Symbolism Pertaining To Antonio
Antonio is a symbol of Christian kindness, generosity, and love. These attributes are usually shown towards Bassanio or his friends. “In this and other ways he is a romantic figure. To his contemporaries he may have had a broader significance. In a group of medieval tales called the Tale of Abraham and Theodore, the rescue of a borrower from the clutches of an usurer was a symbol of man’s redemption.” (Campbell) Antonio helped Bassanio and prevented him from having to borrow money from an usurer, taking his place as the borrower instead. Antonio’s symbolism as Jesus or the perfect lamb is brought to mind. In Judaism a perfect lamb is sacrificed for a sin offering killed to deflect the wrath of God. Antonio is the perfect lamb about to be killed to appease the vengeance of Shylock. In Christianity, Jesus dies in the place of sinners. Antonio—like Jesus—takes the place of Bassanio as the borrower and savior. The fundamental weakness in both of these allegories is that Antonio's character is marred by hatred unlike the lamb (chosen for its purity), and unlike Christ (declared sinless in the New Testament). (Weiss).
However, one could also perceive Antonio as representing a certain hypocrisy within the Elizabethan Christian church. For example, priests would preach that plenty was enough and to give to those worse off etc, whilst maintaining for a large part relatively luxurious lifestyles from their generous salaries. Whether Shakespeare intended to critique the Christian church or provoke controversy for dramatic purposes is unclear.
Read more about this topic: Antonio (Merchant Of Venice)
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