The Universal Elements of The Merchant of VeniceShakespeare's The Merchant of Venice contains many themes and elements considered timeless or universal. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defines a timeless or universal element as a “representation of men of all ages and all times.” A universal element concerns the life of every human being – it is universal. The first major theme that plays an important role in the play is the prejudice of Christians against Jews. A second important theme is attitude towards money. Perhaps the most important theme of the play is love between people. This love can occur between the same sex, or between the opposite sex, platonic or romantic. In Merchant of Venice, the three timeless elements are prejudice, money and love. The first theme is that religious intolerance and prejudice play a destructive role in the book. Racism and prejudice linked to race and religion still exist in schools today. Antonio, as a true Christian, often condemned the lenders. He knows that since the beginning of the 12th century, the Church has prohibited Christians from lending money for profit. Shylock, as a Jew, in no way considers his money lending and crushing interest to be a sin. In fact, he considers the income he earns from his money lending to be a gift from God. He appeals and cites Scripture to defend his profession. Shylock and the other Jewish moneylenders are essential to the prosperity of the merchant community, but they are also outcasts as human beings and Jews. Shylock often shows his dislike for Christians; “I hate him because he is a Christian” (Act I, Sc. III, L. 38). The Christians ridicule and hate the Jewish financier...... middle of paper ......o, whom she cares for for the sake of Bassanio. Jessica abandons her family ties to marry Lorenzo. Even Gratiano and Nerissa are devoted to each other. The play is truly about the happiness that true love brings. In this play, three timeless elements that are very relevant today and throughout history are prejudice, money and love. Shakespeare included many examples of all of these themes in his play. Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano, Lorenzo, Portia and Shylock are the main representatives of these themes. You could take anyone in history and compare them to anyone in this room. An example of this would be the prejudices and mean-spiritedness shared by Shylock and Hitler. Shakespeare did a very good job of showing these elements in real-life scenarios. Samuel Taylor Coleridge said it perfectly: this play is a “representation of men of all ages and all times ».”