This is a very interesting and complex question and the
most interesting and complex relationships in the play for me are the father/daughter
relationships. There are two. That both fathers love their daughters is a given for me
but the expression of the love is not so easy to
understand.
First and foremost is the relationship between
Portia and her recently deceased father. Although never physically seen, he looms large
in Belmont. The gilded cage he has placed her in is the root of her wooing in the
play. Dad knew the value of his remarkable daughter. She is indeed the golden
fleece---she is beautiful, brilliant and rich. The conditions of her wooing are life
altering. If correct, you get Portia; if incorrect, you cannot marry (among other
conditions).
We know that Portia and Bassanio are not
strangers. We know that Portia has contempt for the suitors who have already tried in
vain. By the time Bassiano arrives, she knows where her portrait lies and does her best
to lead him to the correct choice.
Did Portia avoid her
father's "trap" or did he know her well enough to protect her against unworthy suitors
and know she would find her match? That is open to interpretation. He did love her
enough to put a high price on her and in that world, it was a necessary
protection.
The relationship between Shylock and Jessica is
also complex. They share only one scene together and Shylock seems strict and unable to
show the love he feels for his daughter. It seem that he has been a single parent in a
society where he is a second class citizen and he has had to work hard to provide for
her. That she betrays him is a knife in his heart. The lose of his jewels and money
cannot compare to the pain he feels when he hears that she has traded a ring he got from
his dead wife for a monkey. That he loves Jessica, I do not doubt. Could he express
this love. No.
Another interesting relationship is the one
between Antonio and Bassanio. Exactly what the relationship is, is up for
interpretation. No age is established for Antonio. If he is an older man, Antonio can
be viewed as a surrogate father or lover. If he is viewed as a young man, the
relationship could be that of a best friend or lover. Antonio is willing to die for his
friend, although the bargain is made in a "merry jest" since Antonio has no doubt that
he will be able to repay the loan.
As for the young people
in the play, there are three different relationships. The one most likely to succeed is
between Portia and Bassanio, although Bassanio is tricked into giving up the ring Portia
gave him. Nerissa and Graziano are another relationship. Nerissa seems rather level
headed whereas Graziano seems like a bigot. As for Jessica and Lorenzo, how can this be
a good relationship when it is bassed on theft and
deceit?
Many relationships are explored in the play, but
the various relationships concerning love are layered and complex and above all
revealing.
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