Female Characters in ‘The Merchant of Venice’-William Shakespeare

 Female Characters in ‘The Merchant of Venice’

Ans. William Shakespeare is a past master in creating life-like characters in his plays. There is a large range of male and female characters in his plays painted in different shades of colours in life. Some of his female characters like Cordelia in King Lear, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Desdemona in Othello, and so on are really wonderfully created female characters.

Let’s discuss female characters in the Merchant of Venice.

Shakespeare seems to have created female characters in this play intentionally stronger than their male counterparts. We have three female characters: Portia Jessica and Nerissa.

 

Portia dominates by her qualities not only the female but also the male characters. She has several qualities of head and heart. She has intelligence, wisdom, loyalty, romantic nature, presence of mind, confidence, kindness, wit, humour, etc.

 These qualities make her stature very high. The reader/audience loves her even in her weak moments of life when she feels caught in difficulty due to the vow given to her late father. She is not free to choose the husband of her choice. She respects her father’s strange will unto the last. She shows her deep love for Bassanio and deep respect and loyalty to her father. She is also full of the milk of human kindness. When she comes to know from Bassanio about  Antonio’s difficulty, she at once tells her husband to stop all his work and go to Venice to save his friend.

It is her presence of mind that she at once makes a plan to reach Venice to save Antonio in the Duke’s court. She intelligently and very confidently handles Antonio’s case. Thus she not only saves Antonio but also gets Shylock punished for the crime that he committed against humanity.

In this way, she also overshadows not only other female characters but also male ones including her husband Bassanio, who has been created in low profile. It is, later on, Bassanio’s character is redeemed (saved/recovered) when he reaches Venice to help Antonio in the Duke’s court. There he shows much concern for his friend’s life. He offers Shylock several times more money than it was taken as a loan from him. But the Jew is not ready to forgive Antonio. Bassanio also tells the Jew that he can cut every part of his body but spare Antonio’s life.

Another female character is Jessica. She is Shylock’s daughter. She elopes with her lover Lorenzo taking with her a lot of valuables from her house. She does not love her father. She condemns him for his evil-doings. She also calls her house a hell. She feels ashamed of being called Shylock’s daughter. although she feels bad for such types of feelings for her father. Lorenzo and Jessica waste Shylock’s money when they stay at several places during elopement time. Thus we do not have a very high opinion about Jessica. She loves money. That is why she took diamonds and ducats with her. In Portia’s absence, Lorenzo and Jessica take care of her house.

The third female character in the play is Nerissa, who marries Gratiano. She is Portia’s woman-in-waiting. She provides (gives) company to her. Portia shares her thoughts and feelings with her. In Act, I, Scene (ii), Portia feels sad to think that she is not free to choose the husband of her choice. Then she tells Portia that her father was really a wise person. She consoles her that she would finally get a husband who would truly love her. Nerissa also accompanies Portia in the Duke’s court. In the ring episode also, Nerissa has an equal part to play. In a way, she has been created as a foil to Portia to highlight her qualities.

 In this way, there are three female characters in The Merchant of Venice, who dominate their male counterparts.

 

When You Are Old-Explanation-Line-to-Line-W B Yeats

 

When You Are Old-Explanation-Line-to-Line-W B Yeats

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin in 1865 and died in 1939. He was a great Irish poet. He is considered one of the great modern poets also. He began writing poetry at an early age and he was much influenced by Spenser, Shelley, and a few Pre-Raphaelite poets also. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923.

About the Poem

When You Are Old’ is WB Yeats’ memorable poem which deals with the theme of ‘love’ that is expressed by the poet in a very unique manner. It is said that the great Irish poet, W. B. Yeats had immense love for Maud Gonne, who was equally active in native politics. Several times the poet expressed his love for her, but he was always met with rejection.

It seems that, while writing this poem, the poet writes this poem keeping in view his beloved Maud Gonne, whom he continuously loved and his love indeed met with a failure.

In the present poem, the poet tries to convince his beloved that he was the only person who loved her from the core of his heart and his love for her spirit.

In the above lines, the poet addresses his beloved that she should take down ‘this book’ and read it slowly when she grows old,  her hair becomes grey and she sits by the fire feeling sleepy and nodding on some winter evening. The poet uses the demonstrative adjective ‘this’ for the book. 

