Major Topics in Society – Gender and Gender Status

Gender and gender status are major topics in society. Many political conversations recently have been centered around gender and queer studies in America. These studies surround us and have become a part of everyday conversation and our lives. In the recent election, many of these studies of gender were brought up as the final two candidates were a male and a female for the first time ever.In the late 1500’s and early 1600’s conversations about gender probably sounded a lot different than what they do today, but William Shakespeare included them in his works many times.

The most common of these instances can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. This play is about how complex loaning money can become. A lot of the character’s problems revolve around marriage, law, and religion. While many people read this play in terms of marriage, gendered and queer reading of The Merchant of Veniceexposeshow power controls gender and sex, homosexuality is prevalent, and women’s roles in society were challenged. At the very endof the play,Bassanio and Gratiano joke about having sex with the “men” whom they met earlier that day.

In reality, the man they are gawking at is Bassanio’s wife, Portia, dressed as a man. Bassanio says, “sweet doctor, you shall be my bed-fellow: when I am absent, then lie with my wife” (5.1.284-285). By calling “him” a “sweet doctor” he is using pet names to get her attention. He also, right away, wants to control this “man”—he wants him to be “mine” and to also sleep with his wife. This is not a reference to marriage, but an extra marital Russo 2partner. Bassanio has immediately appeared to be a dominant male in a relationship.Patterson discusses the same lines here: The gentleman has learned, further, that the friend is his wife: “Sweet doctor,”professes the contrite gentleman to Portia, “you shall be my bedfellow”(5.1.284). The bawdy ring jokes suggesting cuckoldry and sodomy make same-sex desires...As the butt of these jokes, Gratiano heads off to his marriage bed confessing “But were the day come, I should wish it dark / Till I were couching with the doctor’s clerk.”(Patterson 28)Patterson focuses on the humor in this momentand sees these statements to be jokes rather than serious implications. He finds the jokes to be a reference towardscuckoldry, which implies Bassanio just wants to watch.

However, the suggestion he’s making soundslike he wants to be in power and in controlof the relationship rather than just joke about it. Patterson says that Bassanio and Gratiano are jokingly sayingthey would like to have sex with the men whom they previously talked with, which serves as comedic relief because it’s public and because it’s a commonly uncomfortable joke. This implies that it was a common theme in people’s lives at the time. Not only can Bassanio and Gratiano be homosexual characters at this point, but Antonio is commonly saidto be homosexual as well. Solanio talks about Antonio’s feelings towards Bassanio when he argues, “I think he only loves the world for him”(2.9.4). In this case not only do the readers believe that Antonio has hidden feelings for Bassanio, but other characters believe this as well.Antonio was willing to loan Bassanio money from Shylock when he wasn’t even sure he would be able to pay it back. He made a bond with Shylock risking a pound of his own flesh so that Bassanio could go after the girl of his dreams.In many instances, Bassanio

Russo 3confesses this same love backto Antonio.One example isin the court room when Bassanio is trying to save Antonio he exclaims, “I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all / Here to this devil, to deliver you” (4.1.283). Bassanio is exclaiming his love for Antonio and by saying that he would give up everything to save him. He is willing to give up his wife and allhis fortunes to save Antonio which displays his love and passion for him.Patterson argues that:This analysis has been superseded by the modern cliché of Antonio as a lovelorn homosexual vainly in pursuit of the obviously heterosexual Bassanio. Certainly, there is enough textual ambiguity to lend validity to almost any diagnosis of Antonio's melancholy.(Patterson 9) Patterson is eluding to the idea that Antonio is perusing a relationship deeper than the one they already have. There is a lot of evidence pointing towards their relationship being homosexual. Antoniois willing to do a lot for Bassanio throughout the play, which includes giving up a pound of flesh if Bassanio fails to pay Shylock back. In modern times instead of resulting in comedy, the play would result in drama. Modern audiences would adapt and be more accepting of a homosexual relationship.Therefore, the movie adaptation is seen as a dramatic love story rather than a comedy. The movie is adapted to modern audiences and the way we understand homosexuality and gender today.Linda Costanzo Cahir argues:While literature-based films are often customarily and understandably, referred to as adaptations, the term “to adapt” means to alter the structure or function of an entity so that it is better fixed to survive and multiply in its new environment (Cahir 1957:62)This means that the movie was adapted from the play and perceived as being more centered around the relationships and gender roles rather than just the ironic comedy. Although many of

