According to Ball, forwards are first and foremost a tool used by playwrights to keep the audience actively engaged in the play and prevent them from losing interest. However, their secondary function is to call attention to important thematic elements of the play. Some of the forwards in Merchant of Venice serve in this capacity, once again using forwards including the confrontation between Antonio and Shylock, the ring subplot at the play’s end, and Antonio’s mercantile ventures to draw attention to religious conflict, morality, and financial themes in the play.