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Motifs Definition
A dominant or recurring concept
Motifs
●Law
●Cross Dressing
●Filial Piety
Filial Piety (Definition)
A virtue of respect for ones parents
Filial Piety
●MoV endorses the behaviour of those who treat filial piety lightly
●Launcelot greets his blind father with confusing directions and news of his death (sets stage for Jessica)
●Jessica has a strong hatred for her father although she has no specific complaints and in one scene he fusses over her. She trades Leahs Ring for a monkey making us question her respect for both parents
● In contrast, Portia sets a different example by obeying her fathers will
Cross Dressing
●Used twice in play for daring escapes
●Very common in renaissance drama, Shakespeare used it frequently
● Portia enables herself to assume the power and position denied to her as a woman through cross dressing.
Law
●Very important in Venice
●Shylock who follows the law the most ends up being prosecuted by it in the end
● Portia who was imprisoned by the casket test and her fathers will ends up being the most lawful in the court scene, saving the day for the Christians
Themes
●Appearance vs. Reality
●The Divine Quality of Mercy
●Hatred as a Cyclical Phenomenon
● Self-Interest vs. Love
Appearance vs. Reality
●The casket tests true answer is not the one that visually represents Portia, it in reality is the least valuable
●When Shylock says that he wants a pound of flesh, we assume he is joking when in reality he is dead serious
The Divine Quality of Mercy
●The Shylock/Antonio conflict eventually comes down to mercy, all of the characters know that the law supports Shylock but expect him to show mercy (Christianity)
● "The quality of mercy is not strained" - Portia
●She also states that being merciful brings us closer to god
●Then she strips Shylock of his bond, estate and dignity and forces him to beg for mercy (swap)
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