Vitality and Variety of Female Persona in Shakespeare’s Comedy the Merchant of Venice

Abstract

Shakespeare’s myriad minded genius is well recognized all over the world for the last four centuries. He is recognized as the creator of the variety of the shades of human behaviour under the stresses of untold descriptions. Generally, his creations in tragic figures under various passions are noted to show his ingenuity in character creations. But, his mastery in the creation of the various shades of female persona in his comedies also convinces us about the unfathomable range of his thoughts and feelings. In his early comedies, however, he dwells on the playfulness of his comic genius in creating certain caricatures of female portraits for the sheer purpose of fun. But in his later comedies he alloys his fun with intellect and psychological stress of various shades. In The Merchant of Venice three female portraits are depicted with variety and exclusive vitality of the three. Therefore, a close study of all that happens around these three women becomes interesting from the angle of the modern concepts of female autonomy.