Art reflects the social context in which it was created and therefore can be useful in determining the social opinions of different time periods. Live theater is no different, and the way minority characters were written and portrayed on stage can be helpful in understanding how they were viewed by the vast majority at the time the show was produced. Their outward physical appearance is particularly important, since their clothing and makeup determine the audience's initial thoughts: whether they go on stage in blackface or covered from head to toe with a cloth, their characterization is influenced so significant. In many examples of portraits of people of color, the characters themselves largely acknowledge their minority status, and the rest of their actions in relation to the plot are largely tied to the position of the subject. While the most obvious outsider in The Merchant of Venice is Shylock, the Jewish loan shark vilified for his insistence on physically harming a man in debt, a character with a much smaller role operated in a similar sphere to his. Named only as the Prince of Morocco, this man sought Portia's hand in marriage: a wealthy white woman who would be desirable for the purpose of increasing both wealth and class status. His presence in the play is interesting, as he sometimes serves as a parallel to Shylock as he asks Portia to see him just as she would see anyone of his own race, as well as an example of how to see Shylock in relation to whiteness. characters as the show progresses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In his initial speech to Portia, the prince takes a somewhat contradictory approach to gaining her favor. His first words foreshadow her that she is already against him because of his race: "I dislike him not because of my complexion" (2.1.1), although he seems to argue that his skin tone does not define him even as he praises him. He bears “the shaded livery of the burnished sun” (2.1.2), and the choice of the word 'livery' is interesting. Literally referred to as “clothing or uniform” (OED), it suggests that his skin is a type of clothing, and therefore not permanent. Since it isn't permanent, it may not be essential to his character, creating the possibility that Portia doesn't need to judge him by his skin tone at all. Additionally, the sun is described as burnished or “having the appearance of shiny metal.” This connotes an idea of ​​wealth and status, as the metal needs to be shiny enough to shine; It also adds a sense of beauty, as the metal is more attractive when it shines. His characterization of his complexion is so strange because he speaks positively about it and at the same time distances himself from it. Although there were different ideas about what caused skin tone in the 1600s, the prince apparently subscribed to the concept that race was based on climate, as he calls himself a 'neighbor' of the sun before asking to be compared to a person from the extreme north that “the fire of Phoebus barely melts icicles” as a means of requesting a person with extraordinarily fair skin. This belief is appropriate when compared to his earlier characterization of skin tone as clothing, because if skin tone is based on the climate a person lives in, moving to another climate could change that skin tone, making it non-permanent. This furthers the idea that the prince can escape the negative traits he assumes Portia sees in his skin color. Furthermore, the contest he suggests involves not colorof his skin but the color of his blood, giving importance to his internal rather than internal characteristics. Specifically, he asks to be judged on the redness of his blood, a scale by which "virality [...] and strength" (OED) can be measured. He uses this new aspect of his body to assert his masculinity, as well as his suitability for marriage to Portia: if he is virile and strong, he is able to function as both a companion and a protector. Basically, the person the prince asks to be compared to is described as the "fairest creature born in the north" (2.2.4), as opposed to asking for someone who was simply paler than him. The prince specifically calls for the person to be as white as possible, as fits a definition of right, but invites a number of other traits in using that word specifically. To be righteous also means to be “beautiful [and] pleasant,” as well as “admirable [and] noble” (OED). The prince's use of a word associated with such positive traits creates a stronger dichotomy between him and his hypothetical competitor, since his choice to elevate the fairest man to someone to compete with is to indirectly agree that a darker skin tone carries the opposite traits. If he is asking for the most worthy competitor to be compared to, and that competitor is handsome and noble because of his light complexion, the prince agrees that the traits associated with blackness are not beauty and nobility but some form of their opposites . The prince works once again to distance himself from his darkness and present himself as worthy of marrying Portia. However, soon after the prince asks for the opportunity to separate himself from his skin tone and be judged by an inner trait, he boasts how his skin behavior has excited others: "he feared the valiant" (2.1 .9) and was loved by "the most esteemed virgins of our clime" (2.1.10). Through these new statements, the prince presents his skin tone as something decidedly desirable, and once again as a companion and protector. While his appearance instills fear in his opponents, it appears that it is the fear resulting from the prince's strength rather than his skin tone itself that is frightening, as he believes it is important to describe frightened people as typically valiant. The argument he presents with the virgins of his clime can work one of two ways: if he is modest, the fact that the best women his region had to offer desired him makes him at least adequate for Portia; if he is arrogant, his experience could function as a way to show Portia the benefits of what she could gain by marrying him. Regardless, the prince defends his skin tone and presents arguments that counter possible claims that he is unfit to be Portia's husband. Here he also directly addresses Portia, an extension of his original request that she not "despise" him on the basis of his skin tone before he has a chance to work out his character. The prince's final appeal, however, seems like a way to almost completely sever the bond between him and his race. As he expresses the positive aspects of his body and what he has been able to achieve with it, he tells Portia that he "would not change this shade / But to steal [her] thoughts" (2.1.11-12). This last statement manages to combine the sentiment of his speech above, as contradictory as it was: he is proud of his skin tone and does not see it negatively, but understands that Portia probably will and is therefore willing to give up her identity . to make yourself more attractive to her. This statement does not appear to be hypothetical, on the contrary, the prince seems willing to change if.