The aim of this essay is to present you with the analysis of Bassanio’s character in the Shakespearean play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The ‘Merchant of Venice’ proves the magique talent of Shakespeare to depict the mystery and paradox which characterizes the mysterious complexity of the human soul. The aim of this essay is to prove the power and talent of Shakespeare to shed light in the mysterious maze of the paradoxes of the human soul through the reflections drawn upon the reading of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and the specific character of Bassanio. The essay will prove how Bassanio represents the paradox and ambiguity of the human soul and the contradictions which exist in one’s behavior.
Bassanio is the man who represents the social class of those rich gentlemen who fail to keep their wealth due to their living with no rules and at great expenses, but they finally reach the point when they manage to escape their financial dead end and they gain whatever they had first stated as their personal goals.
Bassanio is a man who has fallen in love with Portia but the way he experiences his love and deep feelings for her cause great surprise to the readers. The way that Bassanio is reacting towards his feelings is a mirror on which the complexity of a human’s character is reflected. He falls in love with Portia and he admires her wealth but despite the depth of his feelings, he appears to criticize negatively this wealth. Bassanio shows skepticism as far as the criteria upon which people are judged are concerned. Shakespeare here uses the figure of Bassanio in order to awake people’s thoughts and raise their critical thinking. The poet wishes to make people realize that appearance is not always what it seems to be and this is why he shows this complexity in Bassanio’s character. He wishes to make it clear to his audience that he knows the dilemmas which people face in their everyday lives. The poet and playwright wishes to make people realize that he knows how difficult it is to reach a conclusion for one’s character without being affected by his / her looks and / or origins. It is notable to say that Shakespeare lived in a period which was characterized by the social imprisonment of people in terms of their being socially classified according to their origins and earnings.
Shakespeare seems to wish to emphasize on the fact that people ought to be judged according to their real character which may have nothing in common with their physical wealth. It could be also argued that Shakespeare wishes to shed light on the real nature of wealth. Wealth ought not to signify only the physical richness which can be counted and calculated. Probably, Shakespeare wants to show to people that they ought to be interested in the deep nature of wealth which is the richness of their soul and their feelings. This is why Bassanio is used by Shakespeare in such a way that the ambiguity of people’s minds is revealed. Bassanio is used in order to emphasize on the fact that people need to take a long way in order to find out the real nature of wealth and richness.
A similar situation exists in the other play of Shakespeare, Othello. People are also presented there to be conquered by a torn-out behavior which proves the double edged side of things. There is not only black and white in people’s lives. There is also grey. The most important element of Bassanio in the Merchant of Venice and of Othello in the similar titled play, is the fact that both heroes prove the truth of life’s double nature.
People can be influenced by one side of an issue and can fall in the trap of looking into things being narrow minded but they will always look into things under a different aspect as long as they keep their minds wide open.
Works Cited
Kaplan, M. Lindsay The Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts New York Bedford/St Martin’s 2002
