THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 威尼斯商人英文版赏析.doc

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Key Facts full title??·??The Comical History of the Merchant of Venice, or Otherwise Called the Jew of Venice genre??·?Comedy language??·?English time and place written??·??1598; London, England date of first publication??·?First published in the Quarto of?1600 publisher??·?I. R. for Thomas Heys tone??·?Comic, romantic, tragic setting (time)??·?Sixteenth century setting (place)??·?Venice and Belmont, Italy protagonist??·?There is no clear protagonist. Antonio is the merchant of the play’s title, but he plays a relatively passive role. The major struggles of the play are Bassanio’s quest to marry Portia and his attempt to free Antonio from Shylock, so Bassanio is the likeliest candidate. major conflict??·?Antonio defaults on a loan he borrowed from Shylock, wherein he promises to sacrifice a pound of flesh. rising action??·?Antonio’s ships, the only means by which he can pay off his debt to Shylock, are reported lost at sea. climax??·?Portia, disguised as a man of law, intervenes on Antonio’s behalf. falling action??·?Shylock is ordered to convert to Christianity and bequeath his possessions to Lorenzo and Jessica; Portia and Nerissa persuade their husbands to give up their rings themes??·?Self-interest versus love; the divine quality of mercy; hatred as a cyclical phenomenon motifs??·?The law; cross-dressing; filial piety symbols??·?The pound of flesh; Leah’s ring; the three caskets foreshadowing??·?In the play’s opening scene, Shakespeare foreshadows Antonio’s grim future by suggesting both his indebtedness to a creditor and the loss of his valuable ships. Context The Merchant of Venice?was probably written in either?1596?or?1597, after Shakespeare had written such plays as?Romeo and Juliet?and?Richard III,but before he penned the great tragedies of his later years. Its basic plot outline, with the characters of the merchant, the poor suitor, the fair lady, and the villainous Jew, is found in a number of contemporary Italian story collections