repay his
loan with Shylock, but instead having to pay with his own flesh.
Portia also appeared hurt as she was forced to watch Bassanio
suffer for his friend. Rather than being apathetic towards the
situation, Portia creates a functional plan and carries out the plan
to help Bassanio and Antonio. In fact, Portia sees attributes of
Bassanio in Antonio’s personality and states:
for in companions / That do converse and waste the time together,
/ Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love, / There must needs
be a like proportion / Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit; /
Which makes me think that this Antonio, / Being the bosom lover
of my lord, / Must needs be like my lord (3.4.11-18).
Portia’s understanding of Bassanio’s relationship with Antonio
expresses that the three of them are very similar individuals and
cannot function without each other, since their similar
personalities reflect upon each other. Since Bassanio and Portia
are now married, Portia feels a sense of obligation to not only
improve her husband’s well-being, but also protect Antonio as his
loan is what created their relationship.
This type of love that Portia shows toward both Bassanio and
Antonio is very intense and dedicated because she cares deeply
for both men. Bassanio does not seem to care as deeply for Portia
as he does for Antonio due to his decision making when there a
choice must be made between his wife or his best friend. Bassanio
desires to be a good husband toward Portia, as he struggled to
give up the ring and seems remorseful at the end of the play, but
the ring test and his devotion to Antonio both create a
contradiction in his love life. Bassanio’s marriage to Portia
complicates his relationship with Antonio. Bassanio is socially
obligated to care for and love Portia but may feel more personally
inclined to love Antonio and cherish his acts of love.