Analysis

To help you look at any scene in The Merchant of Venice and begin to analyse it, it’s important to ask questions about how it's written and why.

Shakespeare’s plays are driven by their characters and every choice that’s made about words, structure and rhythm tells you something about the person, their relationships or their mood in that moment. You should always try and ask yourself, like actors do, why is the character saying what they are saying or doing what they are doing? What is their motive?

Just like Detectives, we need to look for clues to help us answer those questions each time and below you can find some interrogation techniques we use to analyse text, introduced by the actors that use them. 

  • Analysing Portia's Language

    Portia has the largest speaking role in the entire play, with 22 per cent of the text spoken by her and she appears in more scenes than any of the other characters. She plays a crucial part in a number of different strands in the plot. Ultimately she is the reason that Antonio ends up ‘bound’ to Shylock, because Antonio borrows money to give to Bassanio in order for him to be able to go to Belmont and woo Portia. We learn a great deal about Portia from what others say about her, but we can learn the most from what she says herself.

    In this speech from Act 3, Scene 2, Portia tries to stop Bassanio from choosing the casket straight away. From what she says we can find out what she thinks and feels about Bassanio as well as discovering a bit more about her character.

    What can we learn about Portia from this speech?

    One of the major features of this speech is Portia’s prominent use of antithesis. Watch this Text Detectives video to find out more about what antithesis is and see if you can spot where Portia uses it in her speech.

    Portia
    I pray you tarry. Pause a day or two
    Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong
    I lose your company: therefore forbear awhile.
    There’s something tells me, but it is not love,
    I would not lose you, and you know yourself,
    Hate counsels not in such a quality;
    But lest you should not understand me well —
    I would detain you here some month or two
    Before you venture for me. I could teach you
    How to choose right, but then I am forsworn.
    So will I never be. So may you miss me.
    But if you do, you’ll make me wish a sin,
    That I had been forsworn. Beshrew your eyes,
    They have o’erlooked me and divided me.
    One half of me is yours, the other half yours,
    Mine own, I would say. But if mine, then yours,
    And so all yours. O, these naughty times
    Puts bars between the owners and their rights!
    And so, though yours, not yours. Prove it so,
    Let fortune go to hell for it, not I.
    I speak too long, but ’tis to peise the time,
    To eke it and to draw it out in length,
    To stay you from election.
    To wait.
    Postpone making your choice for a bit.
    Keep.
    Then I will break the promise that I swore to keep.
    Curse your eyes!
    To weigh and slow down.
    Draw out and prolong.

    Questions to consider

    • What commands or instructions does she give to Bassanio?
    • Are there any particular sounds or words that stand out?
    • Are there any particular sounds or words that are repeated?
    • If you are able to read along you will also notice the punctuation and where each line ends. This speech is written in verse, like a poem. Think about where the character is breathing and pausing; how does this make her come across?
    • If you wrote down all those line-ending words, what would you think the speech is about? Does that feel right?
    • How does Portia’s choice of language change or develop as the speech goes on?
    • The speech can be divided into what she says about herself and what she says about Bassanio. How does she describe each of them? How does she show that they are connected?

    Using some of the questions above, we’ve started to look at what Portia’s language tells us about her in this speech from Act 3, Scene 2. See if you can complete the grid below and finish the four points which explain what this speech reveals about the character at this point in the play.

    Point

    Portia clearly states what she wants Bassanio to do, and the nature of these commands shows just how much she wants him to stay at Belmont.

    Evidence

    ‘I pray you tarry' / 'Pause a day or two before you hazard,' / 'Prove it so'

    Explanation

    Portia gives Bassanio a series of commands throughout the speech. Each one contains strong, plosive ‘ps’, which emphasise the strength of the emotion behind her desire for him to stay. The commands are also incredibly clear and straightforward, composed of mainly monosyllabic words, suggesting that she doesn’t want there to be any confusion about what her intentions are!

    Point

    During this speech Portia’s frequent use of antithesis and opposites implies that she is emotionally torn between her love for Bassanio and her willingness to follow the terms of her father’s will.

    Evidence Select an option

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point

    The language in her speech becomes increasingly passionate and less rational as it unfolds, showing how desperately she cares about Bassanio and how frustrated by the terms of the will she is.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point Click text to edit

    Enter your point here.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    What else can I do to explore Portia's language?

    • Try applying these same strategies to all of Portia’s speeches to reveal any shifts or development in her language and behaviour as the play unfolds.
    • Portia is often very explicit in expressing what it is she wants from other people. Can you identify what exactly it is that she wants from the other characters she interacts with? What are the different strategies that she uses to try and persuade them to do what she wants them to?
    • Take a look at how Portia’s language changes when she talks to different people. How does she modify what she says in order to suit who she is talking to? Why do you think she does this? Does it work for her?
    • Keep a record of the images Portia uses in her language. Do you notice any patterns or themes emerging? What do these tell us about the way Portia views her situation and her attitude towards other characters?

  • Analysing Shylock's Language

    The play is called The Merchant of Venice and so we may well expect it to focus mostly on Antonio, the Venetian merchant. However, Shylock has the much larger role (he has almost double the number of lines) and it is his insistence on the terms of the bond including a ‘pound of flesh’ that creates the main drama in the play. He is a fascinating character and since the play was first performed there has been debate over whether he is a victim or a villain.

    If we look at his monologue in Act 1, Scene 3, we can examine what he says to Antonio and start to understand some of the reasons why Shylock behaves as he does towards Antonio. In order to get some tips on what to look for in a character’s monologue, watch this video where actor Mark Quartley shares how to explore the clues Shakespeare gives us in the writing.

    What can we learn about Shylock from this speech?

    One of the main questions asked about Shylock is: why he does he demand a ‘pound of flesh’ from Antonio as the term of the bond if Antonio is unable to pay the 3,000 ducats back within three months?

    Using Mark’s techniques, look at Shylock’s monologue in Act 1, Scene 3 and explore what you notice about the:

    • Imagery
    • Metre
    • Word choice
    Shylock
    Signor Antonio, many a time and oft
    In the Rialto you have rated me
    About my moneys and my usances.
    Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,
    For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
    You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
    And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine,
    And all for use of that which is mine own.
    Well then, it now appears you need my help.
    Go to, then. You come to me and you say
    ‘Shylock, we would have moneys’ — you say so,
    You that did void your rheum upon my beard,
    And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
    Over your threshold. Moneys is your suit.
    What should I say to you? Should I not say,
    ‘Hath a dog money? Is it possible
    A cur should lend three thousand ducats?’ Or
    Shall I bend low and in a bondman’s key,
    With bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness,
    Say this: ‘Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last;
    You spurned me such a day; another time
    You called me dog, and for these courtesies
    I’ll lend you thus much moneys’?
    An area in Venice where most business dealings took place.
    Deals to do with ‘usury’ or loaning money.
    A type of coat or cloak worn when the play was written.
    To spit.
    A mongrel dog.
    A slave or servant’s way of doing something.
    Whispered and spoken in a quiet tone of voice.
    Text edited for rehearsals by Polly Findlay

    Questions to consider

    • Which images strike you most in this speech? What sort of pictures do they create in your mind and what do they imply about Shylock’s feelings towards Antonio?
    • This monologue is written in verse, in Iambic Pentameter. How regular is the rhythm? Are there any lines with fewer or more than ten syllables? What might this suggest about how Shylock is feeling at this point?
    • List all of the verbs in the speech. What do you notice about them? What do they reveal about how Antonio has treated Shylock in the past?
    • Can you find examples of alliteration and how do you think that alliteration affects the mood of the speech?

    Using Mark's strategies as a starting point we have begun to look at what the language Shylock uses in the monologue tells us about his relationship with Antonio. See if you can complete the grid below and finish the four points which explain what this speech reveals about the character at this point in the play.

