Antonio's Melancholy in The Merchant of Venice-A Critique

<p>: The motiveless melancholy of Antonio had baffled and still baffling the critics ever<br>since the play came into being but with different layers of observation from the school of<br>critics, for ages together, unraveling the mystery only to make it appear more mystical as such,<br>more fascinating. This paper intends to glean-off worthy cogitations of some of the most expert<br>modern Shakespeareans. Josuah Sylvester, an English poet in his translation of Du Bartas'<br>(French) work ‘Diuine Weekes and Workes’ brings up a dialogue between Heraclitus the<br>weeping philosopher, and Democritus the laughing philosopher.</p>