The Merchant of
Venice
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
• The most influential writer in all of English literature.
• Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Died on 1616 at
the age of 52 years old.
• He married an old woman, Anne Hathaway and had three
children with her.
• Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to
work as an actor and playwright.
• 38 plays , 154 sonnets.
• The Merchant of Venice was probably written in either 1596 or
1597, after Shakespeare had written such plays as Romeo and
Juliet and Richard III.
Characters:
• Nerissa – Portia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante. Marries Gratiano and
accompanies Portia to Venice and disguising as her law clerk.
• Launcelot Gobbo – Bassanio’s servant. A comical, clownish figure. Leaves
Shylock’s service to work for Bassanio.
• The Prince of Morocco – a Moorish prince who seeks Portia’s hand in marriage and
ask Portia to ignore his dark countenance. He picks the gold chest caskets that is
incorrect.
• The Prince of Aragon – An arrogant Spanish nobleman who also attempt to win
Portia’s hand by picking a casket. He picks the silver casket which gives him a
message calling him an idiot.
• The Duke of Venice – The ruler of Venice who presides over Antonio’s trial.
Characters:
•Shylock – a jewish moneylender in Venice.
•Portia – a wealthy heiress from Belmont.
•Antonio – a merchant whose for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylocks
contract and almost lose his life. Mercurial figure.
•Bassanio – a gentleman of Venice, kinsman and a dear friend to Antonio. Correctly
choose the casket that contains Portia’s portrait.
•Gratiano – friend of Bassanio who accompanies him to Belmont.
•Jessica – Shylock’s daughter, runaway with the young Christian Lorenzo.
•Lorenzo – friend of Bassanio and Antonio.
The Merchant of Venice
Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains to his friends of a melancholy that
he cannot explain. His friend Bassanio is desperately in need of money to
court Portia, a wealthy heiress who lives in the city of Belmont. Bassanio
asks Antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to Portia’s estate. Antonio
agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because his own money is all
invested in a number of trade ships that are still at sea. Antonio suggests that
Bassanio secure the loan from one of the city’s moneylenders and name
Antonio as the loan’s guarantor. In Belmont, Portia expresses sadness over
the terms of her father’s will, which stipulates that she must marry the man
who correctly chooses one of three caskets. None of Portia’s current suitors
are to her liking, and she and her lady-in-waiting, Nerissa, fondly remember
a visit paid some time before by Bassanio.
The Merchant of Venice
In Venice, Antonio and Bassanio approach Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, for a
loan. Shylock nurses a long-standing grudge against Antonio, who has made a habit
of berating Shylock and other Jews for their usury, the practice of loaning money at
exorbitant rates of interest, and who undermines their business by offering interest-
free loans. Although Antonio refuses to apologize for his behavior, Shylock acts
agreeably and offers to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with no interest.
Shylock adds, however, that should the loan go unpaid, Shylock will be entitled to a
pound of Antonio’s own flesh. Despite Bassanio’s warnings, Antonio agrees. In
Shylock’s own household, his servant Launcelot decides to leave Shylock’s service
to work for Bassanio, and Shylock’s daughter Jessica schemes to elope with
Antonio’s friend Lorenzo. That night, the streets of Venice fill up with revelers, and
Jessica escapes with Lorenzo by dressing as his page. After a night of celebration,
Bassanio and his friend Gratiano leave for Belmont, where Bassanio intends to win
Portia’s hand.
The Merchant of Venice
In Belmont, Portia welcomes the prince of Morocco, who has come in an attempt to choose the
right casket to marry her. The prince studies the inscriptions on the three caskets and chooses
the gold one, which proves to be an incorrect choice. In Venice, Shylock is furious to find that
his daughter has run away, but rejoices in the fact that Antonio’s ships are rumored to have
been wrecked and that he will soon be able to claim his debt. In Belmont, the prince of Arragon
also visits Portia. He, too, studies the caskets carefully, but he picks the silver one, which is
also incorrect. Bassanio arrives at Portia’s estate, and they declare their love for one another.
Despite Portia’s request that he wait before choosing, Bassanio immediately picks the correct
casket, which is made of lead. He and Portia rejoice, and Gratiano confesses that he has fallen
in love with Nerissa. The couples decide on a double wedding. Portia gives Bassanio a ring as
a token of love, and makes him swear that under no circumstances will he part with it. They are
joined, unexpectedly, by Lorenzo and Jessica. The celebration, however, is cut short by the
news that Antonio has indeed lost his ships, and that he has forfeited his bond to Shylock.
Bassanio and Gratiano immediately travel to Venice to try and save Antonio’s life. After they
leave, Portia tells Nerissa that they will go to Venice disguised as men.
The Merchant of Venice
Shylock ignores the many pleas to spare Antonio’s life, and a trial is called to decide the
matter. The duke of Venice, who presides over the trial, announces that he has sent for a legal
expert, who turns out to be Portia disguised as a young man of law. Portia asks Shylock to
show mercy, but he remains inflexible and insists the pound of flesh is rightfully his. Bassanio
offers Shylock twice the money due him, but Shylock insists on collecting the bond as it is
written. Portia examines the contract and, finding it legally binding, declares that Shylock is
entitled to the merchant’s flesh. Shylock ecstatically praises her wisdom, but as he is on the
verge of collecting his due, Portia reminds him that he must do so without causing Antonio to
bleed, as the contract does not entitle him to any blood. Trapped by this logic, Shylock hastily
agrees to take Bassanio’s money instead, but Portia insists that Shylock take his bond as
written, or nothing at all. Portia informs Shylock that he is guilty of conspiring against the life
of a Venetian citizen, which means he must turn over half of his property to the state and the
other half to Antonio. The duke spares Shylock’s life and takes a fine instead of Shylock’s
property. Antonio also forgoes his half of Shylock’s wealth on two conditions: first, Shylock
must convert to Christianity, and second, he must will the entirety of his estate to Lorenzo and
Jessica upon his death. Shylock agrees and takes his leave.
The Merchant of Venice
Bassanio, who does not see through Portia’s disguise, showers the young law clerk with thanks,
and is eventually pressured into giving Portia the ring with which he promised never to part.
Gratiano gives Nerissa, who is disguised as Portia’s clerk, his ring. The two women return to
Belmont, where they find Lorenzo and Jessica declaring their love to each other under the
moonlight. When Bassanio and Gratiano arrive the next day, their wives accuse them of
faithlessly giving their rings to other women. Before the deception goes too far, however,
Portia reveals that she was, in fact, the law clerk, and both she and Nerissa reconcile with their
husbands. Lorenzo and Jessica are pleased to learn of their inheritance from Shylock, and the
joyful news arrives that Antonio’s ships have in fact made it back safely. The group celebrates
its good fortune.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
– THE LAW - JUSTICE
– CROSS-DRESSING - ACCEPTANCE
– FILIAL PIETY - RESPECT
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a
literary work.
– SELF-INTEREST VERSUS LOVE
– THE DIVINE QUALITY OF MERCY
– HATRED AS A CYCLICAL PHENOMENON
