How does Shakespeare demonstrate that love and friendship can overcome greed in the Merchant of Venice Essay Example

How does Shakespeare demonstrate that love and friendship can overcome greed in the Merchant of Venice Essay Example How does Shakespeare demonstrate that love and friendship can overcome greed in the Merchant of Venice Paper How does Shakespeare demonstrate that love and friendship can overcome greed in the Merchant of Venice Paper but he not only felt angry, he damned her. She did what she did for the sake of love, but even so stealing from her father shows her greed, and in a way, shows how she takes after him in being greedy. In this case, both love and greed instigated the actions of Jessica, a combination which doesnt occur with any other character in the play. Indeed, the eloping and unification of Jessica and Lorenzo is a very significant part of the play, as at the time it was written, Jewish people were seen as outcasts in England. Therefore the fact that Jessica converted to Christianity may have been more of a significant talking point 500 years ago than it is now. Jessica always had a slightly awkward relationship with her father, Shylock. It pinnacle of this awkward relationship was her change of religion, which completely distanced her from her father. Both characters were greedy people, but perhaps in different ways, and relatives with similar personalities are known to clash. Her relationship was the mirror opposite to that of Portia and her father. We dont know how they got on, but we do know that Portia respected her fathers wishes and had faith in him. This could not be said for Jessica. She turned on him (by stealing and rebelling) as quickly as he turned on her (damning her). This perhaps could have been because she was a Jewish girl growing up in England, and she rebelled. Portia was probably brought up as a little princess and so had nothing but admiration for her father. Each girls social, cultural and historical background contributed to how they grew up and in turn got on with their parents. Throughout the play Shakespeare demonstrates different types of love and greed, and the different effects each of these can have. Antonio and Bassanio have a friendship almost comparable to love, indeed it could be called love. Ruthless and uncompassionate behaviour is shown by Shylock, seeking only his own way. This is a form of greed. The love between Jessica and Lorenzo is a love so powerful that it completely destroyed Jessicas relationship with her father, a sacrifice which she was willing to make. This is a different sort of love to that of Antonio and Bassanio, but both lead to hazardous situations. Why did Shakespeare demonstrate so many types of love, compassion, greed, anger and friendship? The repercussions of each was distinctive, and would perhaps show the audience what it would be like to be in each given situation. It could serve as a warning to show what happens when love becomes uncontrollably powerful, or when greed takes control of a person. What the play does show, is that no matter how good natured a person is, love does not always overcome greed, and that both emotions can make you blind to the truth.