Book Review of Merchant of Venice: The Role of Women in the Society

-------------------------------------------------A partial fulfillment/ requirement for Research IV

-------------------------------------------------Submitted by:
Shaira Nia M. Tumulak
Fourth Year- St. Gerard

-------------------------------------------------Submitted to:
Maria Rowena B. Jimera
Research Teacher

Book Review of
Merchant of
Venice: The Role
of Women in the
Society

Recommendation Sheet
This thesis, entitled Book Review of Merchant of Venice: The Role of Women in the
Society was recommended by the research teacher for the Oral Examination.

____________________________________
MARIA ROWENA B. JIMERA
Research Teacher

Approval Sheet
This thesis, entitled Book Review of Merchant of Venice: The Role of Women in the
Society was approved by the committee on the Oral Examination.
This thesis has asked the criteria of the research teacher and has a rate of _____%.

____________________________________
MARIA ROWENA B. JIMERA
Research Teacher

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The success of my thesis required the help of various individuals. Without them, I might
not meet my objectives in doing this study. I want to give gratitude to the following people for
their invaluable help and support.
To Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, for giving me wisdom, strength, and knowledge in
exploring things; for the guidance that help me surpass all the trials that I encountered and for
giving me determination to pursue my studies and to make this study possible.
To my parents, for their continuous support and encouragement to pursue my study and
for giving me love and time.
To my Research mentor, Maria Rowena B. Jimera, for her continuous support, patience,
motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. Her guidance helped me in all the time of
research and writing of this thesis. I could not have imagined having a better mentor for my
thesis.
And lastly, to the people who helped and contributed great ideas and advices, especially
to my classmates and close friends for without them, this study would not be in its success.

The Researcher
S.N.M.T

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Merchant of Venice is a play about revenge, justice, deception and friendship. The
story about, Shylock a wealthy Jew, lending one of his enemies, Antonio, three thousand ducats.
Although Antonio is a rich merchant all his resources are in his ships, trading too distant
countries, but because he wants to help out his friend, Bassanio, he has no choice but to ask
Shylock for a loan, or not to know it could lead to his death.
In this play there is a big difference between Christian characters and Shylock, the main
difference being Shylock seems to be more interested in his money and business rather than
human relationships, which the Christian characters seem to be more interested in. However, in
one part of the play Shylock seems to be hurt at the fact his daughter has sold a ring, which his
deceases wife gave him, for a monkey.
This thesis explores the role of the female characters in Williams Shakespeares play The
Merchant of Venice. Through contextualizing the characters of Portia, Nerissa and Jessica within
the world early modern England, this study explored the ways in which these characters do not
conform to traditional Renaissance values regarding the role of women as daughters and wives.
Through the comparison of the female characters with Queen Elizabeth and Patient Griselda, this
study discusses the implications of the rebellious behavior of the women in The Merchant of
Venice. This thesis concludes that Shakespeare purposely challenges strict social views put
forward on women by creating female characters that challenge male authority and are
celebrated for their behavior.

CHAPTER II
A. Review of Related Literature
The stories that Shakespeare skillfully intertwined and adapted for The Merchant of
Venice are old ones that exist in various forms. The casket story Shakespeare probably took from
a medieval compilation, the Gesta Romanorum*, which had been translated from Latin to
English and published in 1577 and 1595.
Three other characters are also are rounded out: the melancholy idealist Antonio, who
embodies the Elizabethan cult of friendship; Bassanio, no more fortune hunter but best
deserving of a fair lady, who chooses by substance not appearance; and especially Portia, who is
rich in personality as well as in estate. She has all the graces along with deep understanding and
a sense of a humor.
Changed attitudes are responsible for a frequent misunderstanding of Shylock. His
importance is easily overstressed, for Shakespeare dropped him in the fourth act and devoted the
last to clearing up the entanglements of the lovers. An Elizabethan would not have made a Jew a
tragic hero in a comedy about a merchant of Venice* and a series of wooing culminating in a
happy ending. Rather, Shylock is a dark and threatening could on the romantic horizon.

______________________________________________________________________________
*Gesta Romanum is a collection of Latin prose tales written in England on the first half of the 14 th
century.

*Venice is sometimes called the Queen of the Adriatic; has a physical site the few cities in the world can
rival.

5
B. Review of Related Studies
Shakespeare has contradicted the perceived roles of women in the 17th v=century society
through his portrayal of Portia and Jessica. Portia has been clearly evident as an instrumental
character to the plays developments as a result of her greatness, high self-esteem, abilities,
intelligence and manipulative power. Jessica however, has been portrayed in light of a reactive,
submissive character that possessed low-esteem and remained through the play.
In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare used Portia and Jessica as his stereotypical
characters through which he successfully conveyed greatness and challenged the perception of
the 17th century society. Shakespeare, by doing so has accomplished implies that is
Shakespeare who created the two characters to appear as mens equals and that otherwise this
equality would not be attainable within the society of the contemporary time.
In most of his work, the women dont have much power and are not very smart. In the
Merchant of Venice, Portia is a woman that saves the life of a man using her head. Another
woman created by Shakespeare that is a lot alike with Portia is Beatrice, from Much Ado about
Nothing. Both these ladies add to the main theme of the plays because of their brains, and smart
remarks, as well as being caring. In most of Shakespeares plays the women are made to be less
than the men. Woman had less freedom than their male counterparts. In most cases, they are
socially restricted and unable to explore the world around them without chaperones. These
women were coerced and controlled by the men in their lives. Female characters that sexually
aware are more likely to be lower class. However, women are never totally free in Shakespeares

plays: If not owned by husbands and fathers, many low class characters are owned by their
employees.