Society and History of Class Struggles :: Shakespeare History Essays

Society and History of Class Struggles At first glance, sixteenth century Shakespearian drama and the nineteenth century dialectic ism expressed by Marx and Engels share no probable relationship to one another. Upon closer examination, however, developments in contemporary Shakespearian England illustrate that the social and economic centralization that generate the necessary characteristics of a proto-modern nation state were emerging in sixteenth century England. The unprecedented urbanized demographic shift created by the inclosure Acts, which enabled the systematic destruction of the feudalistic relationship between the peasantry and the nobility the emergence of a state sponsored market economy the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the resulting potency of side of meat navel power and the galvanizing image of English nationalism contained in the figure of Queen Elizabeth I all provided a compelling b ackground signal for the existence of modern class based antagonisms within Shakespearian dramatic themes.In Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice, a modernistic class-conscious theme develops approximately how several of the plays characters manipulate sources of wealth in order to achieve social equality. The rise of international markets, readily available sources of credit, and the overall commodification of English society (Lecture, 9/3/03) had created a new commercial dynamic in Shakespeares era that gave form to a financial meritocracy never before possible in English history. Consequently, in Shakespeares play, the tension that results from the challenges presented to the status quo by the commercialization of society manifests itself through the exchange of gifts and debts between three convention relationships. In the characters of Antonio, Portia, and Shylock, Shakespeare illustrates that as a result of the commodification of society even the motivations for expres sing generosity are now subject to a cost/benefit analysis. Variously conquer by the traditional limitations placed upon on them by their social positions, Shakespeares central characters in The Merchant of Venice seek to address their frustrations through an economic advantage, which in the end analysis, works to emphasize a connection between Shakespeare and the basis of modern class antagonisms. The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio exemplifies the business nature of friendship pictured throughout The Merchant of Venice.