Stasis
– Antonio, a Venetian merchant, is experiencing an apparently unexplainable depression, while his closest friend Bassanio has been harboring a secret love. Meanwhile, in Belmont, the beautiful, rich, and intelligent heiress Portia is bound by her father's will not to marry a suitor of her own choosing. All the suitors that have come, however, to attempt her dead father's trial have been quite undesirable.
Implications of Proposed Stasis
– The stasis I have proposed has a great deal to do with the twin concepts of love and marriage. This suggests that these will be some of the primary motivating factors for the characters mentioned in the stasis (Shylock, especially, is excluded from this €˜love and marriage' motivation). It has been theorized that Antonio's motivation is an intense love for Bassanio, Bassanio (obviously) is motivated by his love for Portia, Lorenzo acts out of an infatuation with Jessica, and finally there is Gratiano and Nerissa. All of these pairs, in some way or another, have their actions informed by their love and/or romantic feelings for one another.
Intrusion
– The intrusion, in my opinion, would be one of two things: Bassanio's confession of his love for Portia (to Antonio) or his request for a loan from Antonio. Both of these disrupt the stasis in a way, but I think Bassanio's request for a loan is more significant since it directly leads to the introduction of Shylock into the storyline, and also allows Bassanio to pursue Portia, thus allowing for the two worlds of Belmont and Venice to be intertwined through their characters. Also, obviously, the request for a loan triggers the formation of the loan agreement, which is one of the primary driving forces in the play’s action.
Implications of Intrusion
– My proposed intrusion (the loan request) subtly introduces the theme of the importance of money in Venetian (and Belmontian) society: Bassanio cannot woo Portia unless he can dress and travel like a prince. Also, as stated, it introduces Shylock and the role of the Jew as a moneylender in the society of the play. And again, this intrusion indirectly leads to two very separate worlds that would not otherwise unite coming together in the play's storyline. Somewhat more significantly, however, this request introduces the concept of obligation, which is a huge factor throughout the play: Portia is obligated to follow her father's will, Bassanio feels obligated to pay back Antonio somehow, Antonio is obligated to repay Shylock, and Bassanio is obligated to keep Portia's ring safe. This, along with the ‘love and marriage’ factors mentioned above in the implications of the stasis,is one of the primary motivating factors, and veen obstacles, for many of the major characters.