I would disagree with this argument. I don't think that love is the most important theme in the first two acts. Yes, one could argue that love—that is to say Bassanio's love for Portia—is the catalyst for much of the action, but it tends to get lost amidst all the shenanigans concerning the devil's bargain that Antonio strikes with Shylock.
That's where the primary focus lies in the first two acts. Bassanio may be head over heels in love with Portia, but he still needs to keep her in the style to which she's become accustomed, and that requires money: lots of it. So the theme of love, though remaining a strong undercurrent, is occluded by more down-to-earth matters, such as Antonio's unusual contract with Shylock, which he hopes will provide enough money for Bassanio to woo Portia.
Different readers will have a different take on this, but I do not believe that the theme of love is the most significant theme shown in Acts 1 and 2 of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. I think friendship is a more prevalent theme; however, that isn't to say love is excluded as a theme. Bassanio says that he wants to make Portia his wife. That is what is motivating him to seek out Antonio's help. If he wasn't in love, then he wouldn't be seeking help. Presumably, Bassanio is after Portia because of love, but I've always doubted the intensity of that particular love. Bassanio never really sells audiences that he's in love with Portia for reasons other than she is very attractive and quite wealthy. If he marries her, all of his financial troubles go away. Plus, he winds up with an attractive wife. That's not exactly the stuff of pure romance. If Portia were poor and unattractive, I don't believe that Bassanio would be interested at all. That means he's not in love with her. He's in love with what she is and has.
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