Contemporary Issues in The Merchant of Venice Essay -- Merchant of Ven

Contemporary Issues in The merchant of Venice Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice is still pertinent today beca white plague it deals with issues which still affect us. Throughout the play a mark is made between how things appear and how they are in truth. The issue of port versus reality is demonstrated in varied ways, mainly by the use of real-life situations. The first representation of this is Shylocks generosity with his m sensationy and eagerness to make friends with Antonio when he says, I say, to buy his favour, I extend this friendship, when all he wants is to pick up a pound of Antonios flesh and end his life, If I can catch up with him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient score I bear him. Shylock pretends to want to be friends with Antonio, but only wants revenge against the Jew-hater. The choosing of the three caskets is used as the main explanation of sort versus reality. The suitor of Portia must(prenominal) choose either a gold, sil ver or lead casket, where the right choice will allow the suitor to marry her. The Prince of Morocco, on choosing the beautiful gold casket with the inscription, Who chooseth me shall gain what many work force desire, sees the message, All that glisters is not gold, and is thus turned away by Portia. The Prince of Arragon, on choosing the silver casket with, Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves, receives a fools head, and is told that that is what he deserves. Bassanio however, on correctly choosing the lead casket with the inscription, Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath, says, The world is still (constantly) deceived with ornament. ... ...actions with one another throughout the play. Appearance versus reality is explored when Shylock pretends to be Antonios friend, with the choosing of the caskets, and when Portia and Nerissa go to court in disguise to help out Antonio and Bassanio. Racial favoritism is shown in depth with the confrontations of Antonio and Shylock. Overall The Merchant Of Venice explores both appearance versus reality and racial prejudice, which are two issues that still hold importance in present-day society. Works Cited and Consulted Barnet Sylvan. Introduction. The Merchant of Venice Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New Jersey Prentice-Hall Inc., 1970. 1-10. Granville-Barker, Harley. The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare Ed. Leonard F. Dean. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1947. 37-71.