It means the poet means to indicate to her to read the particular book in which the present poem would also be there. He further suggests to his beloved that after going through the pages of the book of poems, she should recollect, as if in a dream, that her eyes once had the soft look and her eyes were deep and shadowy.

It means she had very beautiful eyes. The use of the word ‘nodding’ shows the aging effect on her. It also creates beautiful imagery.

Stanza 2

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

Explanation: In the first stanza, the poet suggests to her to analyse how many of the young men loved her truly or falsely. After deep consideration, she would reach the conclusion that all of them had physical love in their hearts for her. But still, there was one who loved her ‘pilgrim soul’. 

The poet also claims that he was always sensitive to the changes that went on her face from time to time. It shows the poet’s deep devotion to her and is a testimony to ‘his true love for her. He knew when her face showed the marks of sadness and sorrow. Only the poet was able to read and understand even the minutest changes on her face.

The poet has called the ‘soul’ as a pilgrim. It means that the poet also believes in life after death like Robert Browning, a great Victorian poet. According to Oriental philosophy, the human soul is immortal and leaves the body after death to take new birth.  Thus human soul travels like a pilgrim to reach its final abode, Heaven, the pilgrimage. This is what the poet wants to convey to us by using the phrase ‘pilgrim soul’.

 Stanza 3.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,/  Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead/  And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Explanation: In this stanza also, the poet again imagines his beloved as an old woman who is sitting beside the fire. Now she is bending down the glowing ‘bars’ of the fireplace, and murmuring a few words of regret as to how the true love has fled from the world and become impossible to find.

The poet uses personification here to bring out the meaning that true love is a rare phenomenon on this earth. He says that it has left the earthly surroundings and fled by pacing upon the mountains. It has hidden his face amid the crowd of stars. 

One cannot pick up a star and bring it down on the earth. So it has become to find true love on the earth. The use of the word ‘murmur’ shows regret.

Here, it may also be concluded that by presenting the picture of love disappearing from the earth, the poet means to make his beloved realise that his love for her is true. 

When You Are Old-Qs-Ans-WB Yeats-English for B.A. Semester III

 Questions & Answers: When You Are Old By WB Yeats:

Answer in about 20-30 words

Q1. Explain the rhyme scheme used in the poem ‘When You Are Old’.

Ans. In this poem, each stanza has four lines. We also find that in each stanza. the first line rhymes with the fourth and the second line rhymes with the third one. This is the rhyme scheme in the poem is abba,

cddc, effe

Q2. How does the poet use personification in this poem 'When You Are Old'?

Ans. The poet uses personification here to bring out the meaning that true love is a rare phenomenon on this earth. He says that it has left the earthly surroundings and fled by pacing upon the mountains. It has hidden his face amid the crowd of stars. One cannot pick up a star and bring it down on the earth. So it has become to find true love on the earth. The use of the word ‘murmur’ shows regret.

Q3. How does Yeats nostalgically recall his beloved?

Ans. The poet nostalgically recalls the days when his beloved was young and beautiful. He uses beautiful imagery here to make his point clear. The poet says that when a flower is fresh and young, so many drones fly around it. But as the flowers wither, all drones leave it. Similarly, in youth, many young men hovered around his beloved. But as she grew old, all the fake lovers would leave hovering around her.

Q4. Who is referred to as hiding his face in the crowd of stars?

Ans. The poet uses personification here to bring out the meaning that true love is a rare phenomenon on this earth. He personifies ‘love’ as a bird and ‘stars’ as beautiful objects that cannot be brought back to this physical world. He says that it has left the earthly surroundings and fled by pacing upon the mountains. It has hidden his face amid the crowd of stars.

Q5. What does the poet ask the lady to do when she turns old?

Ans. The poet advises his beloved to take down ‘this book’ and read it slowly when she grows old. After reading the book, she might remember that once she was young and beautiful. She would also remember that so many young men showed their love to her at that time. But, now, in her old age, all have left her. She would come to know that their love was fake. But the poet claims that he loves her still in her old age. His love is pure towards his ‘pilgrim soul’.

Q6.What will happen to the lady when she turns old?

