Abstract
This essay deploys Bakhtin's theory regarding the centripetal and centrifugal forces of language as a potential bridge between the discourse of text-oriented critics who view texts as relatively stable sites of meaning and the discourse of performance/culture-oriented critics who view texts as relatively open fields of production. The author uses Bakhtin's analytical framework to explore three often-cited and much-disputed scenes from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: Portia's "unlessoned girl" speech, Shylock's forceful refusal of Bassanio's dinner invitation, and Portia's "the quality of mercy" speech.
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