TamasandMerchantofvenice

Introduction:
ThetwotextsMerchantofVenicebywilliamshakespeareandtamasbybhishamsahni
aresocialcommentariesbasedondifferentpeopleandtheircultures.Bothtextsexplorehow
differentsocialgroupsareostracised,marginalisedandevenvictimisedforsimplybeing
perceiveddifferently.Eventhough,MOVwaswrittenalmostfourcenturiesbeforeTamas,
therearesimilarelementspresentinboththatportray(
)and()by(buildingup
characters/throughbuildingupsetting/background/theuseofdifferentliterarydevices).
Sincethetwotextshave(religiousbigotry/statusofwomen/differentsocioeconomicgroups/
selfinterestvslove/realityvsidealism)asoneofthemainthemes,the()affectstheway
thesetextsarereadandperceived.

Tamasisananatomyofpartition,whichdepictsthecommunalviolencegeneratedby
fundamentalists.Itnarrateshowpeoplewereforcedintoservingtheulteriorpurposesofthe
communalistswhoinfusedtensionandhatredfortheirownbenefitsatthecostsof
intercommunalharmony.ThetitleTamaswhichmeansdarknessitselfsuggestsan
attempttodepictandcondemnthedarknessinvolvedintheviolenceoftheeveofpartition
ofIndia.
MoviscomicalplayaboutabitteranddetestedJewishmoneylender(Shylock)whoseeks
revengeagainstaChristianmerchantwhohasdefaultedonaloan.Whileithasreligious
bigotryatheart,italsoshowcasesthethemesofstatusofwomenandtheconflictbetween
differentsocioeconomicgroupsbysubplots.

Themes:
1. idealismvsreality.
TheMerchantofVeniceisstructuredpartlyonthecontrastbetweenidealisticandrealistic
opinionsaboutsocietyandrelationships.Ontheonehand,theplaytellsusthatloveismore
importantthanmoney,mercyispreferabletorevenge,andlovelastsforever.Ontheother
hand,morecynicalvoicestellusthatmoneyrulestheworld,mercyalonecannotgovernour
lives,andlovecanevaporateaftermarriage.
Theplayswitchesabruptlybetweenthesedifferentattitudes.Shakespeareorganizesthe
shiftsbetweenidealismandrealismbyassociatingthetwoconceptswiththeplay'stwo
locations.Veniceisdepictedasacityofmerchants,usurers,andcynicalyoungmen.
Belmont,incontrast,isthelandwherefairytalescometrueandromanceexists.

Intamas,theauthorshowsthisthemebybuildingupthecharacterofmuradali,whoatfirst
glanceseemsanimportant,wealthyandawisemanwithstrictpostureturnsouttobethe
notoriouscommunistwhoinstigatedtheriots.
Sahnithrowsintoboldreliefthatpeoplefromthesamecommunityaredifferent.Itisironical
tonotethatMuradAli,isdark,thickset,shortstatured...smallpenetratingeyesinstark.And
Shahnawaz,thevoiceofsanityhelpinghisHindubrethrenduringriots,sympatheticand
handsome.WhileMilkhi,aBrahmin,wasa'dirty,slimylizard'.'Nobodyknewhisorigins.

2.Statusofwomen:

Inbothtext,womenaredominatedbymen.Womenduring13001500shadnoindividual
freedom,marriedwomenbelongedtotheirhusband,andbeforetheyweremarriedthey
weregovernedbytheirparents.Portiawasbeingcontrolledbyherfatherswill,whodidnot
givehertherighttochooseherownhusband.Portiadisagreedverymuchwiththiswill,...
ImayneitherchoosewhoIwould/norrefusewhoIdislikesoisthewillofaliving/
daughtercurbedbythewillofadeadfather.Jessicaslifeiscontrolledbyshylock,her
father,andsheisashamedofbeingthedaughterofshylock.Ourhouseishell,andthou,a
merrydevil.
Intamas,thecharacterofrajoisshownasawomanwhoseactionsaregovernedbythe
rulesofherhusband.Beforegivingrefugetoharnamsinghandhiswife,Rajothinksabout
herhusbandandthewayhewillreacttothis.Thisshowsthedominanceofmenover
womenindailylife.Also,throughoutthebook,manychaptersportrayeventswherewomen
aremistreatedbymen.Manywomenwiththeirchildrenjumpintothewellstoavoidbeing
molested.Also,nathuswifeisshowntobedominatedbyherhusband.Shedoesnteatuntil
herhusbandhaseatenshowshowmenaregivenpriorityratherthanwomen.

Setting: