The Merchant of Venice Characters | Characters in Merchant of Venice

Merchant of Venice Characters Images with Names Pictures

Main Characters of Merchant of Venice Images With Names Pictures, Merchant of Venice Characters Sketch, Characters Descriptions.

Merchant of Venice Workbook Answers

Shakespeare has an unparalleled power of creating human and fine characters. He had a profound understanding of human nature and could easily delve deep into the psyche of an individual. It is this quality that makes his characters interesting and great. It gives his characters an abundance of psychological realism and makes them convincing and real living human beings. They are so lifelike that we come to know them better than we do our acquaintances, friends and relatives. They are intensely human. They are neither wooden, personified ‘humours’ as portrayed by Ben Jonson nor the superhuman heroes of Marlowe’s tragedies. It is his universal humanity, his all embracing understanding of every human emotion and instinct which has made Shakespeare the greatest dramatist.

Shakespeare shows excellent dramatic skill in portraying women characters. Women constitute the soul of Shakespearean comedy. In his comedies we meet women of all ranks and ages; from the queen to the dairy-maid. From Cleopatra to Miranda, Shakespeare is equally great. Shakespeare’s comic heroines are much more sparkling and interesting than their male counterparts. In The Merchant of Venice Portia towers high above all other women characters because of her wit and humour and her generous nature. He gives more importance to women than men because women have to play a very significant role in romantic comedies. His romantic comedies deal with the theme of love and love for a woman is her whole life.

All his women characters—Portia, Rosalind, Beatrice, Cleopatra, Juliet—have the primal qualities of womanhood common to every age.

This gives an element of universality to his women characters. They, too, are subtle and complex.

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