Free Essays - The Merchant of Venice is Far from Perfect :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

Audens DystopiaThe merchant of Venice is Far from Perfect  In a blameless being, detestation would be without justice love would be totally innocent. However, utopias like that be n 1xistent thus, one can easily look around, like Auden, and exclaim, No hatred is totally without justification, no love is totally innocent. In The Merchant of Venice, there is an im spotless world, as well as a perfect world. The flawed world is the materialistic and bustling city of Venice. The impeccable world is the fairy-tale city of Belmont. Despite Belmonts perfection, a bit of justified hatred from Venice would malign its innocence. (Paradise lost.) Alas, as Auden suggests, there be no utopias. In Venice, time is of the essence. If one were to momentarily forget the real world, one would be trampled down by its massive stampede of events, bonds, et cetera constantly being do, ubiquitously in its domain. Shylock and Antonio are just one pair of culprits adding to the ultimate imperfe ction of Venice. However, the bond made between Shylock and Antonio sets them completely apart from the normal villainy dealings, If you retaliate me not on such a day... let the forfeit / Be nominated for an equal pound / Of your fair flesh, to be cut pip and taken... Act 1, Scene 3. A shrewd merchant, Antonio does not immediately agree to this. He first reasons it out Within these two months--thats a month forward / This bond expires--I do expect return / Of thrice three time the value of this bond. Act 1, Scene 3 If all goes well, our merchant of Venice would have no difficulties in paying Shylock back. However, not all goes well a eon after this bond, rumors on the Rialto suggest that Antonio has lost his fortunes at sea. With not teeming wealth to compensate for his due payment, Antonio is now in danger of losing a pound of his flesh, which in those days meant almost certain death.  In Belmonts tall peak, secluded from the merchants of Venice, time is a silhouette of the real world. Portia sits there pall and bored, waiting for the brave suitor who would agree to risk all for her. She is the perfect woman, wrought of both intelligence and beauty she is like a shuttle trapped in Wonderland. In addition to those materialistic qualities, she is also a faithful daughter. She dutifully holds true to her fathers dying wish and allows her suitors to be chosen by a lottery system.