莎劇＜威尼斯商人＞已被廣泛地從種族、性別和宗教等角度討論。然而這些非物質的角度並無法全然地描繪全劇。劇中有許多物件，並且深深地影響著劇中的角色們。這篇論文將試著探索物件和人們之間的關係，以三種人與人之間的關係來著手：猶太人和基督徒、父母親和子女以及愛情和友誼。很明顯的，在劇中，角色和物件之間的關係密不可分，甚至物件的力量會高過人們，進而產生控制。維根斯坦以聖奧古斯丁的論點來做為他的語言哲學的開端：語言以物件命名為基礎。但維根斯坦認為語言的運用並不全然建立在為物件命名，而是在不同的情境之下使用且產生不同的意義，換言之，語言重要的目的不是表達意義，而是在情境中發揮功能。而這樣使用語言的方式，描繪了人們的生活形式(Form of Life)。在劇中，物件在不同的情境之下有著不同的意義。由於戲劇能夠反映人生，因此透過探索劇中物件與角色間的關係，可以反映出人們的真實生活抑是和物件密不可分，也反映出人們的生活形式。 / The Merchant of Venice has long been discussed with the view of race, gender and religion. These immaterial aspects, however, are not able to depict the totality of the play. There are many material objects in the play, those objects which strongly involved in characters’ relationships. The thesis aims to explore when people grant force on objects and objects act upon people in return by examining objects in the play. The importance of objects can be found in three relationships: Shylock and Christianity, parents and children, love and friendship. It is obvious that objects function diversely in different situation and objects do have influence on characters. Ludwig Wittgenstein starts his linguistic philosophy with St. Augustin’s observation: the use of languages starts from naming objects. However, Wittgenstein thinks that languages function in activities, so we should consider the function of language within activities of life instead of an abstract meaning. The way people use languages can be seen as participating in activities which presents the form of life. Similarly, objects function differently in activities and have diverse impact on characters. Drama is formed by many activities and reflects people’s life. Through finding the importance of characters and objects in The Merchant of Venice, the result can reflect people’s real form of life.

數世紀以來，《威尼斯商人》(The Merchant of Venice, 1596-1598)的批評總聚焦在「猶太人問題」(the Jewish question) 與「女人問題」(the woman question) 上：劇中放高利貸的夏洛 (Shylock) 體現了猶太人的原型，而富有、機智的波黠 (Portia) 則是強勢女性的代表。然而，這種閱讀方式將兩個問題分開處理，忽略了兩者在劇中密切的關聯，僅只以審判一景聯繫兩個角色所代表的問題。 　　本論文嘗試以「禮物交換」(gift exchange) 重新閱讀《威尼斯商人》。牟斯 (Marcel Mauss) 的著作《禮物》(The Gift, 1925) 初步定義原始社會中的交換行為與其涵意，奠定了禮物研究的基礎。禮物交換所建構的社會關係複雜多變，因此，除牟斯外，本論文亦援引佳寶 (Jacques T. Godbout) 與楊 (Iris Marion Young) 的理論，以期透視《威尼斯商人》中的角色在禮物交換之下的互動與劇情發展。 　　根據喜福特 (Alan D. Schrift) 所言，禮物描繪了「主體間的互動」(intersubjective interaction)。立基於此概念，並以上述等人的理論為架構，本論文由三個面向逐步探討《威尼斯商人》中基督男性的「自我」(self) 與猶太／女性「他者」(other) 間的禮物交換：（一）禮物交換的基礎；（二）禮物交換的聯繫與風險；（三）非對稱交換關係與重建關係。劇中安東尼 (Antonio) 與巴薩紐 (Bassanio) 的友情為禮物交換的基礎，進一步展現禮物特色，牽連／牽絆夏洛與波黠，發揮禮物效應，帶出多重「非對稱」(asymmetry) 的要素，終致重建四人的關係。 / For centuries, the Jewish question and the woman question have always been the salient concerns for criticisms of The Merchant of Venice (1596-1598): whereas Shylock the usurer embodies a Jewish archetype, Portia the clever heiress presents a powerful female figure. Nevertheless, treating the Jewish question and the woman question separately, this kind of reading ignores the close relationship between the two in the play, and connects them loosely only with the trial scene. This thesis reads The Merchant of Venice in the perspective of gift exchange. Founding the studies of the gift, Marcel Mauss’s The Gift (1925) firstly defines the reciprocity and the significance of gift exchange in archaic societies. Since social relationship established by gift exchange is subject to change, this thesis also draws on Jacques T. Godbout’s and Iris Marion Young’s theories to probe into the interaction of characters and the movement of The Merchant of Venice. According to Alan D. Schrift, the gift depicts “intersubjective interaction” (18). Based on this concept and structured with the above theories, the thesis examines gift exchange between the Christian male “self” and its Jewish/female other in The Merchant of Venice step by step in three dimensions: (1) the basis of gift exchange; (2) bond and risk in gift exchange; (3) asymmetrical reciprocity and reestablished relation. In the play, gift exchange brings its effect of bond and feature of asymmetry into full play. Grounded on the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, gift exchange links/restrains Shylock and Portia, and reestablishes the characters’ relationships as a result.