    Point

    The rhythm of the first line suggests that Shylock has powerful emotional feelings towards Antonio.

    Evidence

    ‘Signior Antonio, many a time and oft.'

    Explanation

    This line has an extra iamb in it; there are twelve, rather than the standard ten beats of Iambic Pentameter. These extra beats suggest that Shylock cannot contain his powerful dislike of Antonio within a measured, reasoned rhythm. It is as though the emotion and resentment is bursting and overflowing over the end of the verse line. The extra beat also helps to emphasise how frequently Antonio has insulted Shylock in the past.

    Point

    Shylock uses lots of quoted speech in this monologue in order to try and shame Antonio for his past behaviour towards Shylock and make fun of what he could say to Antonio now.

    Evidence Select an option

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point

    Shylock seems vividly impacted by what Antonio has done to him in the past, as revealed by many of the verbs that he lists.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point Click text to edit

    Enter your point here.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    What else can I do to explore Shylock's language?

    • Count the number of beats in each line of the speech. How many have ten and how many are irregular? What might this suggest about Shylock’s state of mind at this point?
    • Look at how Shylock differentiates between himself and Antonio. How does Shakespeare compare them to each other?
    • How many references to Shylock’s religion does he make? Look at the other religious references in the play and how the Christians and the Jews view each other. How do these differences of opinion impact the way the characters feel about and treat each other?
    • Try applying these same strategies to the other speeches Shylock has in the play. Do you notice any changes in the way that he speaks? How do the images and words develop and become more intense?

  • Analysing the Imagery

    As with all of Shakespeare’s plays, there are lots of types of imagery used in The Merchant of Venice. It’s a great idea to keep a list of the key quotes and imagery used in each act.

    Here are three types of imagery that come up a lot in The Merchant of Venice:

    Animal Imagery

    • A number of characters use animal imagery to describe Shylock. Shylock recalls when Antonio called him a ‘cut-throat dog’ (1:3) and later on in the play Gratiano calls him an ‘inexecrable dog’ (4:1). Shylock’s language is also full of animals. He speaks of ‘land rats and water rats’, as well as citing passages from the Bible and the story of Jacob’s ‘parti-coloured lambs’ (1:1).
    • How many examples of animal imagery can you find in the play and what do they reveal about the character who uses them?

    Human Body Imagery

    • The human body is depicted in a variety of ways in the play. Sometimes it is something which is sick and a thing to be concerned about. For example when Gratiano says to Antonio, ‘you look not well’ and is troubled that a man ‘whose blood is warm within’ looks like a cold stone statue (1:1). Sometimes it is reduced to meat that can be traded with as Shylock wants a pound of Antonio’s ‘fair flesh’ if he fails to pay back the money on time. The human body is also presented as a shell that can hide an evil being underneath; as Salerio describes Shylock in Act 3, Scene 2, ‘A creature that did bear the shape of man’, or Antonio says of him in Act 1, Scene 3, ‘a villain with a smiling cheek’.
    • How many examples of human body imagery can you find in the play and what do they reveal about the character who uses them?

    Wealth and Possessions Imagery

    • The characters in the play all have very different levels of wealth. In the first scene of the play Bassanio admits to Antonio that he has ‘disabled mine estate’ and since he is has no money of his own, is not in a position to woo Portia, ‘a lady richly left’. Although Antonio is wealthy, he has no readily available cash and so cannot ‘raise a present sum’ as his ‘fortunes are at sea’ on cargo ships. Portia on the other hand has plenty of money to hand and when she hears of Antonio’s inability to pay Shylock back offers to ‘pay him six thousand’ and then ‘double six thousand, and then treble that’. For some characters their possessions are more than just financial. Shylock is horrified by the loss of his money and his turquoise ring when his child when Jessica escapes, crying ‘O, my ducats! O, my daughter!’
    • Look at all of the different material possessions that are mentioned in the play. There are numerous caskets and rings across Venice and Belmont. Who do they belong to? Why are each of these important to the characters that own them?
    • Take a closer look at this extract from Act 1, Scene 1 to see how imagery involving wealth and possessions is used in this scene and what it reveals about Bassanio and Antonio’s relationship. Where else can you find examples of money and possessions playing a key role? How does wealth either motivate or change the fortunes of particular characters?

