Antonio-Bassanio Relationship

In The Merchant of Venice Antonio and Bassanio are obviously very good friends, but there is much more to their relationship than meets the eye. I believe that Antonio has somewhat of a homosexual love towards Bassanio, while Bassanio sees the relationship strictly as a friendship.

"You know me well, and herein spend but time

To wind about my love with circumstance;

And out of doubt you do me now more wrong

In making question of my uttermost

Than if you had made waste of all I have.

Then do but say to me what i should do

That in your knowledge may by me be done,

And i am prest unto it. Therefore speak." Act 1. Scene. 1 lines 160-167

Here Bassanio tells Antonio that he has spent all of his money and needs another loan in order to go and court this women named Portia. Instead of just asking for the loan, Bassanio makes up this argument why Antonio should give him the money. Antonio takes great offense of this and tells Bassanio that he has done him more wrong and hurt him more by wasting his time with his argument and that he should know that he would give Bassanio anything and help him in any circumstance. This suggest that Antonio has more of a homosexual love or fantasy towards Bassanio. Antonio also agrees to the bond that Shylock proposes if he does not repay him. In this deal, if Antonio does not repay Shylock on time, he has to pay with one pound of flesh aka his heart. Antonio is doing this deal which also suggest some kind of homosexual love towards Bassanio because Antonio is willing to risk his life for Bassanio. Antonio is also a wealthy merchant of an age where he should have a wife. So I think Antonio views his relationship with Bassanio as some kind of homosexual fantasy.

Realizations

At the end of the second stage of Pip's expectations, both Pip and Estella come to realize something of great importance to them. When the convict comes back into pip's life and tells pip that he is his secret benefactor, pip comes to realize that he is not destined to marry Estella after all.
"Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me; I only suffered in Satis House as a convenience, a sting for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practise on what no other practice was at hand; those were the first smarts I had. But, sharpest and deepest pain of all - it was for the convict, guilty of i knew not what crimes, and liable to be taken out of those rooms where I sat thinking, and hanged at the Old Bailey door, that I had deserted Joe."
Now with the knowledge as the convict as his benefactor Pip becomes heartbroken and realizes that his love Estella is not meant for him. This is a tough relevation for Pip for since he met Estella he has always thought Miss Havisham was intending for him to marry her. Not only is he not meant to marry her, but he realizes he is expected to be her companion while she goes and meets suitors. But not only does he realize he is not meant for Estella anymore, he comes to realize that he had abandoned Joe. He now knows that he had just wasted his time chasing a dream that he thought he was destined for and abandoned his best friend along the way for nothing. This comes as the sharpest, most painful realization for him. Now that Pip knows this, I think Pip will try and re-connect with Joe, but i dont think he will give up on his love with Estella. Pip will go on to build a strong relationship with the convict Magwitch also.
At the end of the second stage of Pip's expectations Estella also comes to realize something of great importance. When she is at the Satis House with Miss Havisham she realizes that she will never be able to truly love someone.
"if you had taught her, from the dawn of her intelligence, with your utmost energy and might, that there was such a thing as daylight, but that it was made to be her enemy and destroyer, and she must always turn against it, for it had blighted you and would else blight her—if you had done this, and then, for a purpose, had wanted her to take naturally to the daylight and she could not do it, you would have been disappointed and angry? . . .”
“So,” said Estella, “I must be taken as I have been made. The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.”
While talking to Miss Havisham, Estella comes to realize she can not love anyone. She tells Miss Havisham that this is the way she had raised her. She comes to the conclusion that Miss Havisham had brought her up to be cold and cruel to men since men had been cold and cruel to her. Because Estella had been brought up this way, She realizes that this has made it impossible for her to express her emotions and love someone. Now that Estella realizes she can not love anyone I think she will go and marry Drummle for the hell of it. I dont think she will get involved with Pip because she knows she will never be able to love him.

Orlick

Orlick is a vicious, hateful, and strong character in Great Expectations. He is always tormenting Pip for no reason. It almost seems like he is trying to hurt Pip for fun. At one point Orlick even goes as far to attack Mrs. Joe. He is also always slouching around making him seem like a dark mischievous character. From his name you can see that he is an evil character. The way Orlick sounds just gives one a shady feeling about that character. It also kind of sounds like and resembles the word warlock which is a term used for a male that has obtained mystical powers usually for evil. It is the equivalent to a witch. So to me Orlick's name reveals that he is a evil vicious character that likes to hurt people.

Mrs. Joe

"By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for  a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on."

Pip's sister, Mrs. Joe, has been aggressive throughout her marriage with Joe. She has literally been raising Pip "by hand". In a sense she has also been raising Joe "by hand" since Joe is similar to a child in the way he reacts and responds to his wife. So Mrs. Joe has proclaimed her self the alpha-male in the group. She is the one with all the control and respect from the neighbors. So when Joe does not respond to her she becomes angry and in order to get what she wants and to show that she is the leader in their "pack" she takes Joe's head and bangs it against the wall as punishment, showing that she is the alpha. While this goes on Pip is looking guiltily on in the corner because Joe is getting punished for something Pip has done. So he feels like he should be taking the punishment. Instead Joe steps in for him and covers for him. Joe does this because Pip is his friends and because I think he is used to it. When he was a child his father used to beat him just like his wife is doing now. So I think that these beatings don't really hurt Joe too much since he has endured beatings like these his whole life. He is trying to save Pip from a childhood like his.

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