In the play The Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare, there are various significant relationships that contribute to the theme of love. These include the romantic type with Bassanio and Portia, the friendship type with Antonio and Bassanio. There are also the relationships that contrast love. These include the parental type with Jessica and Shylock and the business type with Antonio and Shylock these relationships show love for money, possessions, self and power. They are all shown through different techniques, language and irony.

One of the significant relationships, which are romantic, is Bassanio and Portia. Their romantic relationship shows the theme of love and contrasts the relationships that don't have love. In their relationship money is an issue but it isn't that important. For example, in the start Bassanio's first comment of Portia is about money. Bassanio describes Portia as "richly left." Their love soon changes when Bassanio can be seen as a worthy gentleman with good sense and honour and shows true love for Portia. For example when he is choosing th

Another significant relationship is the friendship type of Bassanio and Antonio. Their relationship contributes to the theme of love because it is built on trust and loyalty, which are key factors of a relationship and have something much more than love. It appears that Bassanio's love for Antonio is much greater than for Portia. For example, Bassanio says, "this is Antonio, to whom I am so infinitely bound." This quote shows the loyalty Bassanio has towards Antonio. The repetition of the words "bond" and "bound" reinforces the strength of Antonio and Bassanio's friendship. Antonio's generosity to Bassanio demonstrates how the relationship is built on trust and love. For example, when Antonio wants to help Bassanio in any way he can. He says, "my purse, my person, my extremist means lie all unlocked to your occasions." This quote shows how he is willing to sacrifice his means for a friend. Their love is unlike any other and appears to be the most important because their relationship is based on more than just love but beyond it. For example, When Antonio is prepared to die for Bassanio. He says, "Say how I loved you...bid her be judge whether Bassanio had not once a love." This quote shows the dedication and how real the relationship is. Their relationship is shown through the use of a realistic style, which shows love.

In conclusion, In The Merchant of Venice there are various significant relationships that contribute to the theme of love. These include the relationships built on love which are Bassanio and Portia and Bassanio and Antonio contrasted to the relationships that don't have love, which include Shylock and Jessica and Antonio and Shylock. These relationships are

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