dramatic time in Merchant of Venice is problematic The three months, a condition of Shylock's bond, two different setting of dramatic time, and geographical space raise some important questions to consider. Shakespeare emphasizes time condition of in beginning of play but soon ignores it after first mentioned in Act 1 Scene 3. Also, he sets two different and inconsistent distances between Venice and Belmont. From the casket scene dramatic time plot is divided into two contradictory double schemes. first scheme suggests that it takes three to reach Belmont. Up until Bassanio wins Portia, all of Antonio's argosies have to be wrecked; Jessica has to elope to Genoa where she exchanges her mother's ring with a monkey, then she has to come back to Belmont; Tubal has beet' to Genoa searching Shylock's thief of a daughter, and meets there escaped sailors from Antonio's ship, and returns with Antonio's creditors. All these deeds need three to take place. Meanwhile, Antonio himself must see and accept his failure and send his letter to Bassanio from jail. In contrast, other scheme assumes in Act 3, Scene 2, that Venice voyage only takes one or two days. Antonio's letter also seems to arrive at Belmont within a few days. It is same case during trip back to Belmont, after court scene; it does not require many days. happy men and girls all return to dream land at almost morning (5.1.295) of second day after trial. contradictory time scheme is clearly seen in Jessica's route. When she speaks about her father in front of people in agony in Belmont, she speaks as if she departed her father's hellish house not long before. She said, when I was with him, I have heard him swear/ To Tubal and to Chus, his countryman/ That he would rather have Antonio's flesh/ Than twenty times value of sum/ That he did owe him(3.2.282-89). It is impossible for her to hear conversation that will take place after her elopement. Shylock's merry bond turns into a revengeful one while he learns Antonio's ill fortune and Jessica's betrayal from Tubal(3.1.99-102). Shakespeare intentionally ignores (or forgets) her return-trip to Genoa and lets her speak lines as if she came to Belmont directly from Venice. It is because Shakespeare is afraid that her journey sounds like a very long time-consuming round trip and may break play's dramatic tension in play. He does not want us to remember the three months in second part of play; he also changes imaginary distance to decrease gap between Venice and Belmont. This is because second part is built upon a different temporal scheme. In conclusion, to solve problematic time sequence in Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare adopts two contradictory time plots. It may be Shakespeare's agonizing device to put together real time and dramatic time in its entirety. He solves problems of the three months, dramatic time, and geographical space by this device. Sacrificing real time and space, he succeeds to maintain and heighten dramatic tension created in beginning of play. (*)