Bassanio

Bassanio is a fictional character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a spendthrift who wasted all of his money in order to be seen as a respectable man. To regain his fortune, he is determined to marry Portia, a wealthy, intelligent heiress of Belmont. In order to ask for her hand in marriage, Bassanio and his best friend, Antonio enter into an agreement with the usurer Shylock. He is not the main character of the play, but his 73 lines compared to Antonio's 47 and Portia's 117 show that he still plays an important role. Even though his actions do not have a large impact on the play, he is responsible for the driving force behind the plot.

Not to be confused with Bassani or Bassano.
Bassanio is depicted here dressed as the classic renaissance gentleman. (1914)

Role in the play

In Act I, Scene I, Bassanio first makes an appearance while Antonio is complaining to his friends that he is sad. Antonio’s friends continue to speculate why he is upset, and Antonio asks Bassanio to tell him of the secret love he is hiding. Bassanio explains that he is in love with Portia and needs a loan to show his wealth and power to her. Even though Antonio has no money to give to Bassanio, he still promises to guarantee any loan Bassanio can find.

In Act I, Scene III, Shylock finally agrees to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats for three months as long as Antonio guarantees the loan. Shylock is skeptical because Bassanio's friend Antonio 's ships are still at sea, and there is uncertainty whether they will return within three months. After they all agree to the loan, Bassanio offers Shylock to eat with him, but he denies the offer on the grounds of eating with Christians. After a long debate about the Jewish versus Christian morality of charging interest on loans, Shylock decides to add a clause that says that if they cannot repay the loan, Antonio will have to give a pound of his flesh.

Bassanio’s next appearance comes in Act II, Scene II, just as Launcelot decides that he wants to work for Bassanio. He explains in his reasoning that he can no longer bear working for a Jewish man and would rather work for a Christian man. After this, Gratiano appears and asks Bassanio if he can accompany him to Belmont. Before Bassanio agrees, he ensures that Gratiano will behave himself in front of Portia and the other inhabitants of Belmont.

In Act III, Scene II, Bassanio finally reaches Belmont, and Portia urges him to wait before choosing between the three caskets that determine if he gets to marry her. Bassanio reasons through his choices and decides to choose the casket of lead because it is a humble choice. When he opens the casket, he finds the portrait of Portia inside and realizes he has chosen correctly. Portia also gives Bassanio a ring that she says if he loses it, their love will be doomed. Finally, a letter from Antonio arrives telling Bassanio of the misfortunes of his ships, and it also explains how eager Shylock is to get his end of the bargain. Antonio pleads for Bassanio to see him one last time, and Portia encourages him to go to Venice after they marry.

Act IV, Scene I is the critical trial scene in which the laws of Venice are put to a test to see if Antonio will truly have to give a pound of his flesh. Shylock is insistent that the bond be held true while the Duke and other characters argue on behalf of Antonio. Bassanio steps in to confront Shylock and offers to pay the sum that is owed or even pay more if that is what Shylock wishes. Shylock refuses, and that is when Portia, disguised as a lawyer, begins to argue the case. She finds a loophole to prevent the deal from following through and save the best friend of her husband. After the trial, Bassanio offers money to Portia (still disguised as a lawyer), which she begrudgingly takes, and she asks him for the ring she gave him. Initially, Bassanio refuses to give up the ring since it was an important gift from his wife, but Antonio convinces him to give it to her.

In Act V, Scene I, Bassanio and Antonio return to Belmont and greet their wives who appear to be angry that they gave their rings away. After much debate and chastising, the women return the rings and reveal that they were indeed the lawyer and clerk that saved Antonio.[1]

Origins

Most scholars agree that the character of Bassanio has his origins from two texts called Gesta Romanorum and Il Pecorone.[2][3][4] The origin of the casket plot comes from the Gesta Romanorum. In contrast to the Merchant of Venice, the person who must make the decision is a woman, not a man, and she makes her decision after God's will "not, as Bassanio does, after having reasoned out his choice in the best Renaissance manner."[3] In Il Pecorone, there is a similar plot to the ring plot in the Merchant of Venice, but it only exists between one pair, instead of the two couples in the Merchant of Venice. Additionally, the character that is the Bassanio equivalent does not try to apologize for giving away the ring in Il Pecorone, and those that are involved in the ring plot are father and son, not lovers.

