A good play?

[faith]

MoV is a very long and borring!but i found it wonderful<br><br>

[Joel]

What are you talking about this play is a masterpiece. Sure it doesnt take a genius to write a fairy tale, but this play goes into depth about the problems our society has. This play is more than just a story.<br><br>PS: Learn how to spell

[Cookie]

Okay, not that I disagree or anything, but where did you get the 'spoilt' and 'wet blanket' parts from?

[Tom]

To me, MoV is a fairytale. Three caskets? lubky no one (out of many suiters) chose the right box. Predictable- it oesn't take a genious to work it out.<br>Antonio=wet blanket<br>Portia=spoilt<br>Bassanio=spendthift, a user<br>Shylock=The only character with some life, the most complaex, the most interesting.<br>But still a good read.

[Bugman]

The caskets is indeed a fairy-tale, or folk-tale, that is probably older than Shakespeare by centuries, and recurs in many different variations. The moral of the fairy-tale is self-evident: True beauty lies within. But this isn't the point of the play. Rather, it is the first element in Shakespeare's dramatic argument. So the question is, what this fairy-tale doing in Mov? Having shown where beauty is to be found, Shakespeare then must demonstrate what beauty is. Shylock is wealthy, but because he is merciless, he is ugly. Antonio, the merchant, is broke, and victimized by Shylock, yet in the pivotal court-room scene, the beauty of his character is revealed when, tables turned, the Duke orders all of Shylock's goods to be seized, in compliance with Venetian law, and Antonio shows mercy by asking that only half his wealth be taken. Portia's "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" speech sums up the point of the play. Beauty lies within; mercy is the pinnacle of beauty. Shakespeare was brilliant at taking familiar tales and presenting a socially relevant point within them. The layers of this play, his commentary on bigotry from both sides, and his belief in the ability of mankind to transcend evil through virtuous deeds, makes it a rich and compelling play for every generation. Our task as modern readers is to try to find the message presented to Shakespeare's audience and wealthy backers in the context of his time, not ours.