Ans. The poet imagines a situation when his beloved grows old. At that time, her physical beauty would be lost. There would be no charm and freshness on her face. In her youth, so many young men claimed their love towards her. But in old age, all would leave her. No one comes to her to claim his love for her. But the poet claims that he still loves her truly. His love was always deep and permanent for her.

Q7.Why does the poet call the soul of his beloved a ‘pilgrim’?

Ans. The poet has called his beloved’s soul a pilgrim. It means that the poet also believes in life after death like Robert Browning, a great Victorian poet. According to Oriental philosophy, the human soul is immortal and leaves the body after death to take new birth.  Thus human soul travels like a pilgrim to reach its final abode, Heaven, the pilgrimage. The poet loved her soul. This is what the poet wants to convey to us by using the phrase ‘pilgrim soul’.

 

Answer in 100 to 150 words

Q1. General Question: About the poet’s personal experience/ views revealed on love in the poem

Ans. W. B. Yeats expresses his views on true love in this poem. He believes in true love that never changes. He says that most of the lovers in this world believe in physical love. Physical love fades away as the beloved starts becoming old. This poem expresses the poet’s personal experience. He had a deep love for his beloved, Maud Gonne. Several times he approached her and expressed his love for her. But every time he received a rejection. In the present poem, the poet expresses his true love for her. He imagines that at that time, she would be old and sitting all alone by the fire feeling sleepy. Then she would recall how several young men used to express their love for her. But in her old age, no one would be there to love her truly except one (i.e. the poet), who loved her pilgrim soul truly. The poet believes that her heart would be filled with regret at that time for not responding to the poet’s true love. But it would be too late then.

 Q2. Comment on the title of the poem, ‘When You Are Old’?

Ans. The title of the poem is quite appropriate (apt/right). In this poem, the poet imagines a situation when his beloved would be old in age. At that time, her hair would be grey and she would be feeling sleepy while sitting by the fire on some winter evening.

After that, the poet talks about how her physical beauty would be destroyed by the passage of time. His beloved’s eyes and cheeks would remain no more attractive. She would lose her all physical charms.

Then the poet says that his beloved had so many lovers in her youth. They used to keep hovering around her. But in her old age, all of them deserted (left) her. They did not love her truly. The poet also says that true love is a very rare phenomenon. Very few people like the poet himself are left there in the world having true love for their beloved. He loves the ‘pilgrim soul’ of his beloved.

Q3. The poem, ‘When You are Old’, comes up with a concept of love that is pure, spiritual, and unconditional. Elaborate.

Ans. The poet comes up with a concept of true love in this poem. He says that true love never changes with the passage of time. A true lover loves the spirit, the soul of his beloved, not the body. People may love their beloveds for their physical charms. But their love disappears as soon as the bodily charms start fading due to the aging effect. Such lovers are like the drones that hover around the beautiful flowers. But they leave the flower when they wither away.

 Actually, the poet clarifies all this through his personal experience. He had a deep love for his beloved, Maud Gonne. Several times he approached her and expressed his love for her. But every time he received a rejection. But in this poem, he says that he always loved his beloved unconditionally. He never expected the love in return from her. He always loved her in her sad and happy moments. He always noticed the minutest changes on her face. He loved her ‘pilgrim soul’, not her body. He never felt dejected whenever he received a rejection from his beloved.

Thus the poet explains the concept of true love in this poem.

Q4. Describe the role of Time in this poem ‘When You Are Old’.

Ans. We do find the role of time in the present poem. Here, we also remember William Shakespeare’s concept of true love and the role of time in it. Shakespeare talked about the ravaging effect of time on every object, living, and one-living in this world. All physical objects have to decay and die after some time. Similarly, the beauty of human bodies and that of other objects on this earth have to suffer decay and death. But true love never changes with the passage of time.

The same concept of true love and time finds echoes in this poem. The poet claims true love towards his beloved in this poem. He says that his love is beyond the destructive effect of time. He loved her when she was beautiful and young. He continued loving her even when she lost her physical charms. He still loved her ‘pilgrim soul’. His love is unique and different. His love was not accepted by his beloved, yet he continued loving her with the same intense feeling.

Thus time could not destroy the poet’s deep love for his beloved.