Society and History of Class Struggles :: Shakespeare History Essays

Society and History of Class Struggles At first glance, sixteenth degree centigrade Shakespearian drama and the nineteenth century dialectic philosophy uttered by Marx and Engels share no probable relationship to one another. Upon immediate examination, however, developments in contemporary Shakespearian England illustrate that the social and economic centralisation 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 Enclosure Acts, which enabled the systematic destruction of the feudalistic relationship between the peasantry and the gentry the emergence of a state sponsored market economy the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the resulting ascendancy of English navel power and the galvanizing orbit of English nationalism contained in the figure of Queen Elizabeth I each(prenomi nal) provided a compelling backdrop for the existence of modern class base antagonisms within Shakespearian dramatic themes.In Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice, a modernistic class-conscious theme develops around how several of the plays characters manipulate sources of wealth in order to achieve social equality. The make grow 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 achievable 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 with(predicate) the exchange of gifts and debts between three ruler relationships. In the characters of Antonio, Portia, and Shylock, Shakespeare illustrates that as a result of the commodification of society even the motivations for expressing good-will are now subject to a cost/benefit analysis. multifariously stifled 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 partnership between Shakespeare and the basis of modern class antagonisms. The relationship between Antonio and Bassanio exemplifies the agate line nature of friendship portrayed throughout The Merchant of Venice.