Besides basic plot differences, Shakespeare also added specific character traits to Bassanio that did not exist in these previous sources. The characters in the original texts have an "absence of any details of characterization."[3] Shakespeare added all of Bassanio's good and less desirable characteristics from scratch. Shakespeare also added the monetary aspect of Bassanio's decision to court Portia.

Analysis

Homosexuality

The relationship between Bassanio and Antonio is one that has been examined in great detail since the play's first performance in 1605.[4] In older examinations of the play, there is a focus on the friendship between the two. During an early scene in the play, Antonio says to Bassanio that "My purse, my person, my extremest means / Lie all unlocked to your occasions." (I.i.138-139) He continues to show his admiration for Bassanio throughout the play through entering the flesh bond and telling Bassanio that he has no need to explain why he needs monetary assistance. Additionally, he states that "he only loves the world for Bassanio" (II.viii.50), which to some indicates that "Antonio's primary emotional bond is with Bassanio."[5] Bassanio also reciprocates Antonio's admiration after he realizes that Antonio is willing to die for him. Bassanio says "But life itself, my wife, and all the world / Are not with me esteemed above thy life. / I would lose all—ay, sacrifice them all / Here to this devil—to deliver you" (IV.i.475-478). This statement indicated that he would sacrifice his wife, Portia, to save Antonio.[5] In more contemporary analyses of the play, there is a focus on the possible romantic relationship over friendship between Bassanio and Antonio.[6] However, some argue that "Antonio is fueled by a homoerotic passion for Bassanio that would substitute person for purse" which indicates that Bassanio does not fully reciprocate Antonio's love.[7]

Mercenary

There is much debate between scholars on Bassanio's motivations for marrying Portia. In his first description of Portia, he describes her as "a lady richly left" (I.i.164) which to some indicates that he is solely focused on her money.[8] However, one critic argues that his actions are fully justified under Elizabethan standards.[3] They argue that it was natural for young gentlemen, such as Bassanio, at the time to marry for wealth since a large part of their identity was to be able to live a life of luxury. Additionally, some argue that this comment cannot be taken to mean his actual feelings since he is speaking to Antonio in order to obtain a loan to marry Portia.[9] In contrast to the idea that he is a mercenary for solely focusing on Portia's money, some argue that he truly loves her for her beauty. Some scholars argue that Bassanio has a change of heart during his travels to Belmont saying that his confessions of love to Portia after the casket scene are truly what he feels.[10][11]

Portia and Bassanio from a production of The Merchant of Venice. (1995)

Portrayals

Stage

The first known performance of The Merchant of Venice was at the court of King James in 1605.

Clifford Williams directed a 1965 production of the play that suggestion for the first time that there could be an implication of homosexuality between Antonio and Bassanio.

In a 1987 production of the play directed by Bill Alexander, portrayed a very romantic relationship between Bassanio and Antonio in which they kiss at the end of scene I.

At the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1997, a slight change is made to the character of Bassanio in which he spills out gold coins at the end of the trial scene which remain there for the entirety of the play reminding the audience of the underlying motivations of wealth.

Film

An early production of The Merchant of Venice was made in 1914 with Douglas Gerrard as Bassanio.

