The Significance of “Play” within the Play: Huizinga’s Theory and the Merchant of Venice

J. Huizinga begins his fascination sociological study Homo Ludens with a statement that is deceptively prosaic: “Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposed human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing” Assuming this much in the first of his chapter, he will shortly conclude, “The great archetypal activities of human society are all permeated with play from the start.” This “permeation,” Huizinga will aptly demonstrate, includes all “non-serious activities, such as contests, myth or storytelling, courtship, fashion, music, drama, the plastic arts such as sculpture and architecture, and even a few which we would ordinarily consider very serious non frivolous activities such as religion, ritual and courtships of marriage and justice.