Money and Contract in The Merchant of Venice

Abstract

The fortunes and misfortunes of Shylock and Antonio are pervaded with economic and legal ideas. Both characters tend to overlap and confuse in several dimensionsthe most celebrated one is to believe that the Jew is the merchantand are alternatively victim and victimizer. The analysis of the play focusing in money and contract, economics and the law, market and morality, allows us to delve into the nuances of one of the most engaging characters in the history of literature and to ponder the classical liberal message of justice and charity.