Money makes the world go round. Without money, one would have a hard time in this world. But, this world also has a lot of problems. And a lot of these problems are because of money. People are labeled as lesser if they don't have money. The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare is a story about all of these different problems that were cause by one thing. Money. A rich merchant gets in a lot of trouble because of his bankruptcy and a poor man can't get a girl unless he has a lot of money. The whole story is revolved around problems. How to solve the problems, what caused the problems. But, the cause of the problems is always money. The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare portrays the idea that money is the root of all problems.
The Merchant of Venice had a lot of discrimination between different religions, wealthiness, etc. A poor man cannot win over a rich girl's heart. Rich and poor people do not mix. "Bassanio: I feel convinced I'd be successful if only I had the money to make myself a rival!" (1.1.173-176) Bassanio wanted to go and steal a girl's heart but he couldn't because of his lack of money. His problem was that he didn't have enough money to show the girl that he was rich. This girl Portia was also rich, making it so only rich men would be suitable to be her life partner. This made poor people, such as Bassanio not suitable to go and take Portia away with him. Money is the root of this problem because love should not be blocked by discrimination. To refuse the love of someone because of how wealthy they are is not just. Money is the root of this discriminating problem. The solution to this problem was also involved with money. Bassanio borrowed money from a rich lender named Shylock. "Portia's Servant: Madam, a young Venetian has arrived.... He has brought substantial offerings: that is to say, apart from recommendations and compliments, gifts of great value." (2.9.85-86/88-90) The recommendations of Bassanio that Portia is hearing about is because of how wealthy he looks. One with old torn up clothes would not be recommended to Portia, a rich princess that deserves a successful wealthy man. This simple makeover proves that the amount of money one has is how people view the person. This idiotic way of life is a problem that is caused by the one and only, money, the root of all problems.
Shylock is a very rich man who lends people money when they need it. His deals require the person to pay back the money with interest in a set amount of time. "Antonio: Yes, Shylock. I'll sign the bond." (1.3.168) Unfortunately, Antonio and Bassanio's deal was a little different. The consequence for not being able to repay the bond was a pound of flesh right off of their bodies. Shylock's hatred for Antonio was the reason for such a cruel punishment. At the time when Antonio and Bassanio were supposed to pay the money back to Shylock, they did not have the money, putting them in a very big problem. And this problem was again, because of money. "Shylock: ....I would not take the money. I want my bond!" (4.1.86-87) Not even money can get them out of the predicament they were in. This is ironic because money got them into the situation, but it can't get them out. Shylock's money that he lent to Antonio and Bassanio was the root of their very big problem.
In conclusion, money is needed for everything in the world. But The Merchant of Venice shows that money will also lead to problems. All of the problems were linked to money. And sometimes even money can't get you out of it. The way to solve this problem is to not set yourself up to be put in a bad situation. Think about how money will somehow be the problem and avoid letting money start a problem. The government has a lot of problems and they use money to deal with everything. Money will just lead to more problems.
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