Russo 4these relationships might have been comedic in Venetian times, today their homosexuality could be a real issue. Shakespeare’s use of homosexuality throughout the play was used as comedy but foreshadowed modern times. Shakespeare makes a statement about gender roles in society throughout the play. Many times,Portia outsmarted men throughout the play.One example of this is when she finds a loophole in Shylocks agreement with Antonio when she argues,“This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood... if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods/Are by the laws of Venice confiscate” (4.1.303,306-307). Portia is displaying her wits and outsmarting Shylock as well as the entire courtroom because she found the loophole. She did something that no man in that room thought was possible.In this case Portia has all the power, but many audiences found this funny at the time because she is a woman.In the movie Portia is forced to dress as a man because nobody would listen to her if they knew she was a woman. She is given even more respect because she is dressed in a black scholarly outfit which carries more power.The movie has her in this outfit to show that she had the power in the courtroomeven though she was a woman. Portia carries a lot of this same power throughout the play as she seems to solve many issues.Patterson writes, “Her power stems from her refusal to remain silent...part of the pleasure of watching Portia comes from her play with language as she teases and cajoles the men”(Patterson 30-31).

Patterson is saying that by Portia dressing as a man and solving the main issue in the play, means she has more power than the men in the play. Unlike other women at the time, she chose to attack the problems she encountered rather than stay quiet.Many women in Venetian society were controlled by men and told what to do on a day to day basis.Romano states that, “Venetian men attempted to guide and control women”(Romano 340).Portia defies this rule because she doesn’t let any man guide and control her throughout the play. She guides

Russo 5most men that she meets, whether it was in the court room or even when the men were trying to pick the correct casket. Afterwards, she controls Bassanio without him knowing by making him give her his ring that he promised to never give up. Likewise, Nerissa controls Gratiano by making him hand over his ring too. These women control and guide their husbands which is the opposite of their gender roles society gives them. Many people probably think that Shakespeare istrying to evoke laughter and create comedy, but instead he is being progressive. These acts that Nerissa and Portia do defy their roles they had in society at that timeand push for more women in positions of power, such as lords.Although women didn’t have power in Venetian society at the time, this play in modern times would have been acceptable and progressive towards equal rights. Although Portia defies her role in society throughout the play, and she tricks Bassanio in the courtroom, she lets him have power in their marriage. In the court room Portia talks directly to Bassanio when she overhears him offering Portia to free Antonio and argues, “Your wife would give you little thanks for that / If she were by to hear you make the offer” (4.1.285-286). Bassanio can’t even tell that he is talking with his wife. Portia again is cleverer than Bassanio in this instance. Also, she wants Bassanio to pick the correct casket so that she could marry him. She even gave him a hint by having music play that hinted at the word lead by using rhymes. After Bassanio picks the correct casket, Portia gives him a speech about her power and their marriage. Newman talks about important things Portia says in the speech such as, “The ‘but now that follows refers back in time, emphasizing Portia's prior role as ‘lord’of Belmont, a role that she yields to Bassanio with her vow ‘I give them with this ring’(Newman 24). In this Portia says she is giving up her title of “lord” and making sure that Bassanio takes that role. Newman follows that up by stating, “The governing analogy in Portia's speech is the Renaissance political

Russo 6commonplace that figures marriage and the family as a kingdom in small, a microcosm ruled over by the husband” (Newman 25).This talks about how the family in Venetian society is ruled over by the husband.Families look up to the father to lead and control the household which is something that Portia does throughout the play rather than Bassanio.Furthermore, Newman argues that, “The ring is a visual sign of her vow of love and submission to Bassanio” (Newman 25).The ring in this scene is important because it is the physical representation of Portia handing over her power. This is the only instance in the play where Portia does not seem to be the one in power.The instance where men are handed power of families was common at the time.Ironically, as Portia outsmarts the men in the court and then Bassanio, he gives the ring back without knowing. In that instance Bassanio gave back the power that Portia gave him at the beginning of the marriage because he is outwitted by her.

In some cases,men are still given power today. In some less developed countries, women still hand over power to their husbands. Some cultures still believe the man should hold onto more power, therefore this scene might not make these cultures think twice that Portia hands over her power. In the United States, in many ways, women are starting to demand equal power. To a modern audience, this might upset them that Portia is willing to give up all her power for Bassanio. Shakespeare’s irony throughout this marriage creates comedy and reflects some of the norms of Venetian culture in the 1500’s and 1600’s. Although homosexuality or the roles women had in the play were not accepted in Venetian society, Shakespeare still included themto progress the way society viewed them.He was trying to create the argument that being homosexual is normal and common in many parts of Europe. Shakespeare also challenged gender roles such as women’s roles in society. He used characters such as Portia and Nerissa to show societies and centuries of audiences that women

Russo 7can have a larger role in society. These challenges reveal to society how strong women are and that they should beequal to men. Shakespeare was ahead of his time because that is the same challenges we face today as a society and continue to focus on. He was progressive and pushed the boundaries of Venetian society in multiple ways. His efforts along with many other inspirational people over the centuries have pushed for equality.

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