Thread: Merchant of Venice...

...question? Okay.In the Merchant of Venice , I really like Shylock and I dont think its fair how Portia came up with the idea to tell him take his flesh but make sure you dont spill any of his blood.Okay , she was right , there was nothing in the deal about blood , but oh well , the guy has lost his bet so he has to give his bit of flesh closest to his heart , blood or no blood!Do you get where Im coming from?Anyone else agree with me?

You are talking from the modern world perspective, when we all know about the Holocasut etc. However, if you think back in 16th century, Shakespeare was simply stating the view of his society on this problem - Jews are evil and have to be punished. This view of course is racist and outrageous, but to understand the play, you have to consider this as well

I think that the point was that neither man had thought about the consequences of his actions. Making a deal where someone gets to cut out a pound of flesh was not wise. Shylock was also unwise in not considering that collecting on the debt would also be troublesome. It was a dumb deal and Portia was hoping that both men would learn from their mistake.

I think that the point was that neither man had thought about the consequences of his actions. Making a deal where someone gets to cut out a pound of flesh was not wise. Shylock was also unwise in not considering that collecting on the debt would also be troublesome. It was a dumb deal and Portia was hoping that both men would learn from their mistake.