The Merchant of Venice Theme

Race

In The Merchant of Venice, Judaism and Christianity aren't just religions – they're constructed as racial (and even national) identities as well.  In its portrayal of a bloodthirsty Jewish moneylender, the play famously dramatizes 16th century racial stereotypes that are deeply unsettling, especially for modern audiences.  While there's no doubt the play depicts anti-Semitism, literary critics are divided over the question of whether or not the play itself endorses racism.   

Wealth

Money is a very big deal in this play.  (Big surprise there, right?  The plot revolves around a Venetian merchant who can't repay a loan to a hated moneylender.)  In much of The Merchant of Venice, the characters' attitudes toward wealth, mercantilism, and usury (lending money with interest) function as a way to differentiate between Christians and Jews.  The Christians in the play are portrayed as generous and even careless with their fortunes.  The money-grubbing Shylock, on the other hand, is accused of caring more for his ducats than human relationships.  At the same time, there's textual evidence to suggest that Shakespeare calls these stereotypes into question.

Friendship

"To you, Antonio, / I owe the most, in money and in love" (1.1.4).  So says Bassanio as he prepares to court his future wife.  Like Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice is interested in the dynamics of male friendship, a bond that's often valued above all other relationships (especially heterosexual romance and marriage).  Antonio loves Bassanio enough to give his life for him – indeed it seems that Bassanio's pursuit of a wife is the cause of Antonio's deep melancholy, which may suggest that his affection for his friend is romantic in nature.  In the end, though, The Merchant of Venice is a Shakespearean comedy, which means that Bassanio's marriage to Portia replaces his bromance with Antonio.

Marriage

These days we tend to associate marriage with romantic love, but in Shakespeare's day that wasn't necessarily the case.  Marriage is portrayed in several different ways in The Merchant of Venice: as a risky business venture, a mythological quest, a chance for an unhappy daughter to escape her father's home, a way for a father to transmit his wealth to the man of his choosing, and even as a opportunity for two men to become more secure in their friendship.  What's even more striking about marriage is that, even though it becomes the most important relationship by the end of the play, it's pitted against the bonds of male friendship throughout.

Justice

Because Venice's economic stability depends on foreign businessmen like Shylock, the city has laws in place to protect their legal rights.  Although the law is on his side when the Jewish moneylender goes to court and demands his "pound of flesh," Shylock is expected to show mercy. Instead, he insists on getting his pound of flesh.  Throughout the play, Judaism is associated with the Mosaic code (from Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament), with its strict emphasis on justice and following the letter of the law.  Christianity, on the other hand, is associated with the New Testament's emphasis on God's mercy and offer of salvation.      

Love

Love in The Merchant of Venice comes in a variety of forms. There's love between family members, between friends, and of course, between lovers. Still, love is more notable for its absence than its presence in the play. Love often goes hand in hand with betrayal.  Bassanio says he "loves" Portia, but he courts her for her money. At times, the same seems true of Lorenzo's interest in Jessica. Women seem happy to give love, but they do so with a shred of cynicism. Antonio clearly loves Bassanio (whether romantically or not), but he ultimately must subordinate this love to Portia's more formal marriage with him. Love is regulated, sacrificed, betrayed, and generally built on rocky foundations in the play.

Isolation

The Merchant of Venice is riddled with characters who feel a deep sense of isolation. The characters clash on a variety of levels, as they come from different backgrounds and life situations and have different points of view. The most potent isolation is caused by religious estrangement. Shylock is isolated because he is Jewish – his religious beliefs and cultural values remain fundamentally at odds with those of his fellow Venetians. Antonio is isolated by his relationship with Bassanio; their interaction seems to be defined and limited by what could be romantic love on Antonio's part. Isolation is a fact of life for the characters, and it proves to be fairly insurmountable, coloring all of the characters' interactions.

Choices

In The Merchant of Venice characters must choose between lovers, friends, and family, personal comfort and societal norms. The explicit choices, like Portia's casket lottery, provide a frame for the entire play. The game to win Portia's hand is explicitly built on chance and the choice of her suitors.  Bassanio is faced with choosing correctly or foregoing his chance to ever have a wife again.
There are more abstract choices in the play as well. Antonio must choose between preserving his personal happiness as Bassanio's closest friend and enabling Bassanio to win a woman who will come between them. The greatest choices are often about the way people treat each other. Shylock chooses to doggedly pursue his pound of Antonio's flesh because Antonio, among others, has chosen to treat him like a dog. Antonio chooses, in the end, to deprive Shylock of his livelihood and his religion. He also chooses not to pursue his relationship with Bassanio, instead relegating himself to a minor role in Portia and Bassanio's lives.