In 1923 a German adaption of The Merchant of Venice was made called the Jew of Mestri with Harry Liedtke as Bassanio. This adaptation attempts to make Shakespeare's play more similar to Il Pecorone, one of the inspirations for The Merchant of Venice, however, Bassanio's character is very similar to the Shakespeare version. One major difference is that in the film is that the characters in the German version have the same names as the Shakespeare characters, but in the American version the names are changed to the names in Il Pecorone. For example, Bassanio's character in the American version is called Giannetto.[12]

In a 1947, a made for TV movie was produced by George More O'Ferrall where André Morell plays Bassanio.[13]

In 1953, an Italian version called Le Marchand de Venise was made that cast Armando Francioli as Bassanio.[13]

Anthony Ainley played Bassanio in a 1969 Orson Welles film called The Merchant of Venice, but the footage was lost and the movie was never finished.

Bassanio is played by Jeremy Brett in a 1973 TV movie of the play.[14]

John Nettles played Bassanio in a 1980 TV movie of The Merchant of Venice.[13]

In a 1996 made for TV movie production, Paul McGann portrayed Bassanio.[15]

In 2004, Joseph Fiennes played Bassanio in the film titled The Merchant of Venice.[16] In a review by Roger Ebert, he expresses that this film adaptation makes clear the implication that Antonio is in love Bassanio. Additionally, he examines Bassanio's relationship with Portia and whether his love for her is genuine.[17]

Literature

In 1996, A. R. Gurney published a sequel to The Merchant of Venice called Overtime: A Modern Sequel to the Merchant of Venice. This sequel further explores the relationships between the characters with alternative traits. In this book, the backgrounds of the characters are changed, and it is revealed that Bassanio is of Irish descent, and Antonio is gay.[18]

References
  1. Shakespeare, William (1992). The Merchant of Venice. New York, NY: The Folger Shakespeare Library. ISBN 978-0-7434-7756-7.
  2. "Gesta Romanorum | Latin literature". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  3. Pettigrew, Helen (1937). "Bassanio, The Elizabethan Lover". Philological Quarterly: 296–206.
  4. "Dates and sources | The Merchant of Venice | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  5. Bach, Rebecca Ann (April 1999). "Antonio and Bassanio: A Response to "Shylock and Antonio's Bond"". Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. 47 (2): 573–580. doi:10.1177/00030651990470020601.
  6. Clum, John M.; Clum, John C. (1992). Acting Gay: Male Homosexuality in Modern Drama. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-07510-7.
  7. Hirschfeld, Heather; Landreth, David (2015). "Review of The Face of Mammon: The Matter of Money in English Renaissance Literature, LandrethDavid". Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies. 15 (4): 110–113. doi:10.1353/jem.2015.0025. ISSN 1531-0485.
  8. Sklar, Elizabeth S. (1976). "Bassanio's Golden Fleece". Texas Studies in Literature and Language. 18 (3): 500–509. ISSN 0040-4691. JSTOR 40754457.
  9. Pettigrew, Todd (17 December 2010). "The Merchant of Venice 1.161-76: Is Bassanio a Mercenary?". The Explicator. 68 (4): 212–215. doi:10.1080/00144940.2010.535477.
  10. Ariail, J. M. (1941). "In Defense of Bassanio". The Shakespeare Association Bulletin. 16 (1): 25–28. ISSN 0270-8604. JSTOR 23675369.
  11. Baskervill, Charles (1923). "Bassanio as an Ideal Lover". The Manly Anniversary Studies in Language and Literature: 90–103. hdl:2027/mdp.39015048909868.
  12. The Jew of Mestri, retrieved 2019-12-14
  13. Rothwell, Kenneth S. (Kenneth Sprague) (1990). Shakespeare on screen : an international filmography and videography. Winograd, Annabelle, 1940-. New York: Neal-Schuman. ISBN 1-55570-049-7. OCLC 20637513.
  14. The Merchant of Venice, retrieved 2019-12-14
  15. The Merchant of Venice, retrieved 2019-12-03
  16. The Merchant of Venice (2004) - IMDb, retrieved 2019-12-03
  17. Ebert, Roger. "The Merchant of Venice movie review (2005) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  18. Gurney, Albert Ramsdell (1996). Overtime: A Modern Sequel to The Merchant of Venice. Dramatists Play Service Inc. ISBN 978-0-8222-1540-0.
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