Characters in Merchant of Venice Essay

'Interesting characters rather then profound themes lie at the heart of any Shakespearian play.' This statement is true for a number of reasons. Although themes are vitally important, characters are what are needed to identify with, otherwise the audience loses interest. Characters are needed for the audience to relate to so the play can be understood. Secondly, themes lie within the characters. Characters are what are required to carry the themes.

For a play to be successful, the audience must be able to identify with the characters. In Merchant of Venice, the themes love, racism and loyalty are all raised. All of these themes are very thought provoking some may even say life changing. But if no one could relate to the bitter Shylock, or the generous Antonio, or the escaping but in love Jessica, then the play would not be nearly as successful. Less people would have sat through the play back in the 16th century, and no one would have any idea who Shakespeare was some four hundred years later. It is because people, from the 1700s and the 2000s, are able to feel empathy for the characters that Merchant of Venice is still well known today. Surely this would mean that characters are more vital than themes indeed, without interesting characters, what reason is there for the audience to play attention to the themes? People can relate to Portia, who is choosing a husband for herself but is still required to obey her late father's wishes. When leaving the theater, the audience think of characters such as Portia, not the themes of confusion and being torn that lie behind the character. The audience feels empathy for her, and are compelled to keep watching to find out what she will become. The audience tends to be more interested in interesting characters than profound themes. Plays are mainly written with the purpose to entertain, so surely what the audience wants is what is important

.Only if people can see themselves in characters do themes have any impact. In Merchant of Venice, Shylock is treated poorly because of his religion. When the opportunity comes for him to gain revenge on Antonio, who has always degraded him for being Jewish, Shylock takes the chance. Not everyone has faced racism, but many have had the chance to take revenge against one who was wronged them in the past. People can feel sympathetic for Shylock at this stage, and empathize with him. It is only then when the audience can see the themes of vengeance and racism. If a member of the audience dislikes Jewish people, then he would not feel any empathy towards Shylock. Instead, he would dislike him more for putting Antonio's life at risk, and then happy when discovering Shylock is law bound not to hurt Antonio. In summery, this man would only be paying attention to the plot, not the theme behind it. To truly see the themes, people need to be able to empathize with the characters. Shakespeare uses real emotions that people can relate to for the audience to see the themes. Characters are more important then themes as they are what the audience must empathise with to grasp the themes.

Themes are unable to exist without characters. Without characters there is no story, let alone profound themes. The Merchant of Venice is purely dialouge. There is no voiceover explaining to the audience what is happening. The viewers must watch the characters, and through them themes appear. An example is Jessica. Through dialouge with other characters and monologue, the audience knows of her love for Lancelot and her dislike of her father. The theme of changing for the people you love arises when Jessica changes her religion for her future husband. Betrayal is also used, for Jessica leaves her father and also steals money from him. These themes are quite thought provoking, and admittingly important topics for all viewers should one change for another and is family not more important than lovers? But these questions could not be asked at all if Jessica did not exist. These actions are needed to be carried out before questions on the theme are asked. Themes exist within characters, what all their motives and actions are based on. Without characters, there are no themes. Moreover, the play would not be there if characters were not. This makes characters more important than theme, for if characters were not there then themes would not be either.

Characters are what are used to get the author's message across. By reading the text in Merchant of Venice, it is to be believed that Shakespeare held the virtue of generosity in high regard. To show what an important trait this is, Shakespeare shows what a good friend Antonio is by having him let Bassiano take his name to loan money and all to meet a girl. The entire trip could have failed and Antonio may never have seen his money again, but Antonio is happy to let Bassiano go. Characters are used to get the writers messages, themes and views across. Another example is Shylock's speech on Jewish rights. It is not known whether Shakespeare shared Shylock's views, but today people still discuss at length this vital part of the play. But characters are what are needed to convey thoughts and ideas to the audience, by means of their actions and words.

Characters are more important then themes in any Shakespearian play. The audience must be able to identify with the characters, so they do not lose interest. Themes are unable to exist without characters, as characters are what carries the play itself. And lastly, people need to be able to empathize with the characters to grasp the themes of the play. Interesting characters are indeed what lies at the heart of Merchant of Venice, and all Shakespearian plays.

Word Count: 982.