    Antonio
    Well, tell me now, what lady is the same
    To whom you swore a secret pilgrimage
    That you today promised to tell me of?
    Bassanio
    ’Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,
    How much I have disabled mine estate
    By something showing a more swelling port
    Than my faint means would grant continuance.
    Nor do I now make moan to be abridged
    From such a noble rate, but my chief care
    Is to come fairly off from the great debts
    Wherein my time something too prodigal
    Hath left me gaged. To you, Antonio,
    I owe the most in money and in love,
    And from your love I have a warranty
    To unburden all my plots and purposes
    How to get clear of all the debts I owe.
    Antonio
    I pray you good Bassanio, let me know it,
    And if it stand as you yourself still do,
    Within the eye of honour, be assured
    My purse, my person, my extremest means,
    Lie all unlocked to your occasions.
    Bassanio
    In my schooldays, when I had lost one shaft,
    I shot his fellow of the selfsame flight
    The selfsame way with more advisèd watch
    To find the other forth, and by adventuring both
    I oft found both. I urge this childhood proof
    Because what follows is pure innocence.
    I owe you much and, like a wilful youth,
    That which I owe is lost. But if you please
    To shoot another arrow that self way
    Which you did shoot the first, I do not doubt,
    As I will watch the aim, or to find both,
    Or bring your latter hazard back again,
    And thankfully rest debtor for the first
    Antonio
    You know me well, and herein spend but time
    To wind about my love with circumstance,
    And out of doubt you do me now more wrong
    In making question of my uttermost
    Than if you had made waste of all I have.
    Then do but say to me what I should do
    That in your knowledge may by me be done,
    And I am prest unto it: therefore speak.
    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 receive fair speechless messages.
    Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued
    To Cato’s daughter, Brutus’ Portia.
    Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth,
    For the four winds blow in from every coast
    Renownèd suitors, And many Jasons come in quest of her.
    O my Antonio, had I but the means
    To hold a rival place with one of them,
    I have a mind presages me such thrift,
    That I should questionless be fortunate.
    Antonio
    Thou know’st that all my fortunes are at sea,
    Neither have I money, nor commodity
    To raise a present sum: therefore go forth.
    Try what my credit can in Venice do,
    That shall be racked, even to the uttermost,
    To furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Portia.
    Go presently inquire, and so will I,
    Where money is, and I no question make
    To have it of my trust or for my sake. (Exeunt)

    Thinking about Act 1 Scene 1 we’ve started to look at what the language involving wealth and possessions in the scene tells us about Bassanio and Antonio. See if you can complete the below grid and create four points which explain what this language shows about both the Venetians’ individual financial situations and their relationship.

    Point

    Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship is one in which emotional and financial support are inseparably intertwined.

    Evidence

    ‘To you Antonio, / I owe the most in money and in love’ (Bassanio, 1:1)

    Explanation

    Bassanio admits that he is most indebted to Antonio for his past support and that Antonio has helped him with both money and emotional matters. Even though Bassanio confesses that he has lost the money that Antonio has lent him in the past, Antonio is still committed to helping his friend in whatever way he can. The very first thing he offers is cash, but he also pledges that he is entirely committed to supporting him however he is personally able to.

    Point

    Bassanio acknowledges that he hasn’t got enough money to woo Portia at present, but he is determined that if he did have some wealth, he’d stand a chance of increasing his fortunes, by gaining an extremely rich wife.

    Evidence Select an option

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point

    Bassanio admits that he has lost both his own family money and money lent to him by Antonio in the past. In light of this, he doesn’t seem to be very trustworthy when it comes to financial matters.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

    Point Click text to edit

    Enter your point here.

