Reference no: EM132326822

In a paper of approximately 500 words (2 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font), respond to one of the following prompts. Do not waste time with a general introduction, instead start with your argument or main idea. For example, you could say something like this: "In this paper I will discuss how Shakespeare's Cressida is a model of integrity in a play about the mercenary motivations and hypocrisies of war", then analyze a soliloquy in 2-3 paragraphs focusing on details that seem significant for the points you want to make. Be sure to use short quotations to support your points (2-3 lines is probably enough in most cases). An explanation of how to quote is below. Remember, 500 words is a minimum word requirement. You may go over this number if you feel you have more to say than can fit in two pages.

PROMPTS

1. The Merchant of Venice has several scenes and passages which offer different standards of exchange values. The choice of caskets is one such example that seems to be asserting a particular logic to determine the value of of what one desires, deserves, and risks. Using one or more of the soliloquies of Portia's suitors (Morocco or Aragon), make an argument for what this logic looks like.

2. In spite of the fact that it was written in the late 16th century, does The Merchant of Venice have something to tell Business Majors in the 21st century? What might still be relevant about the way the play portrays the relationship between money, commerce, and love? For example, you could think about the way that money regulates or defines Bassanio's pursuit of Portia. Would he love her if she were not rich? By contrast, Portia does not have to worry about money, yet money influences the way she sets up her marriage to Bassanio, especially the terms surrounding the ring she gives him. Or, you could consider Jessica and Lorenzo. Why does she take money and jewels from her father including a ring her mother gave him? What economic benefits would converting to Christianity give to her?

3. Write an essay in which you analyze the function of the two settings for The Merchant of Venice: the city of Venice, and Belmont, which seems to be a neighboring kingdom or province, (though it also seems like a made up place: Belmont means "beautiful mountain"). Venice is a real city, and in the play it is full of merchants, money lenders, and lawyers. In other words, it is very much like a modern city. On the other hand, Belmont is just the place where Portia lives (probably on a large and lavish estate) and it is more associated with her and with where her suitors (most of them royal and very wealthy) must undergo the test of the 3 caskets. Think about what happens when Portia goes to Venice. What does her disguise tell us? How does Belmont function as an alternate point of view on the values we see on display in Venice?

4. Though Troilus and Cressida takes place in ancient Troy and features some of the great heroes of Homer's Iliad (Hector, Achilles, Ulysses, Agamemnon etc.), this is not a play that celebrates heroism or bravery. What kind of world has Shakespeare created in Troy and the Greek camp? What kind of people succeed in this play? If bravery and love are meaningless, where can we find meaning in this text?
5. Although there is no actual money in Troilus and Cressida and no characters are merchants or involved in actual commerce, language referring to value and buying and to merchants and merchandise does surface in the play, particularly when women are being discussed or are involved in a scene. Here is a list of passages that make reference to money or merchants or commerce more generally:

Act 1.1 104-108 (Troilus thinking about how Pandarus is helping him to woo Cressida)

Act 2.2 69-83 (Troilus arguing that the Trojans should keep Helen)

Act 3.3 27-28 (Calchas saying Antenor shall "buy" Cressida for him)

Act 4.2 75-78 (Paris speaking to Diomedes about Helen's worth)

Act 4.4 39-41 (Troilus telling Cressida they must part)

Act 4.5 37-51 (the kissing scene)

Pick 2 or 3 of these examples and discuss how the language of commerce works in each one and what these references contribute to the larger meaning of the play as a whole. You can focus on one set of issues or one or two characters (what does this language tell us about the "value" of Helen and Cressida, for example) as a way of giving your analysis a broader context.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR PAPERS

• Papers should be double-spaced (this means no more than 3 lines per inch), in a readable font no larger than 12 point, with one-inch margins all around. Keep a copy, if possible. A brief title would be very much appreciated.

• When you're quoting from Shakespeare, give the Act, Scene, and Line numbers, separated by periods, in parenthetical quotations. Do not include page numbers. Note the proper order of punctuation marks:
"O, when degree is shaked,/Which is the ladder of all high designs,/The enterprise is sick." (Troilus and Cressida, 1. 3. 101-104)

• Computer spell-checkers and thesauruses may occasionally help you catch a typo or remember a synonym, but should never be relied on as authoritative: you will need to proofread with your own eyes and consult a good dictionary.