In both Romeo and Julietand the Mechant of Venice the idea of love and marriage are important concepts that tie many of the characters together. The couples who are perhaps the most similar are Romeo and Juliet and Lorenzo and Jessica. Throughout the play these young lovers wend their way to the lands of marriage , but only one pair will ultimately survive. The road taken by each couple , leading toward bliss or tragedy, is one which affords an insight into the development of the theme of romantic love in two of Shakespeare’s best loved plays.
Romeo and Juliet is a play based on love between the two. Romeo and a groupof friends decided to go to Juliet’s family party. Romeo wasn’t invited, he invited himself. They all had masks which disguise them.
When at the party Romeo saw Juliet for the first time and fell deeply in love. Romeo and Juliet went behind a wall and began to talk. After the party Romeo was on his way home when he heard his friendswalking down the road so he told them he was giong to visit Juliet. He went into Juliet’s garden. As he was there he heard Juliet talking about Romeo. That iswhen they fell deeply in love with each other.
In The Meaning of Shakespeare it says that the Merchant of Venice has three plots. The three plots are the bond theme, the casket theme, and the ring theme ( Goddard 117). In Romeo and Juliet there is just one theme which is love and the way it interacts with violence(Watts 90 ). All of these plots play an important roll to both couples marriage. In both plays the love between the couples is hidden( Frye 15).
The two couples in 2which this happens is Romeo and Juliet and Bassonio and Portia . Romeo and Juliet’s love was hidden from everyone butthemselves. Bassonio and Portia’s love was concealedto themselves in the way that not even they themselves really knew. So both of the couples had a lot in common throughout there love and marriage.
But as, you know, only one couple would ultimately survive. The casket theme and the balcony scene fit together really well because that is where both couples make it final on the marriage. The balcony scene is were Romeo overhears Juliet talking about how much she loves Romeo. Romeo then comes out from behind the bushes, and at that point they decide to get married.
Bassonio and Portia become a couple when, Bassonio comes along and chooses the leaden casket (Shakespeare 404). In both Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice there are some very important characters that help the lovers significantly along the way. In Romeo and Julietthere are two important characters they are Friar Lawrence and the Nurse. Friar Lawrence is the person that Romeo goes to when he is troubled or is in the process of making an important decision. The Nurse is Juliet’s go to person.
In the Merchant of Venice Bassonio and Portia have important people who help them out along the way. Bassonio’s buddy is Antonio. Antonio is the person that makes it all possible for Bassonio. Antonio was the person that allowed the bond to work. Lastly we have Potia and Nerissa, they work together throughout the play helping each other along the way. In both plays there was hatred between the two couples and their families.
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s family was feuding with Juliet’s family. In The Merchantof Venice, it was very similar because Jessica’s father, Shylock was a very cruel man. 3Shylock hated people who weren’t Jewish. Jessica and Lorenzo were also an important couple throughout the play. They gave themselves to each other (Barnet 4)In both plays there is an important difference.
It was that in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare keys in on one couples love throughout the play. Shakespeare also makesthis play very romantic, but as it carries on it becomes very tragic you see people from both Romeo’s family and Juliet’s family die. In the Merchant of Venice Shakespeare focuses in on different couples love. Some of the couples whose love was successful was Lorenzo and Jessica and Bassonio and Portia. He also makes this play begin happy and end happy.
So as you see Shakespeare’s two best loved plays are similar in the way of love and marriage and different in their own ways in the way that Romeo and Juliet’s love leads to death and Bassonio and Portia’s leads to happiness.
