ShakespeareÆs ôThe Merchant of Venice,ö like all of his plays, is full of meaning on many levels. One of the predominant themes in this play, however, is that of love. A number of people in the play either love each other or claim to love each other, and Shakespeare characterizes each characterÆs love differently to reveal insights about human nature and the nature of love itself. Virtually none of the ôloveö professed by the various characters in the play is true love; most of it is self-interest or dependency posing as love. Since it is one of the foibles of human nature to offer this type of conditional love to others, the way the audience is able to discern the wrongness of these forms of non-love is by seeing them compared with true love. Therefore, Shakespeare sets up one characterÆs love as true and makes it the gold standard against which all the others are compared and fall short.
True love is not interested in self or concerned about what is offered in return; it just loves unconditionally, expecting and needing nothing back. It does not manipulate, extort, or imprison; it gives freely. True love is not superficial; it is heartfelt, and when the loved one has a need, true love is quick and willing to come to the rescue. The standard for true love in the play is PortiaÆs love for Bassanio. Portia does not try to dominate him in any way, trying to make him heed her demands, nor does she attach herself to him in an effort to hold onto him. She simply loves him for himself and is content to demonstrate her love by showing him her favor and by coming to his defense. There is nothing that she wants to withhold from him. When he chooses the correct casket, she says, ôThis house, these servants and this same myself Are yours, my lord: I give them with this ringö (Shakespeare 172; 3.2, 171).
The greatest contrast to this selfless love is the ôloveö that Antonio professes fo
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