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English Literature

The Importance of Setting in Merchant of Venice

The play, The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare has two main settings. One setting is Venice, a city where many businessmen live, a place full of unhappy and unkind people. It is a world of commerce and law. Venice has been portrayed by Shakespeare as the “real” world. The other setting is Belmont, a city which houses a rich, happy and sophisticated society of beautiful people. Belmont is a fairy-tale world of music and love. In this play it is evident that, good things occur in Belmont and not so pleasant events take place in Venice.

In the very first line of the play, Antonio, a rich merchant of Venice is moved to complain: “In sooth, I know not why I am so sad” (I.1), this shows that money and wealth has not brought happiness to this man. Shylock, a wealthy businessman who lives in Venice is not happy because he is an outsider and he is treated badly because of his Jewish religion. “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” (III.1) All his money could not buy him the happiness he wanted. Shylock’s daughter Jessica, in her opening lines, exclaims, “Our house is hell.” (II.3) This is a woman who belongs to the privileged leisure class of Venice but still she is not happy, even with all that money she possessed. This rich society of Venice is pathetically dependant on money for support and satisfaction but it still does not bring them to happiness.

Belmont consists of a happier society. The young people there play tricks on each other, wittiness and humor is part of their daily life style in Belmont. Portia, a beautiful, rich young woman who lives in Belmont enjoy playing light-hearted tricks on others for amusement, and everybody has a good laugh at the end. She plays a trick on her own husband, Bassanio, by dressing up as a lawyer and taking away the ring she herself gave him when...