Graduation Semester and Year

2010

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

First Advisor

Amy L Tigner

Abstract

I argue that Timon of Athens and The Merchant of Venice illustrate that money and love can exist within the same exchange system, within which each relationship retains a value based upon an expectation of reciprocity. The terms of reciprocity found in the relationships of these plays is often intertwined through the means of gift exchange and bonds. The exchange of gifts, when involved in the evaluation of a relationship, questions the very nature of an altruistic gift and illustrates further the means by which affection influences monetary exchanges. Furthermore, the quantitative and qualitative exchanges in Merchant and Timon depict the complex notion of value in early modern England. These plays illustrate the reality of life and human exchange--a system within which love and money are continually intertwined and exchanged.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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