    Evidence Click text to edit

    Enter your evidence here.

    Explanation Click text to edit

    Enter your explanation here.

  • Analysing the Themes

    As with all of Shakespeare’s plays, there are lots of themes that appear in The Merchant of Venice. It’s a great idea to keep a list of key quotes and themes in each act.

    Here are three themes that can be seen in The Merchant of Venice and are useful to look out for:

    Theme of trade

    • Lots of trade and exchanges take place in The Merchant of Venice. There is of course the main deal which takes place when Antonio borrows ‘three thousand ducats for three months’ from Shylock and agrees to give him a pound of his flesh, ‘to be cut off and taken’ from whatever part of Antonio’s body ‘pleaseth’ Shylock best (1:1) if he can’t pay the money back in time. Antonio is a ‘merchant’ after all and so it is his job to do trade deals, but many other deals and exchanges take place in the play too. For example Portia’s suitors trade their future potential for romantic happiness for a chance to win Portia’s hand in marriage, as they promise never to marry anyone at all if they choose the wrong casket.
    • The theme of trade is tied closely to risk in the play, something which is explored through the choice of the lead casket which asks the chooser to ‘give and hazard all he hath’. When he makes this choice Bassanio risks not only making the wrong choice, but also losing all of Antonio’s borrowed money, placing his friend in jeopardy.
    • See how many different ‘trade deals’ you can find in the play. Are they all to do with money? What is at stake for each person involved in the trade? Do you think each deal is fair?

    Theme of prejudice

    • The most prominent form of prejudice in the play is the antisemitism directed towards Shylock. Shylock points out that Antonio ‘hates’ his ‘sacred nation’. However Shylock is also prejudiced against Antonio because of his religion: ‘I hate him for he is a Christian’ (1:3). As well as prejudice involving religion, there are also examples of racism in the play. The Prince of Morocco assumes that the ‘fair’ Portia will be prejudiced towards him because of the colour of his skin so he asks her to ‘mislike me not for my complexion’ (2:1) and indeed when the Prince chooses the wrong casket, Portia announces that she hopes that ‘all of his complexion choose’ the wrong casket so that she doesn’t have to marry anyone who has the same skin colour as the Prince (2:7).
    • How many characters are prejudiced against Shylock because of his religion? Can you find examples where they explicitly mention the fact that Shylock is a Jew? How extreme are the insults that are directed at him?

    Theme of forgiveness and mercy

    • Many of the characters in the play either ask others for forgiveness for things that they have done wrong, or implore people to show mercy on behalf of someone else. When it is clear that Shylock and Antonio’s ‘bond’ is legal and Shylock is entitled to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh, first the Duke and then Portia ask Shylock to show mercy for Antonio, but Shylock refuses. In the final scene of the play, both Bassanio and Gratiano need to ask their wives for forgiveness after it’s discovered that they gave their rings away. Bassanio asks Portia to ‘pardon this fault’ and tries to justify why he gave the ring away. Unlike Shylock, Portia and Nerissa do show mercy and they forgive their husbands (but on the condition that the men promise to keep the rings this time!)
    • What are the different tactics that the Duke and Portia use in Act 4, Scene 1 in order to try and persuade Shylock to show mercy? Which do you find most persuasive?
    • The Duke and Antonio ultimately show mercy towards Shylock by not killing him, however they take away his money and force him to convert to Christianity. Do you think this is fair or hypocritical in the way that their ‘forgiveness’ comes with such a heavy punishment?

Teacher Notes

The following activities will help you to explore Portia’s language in Act 3 Scene 2 even further, particularly considering the setting of Belmont and the nature of the ‘caskets’ that have been set up. In the 2011 production Belmont was reimagined as a TV game show set, in which Portia was the ultimate prize and this choice is explored in the activity.

Exploring Belmont (2011)

The activity can be found on pages 5-6 and takes approximately 30 minutes.

You can also print the PEE grids from each of the sections on this page to help students explore the language of central characters and some of the imagery used in more detail.