Language and Structure in The Merchant of Venice

Genre

The Merchant of Venice is classified as a comedy and exhibits many traits typical of Shakespearean comedies:

However, the play also deviates from a typical Shakespearean comedy:

• The lovers marry midway through the play. This shifts the focus to the plot involving Shylock and Antonio rather than the lovers.

• As a villain, Shylock is a complex and sympathetic character. For example, he delivers a speech about the inhumane treatment he has suffered for being a Jew, asking, “Hath not a Jew eyes?” The sentimental value he places on his deceased wife’s ring, shows him as a loving person rather than one solely driven by greed. Modern audiences are often uncomfortable taking satisfaction in his downfall, recognising the deep-seated prejudice he faces. 

The Structure of The Merchant of Venice 

The Merchant of Venice follows the classic five-act structure. This allows for a gradual increase in tension and a satisfying conclusion.

PERSONALISED 1-TO-1 TUTORING

Need more help on this topic? Get 1-to-1 support

Get support with clear explanations, practice and feedback (Ages 5 to 16).

• DBS-checked tutors
• Flexible times
• Parents can be updated

Book a free 10-min call See pricing

Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to remove ads

• Act 1: Exposition – This act introduces the main characters, their relationships, and initial plot lines: Antonio’s unexplained sadness, Bassanio’s aspiration to win Portia’s love, and the deadly bond between Antonio and Shylock.

• Act 2: Rising Action – Here, the different plots start to intertwine. The audience witnesses the casket test for Portia’s suitors and Jessica’s dramatic elopement with Lorenzo, which escalates Shylock’s animosity towards Antonio.

• Act 3: Climax – The tension peaks as Shylock adamantly demands his pound of flesh from Antonio, who cannot repay the loan due to the reported loss of his ships at sea.

• Act 4: Falling Action – The courtroom scene provides the play’s most dramatic moments. Portia, disguised as a lawyer, ingeniously saves Antonio and outsmarts Shylock, leading to a dramatic shift in fortunes.

• Act 5: Resolution – The subplots are resolved: the reunion of the lovers in Belmont, the reveal of Portia’s and Nerissa’s disguises and the news of Antonio’s recovered wealth.

Prose and Verse

• Prose is a form of language similar to everyday speech. It has no specific structure or rhythmic pattern.

• Verse follows a specific rhythm and meter, typically featuring five pairs of unstressed and stressed beats in each line (often adding up to ten syllables). It is often used in poetry and songs and can be either rhymed or unrhymed. 

Shakespeare’s use of prose and verse is often related to the social status of his characters. Typically, uneducated, working-class characters (like Launcelot) speak in prose:

“Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine elbow and tempts me saying to me ‘Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot,’ or ‘good Gobbo,’ or good Launcelot”

In contrast, educated characters from higher social classes (such as Antonio, Portia and Jessica) usually speak in verse. We see this in Jessica’s speech about leaving her father:

“I am sorry thou wilt leave my father so.
Our house is Hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness”.

However, subtle shifts between verse and prose occur throughout the play. For example, the merchants often use prose when discussing financial matters, as seen when Bassanio and Shylock negotiate the loan in Act 1 Scene 3. Similarly, Portia switches to prose when telling Nerissa about her bad experiences with suitors. This reflects the emotional turmoil and the informal nature of her dialogue with her waiting-maid.

Humour

Shakespeare uses witty wordplay and clever banter to infuse his plays with comedy. For instance, Portia and Nerissa often engage in humorous conversations, particularly when discussing Portia’s various suitors.

Portia humorously critiques one suitor, noting that he “doth nothing but talk of his horse”. She then wonders whether “his mother played false with a smith” (Implying that his mother had an affair with a blacksmith, which might explain his obsession with horses). She further jests that she would “rather be married to a death’s-head” (skull) than any of her past suitors.

Gratiano is also known for his wit, consistently delivering humorous remarks throughout the play. He expresses his desire for a fun life, declaring:

“Let me play the fool
With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come,
And let my liver rather heat with wine
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.”

Here, Gratiano humorously advocates for a life aged by laughter and wine, viewing it as a favourable trade-off. As a character, he adds a lighter tone to the tense plot involving the moneylending and the casket test.

Dramatic Irony 

Dramatic irony is a literary technique where the audience knows information that the other characters do not. This often heightens the play’s tension.

Portia disguises herself as a male lawyer to save Antonio. While the audience is aware of her true identity, the other characters, including Bassanio, remain oblivious. Bassanio notably declares:

“But life itself, my wife, and all the world,
Are not with me esteem’d above thy life:
I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all”.

Although he does not realise, Bassanio is expressing his willingness to sacrifice everything, including his wife, directly to Portia herself, disguised as the lawyer. This statement, with its dramatic irony, adds layers of tension and anticipation for the audience as they watch the unfolding events, fully aware of Portia’s actual identity.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary technique used to provide hints or clues about events that will occur later in the play. In the beginning, Antonio expresses a mysterious sadness:

“In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
It wearies me”

This foreshadows the pain he will face later on.

Similarly, Portia’s mention of the “scroll of fortune” in her father’s will subtly hints at the importance of the casket test. This challenge will determine her future, as her prospective husband must select the correct casket to marry her.