The Merchant Of Venice

524 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Traits of king lear and its thematic significance

The Merchant Of Venice

Act 1

In the fist act, Antonio is introduced as the Merchant of Venice. A friend of him, Bassanio, desperately needs money because all of his money is on his ships and he wants to go to Belmont to visit the woman of his dreams, Portia.
Therefore he goes to Antonio to ask if he is willing to go to Shylock and ask him if he can have 3000 ducats. Antonio agrees and goes to Shylock and explains that he has to pay it back within 3 months. If he doesn't do this, he may cut one pound of his fair flesh...

Act 2

In Belmont, the casket bond proceeds: with two already rejected, news comes that
Bassanio is at Portia's gate. Meanwhile, Shylock is left bewailing the loss of his ducats and his daughter that has run away with Lorenzo and the treasure.
Shylock doesn't like this at all because he really doens't like the Christians and Lorenzo is a Christian

Act 3

Jessica is now together with Lorenzo. She is a Jew and he's a Christian.
Jessica is embarrassed to be a Jew is planning to change religion for Lorenzo.
Shylock is still looking for them and is very mad when he finds out that she has sold a ring, that was given to Shylock by his wife, for a monkey. Meanwhile
Bassanio is picking one of the caskets and takes the correct one; the leaden casket. He may now marry Portia. Because Antonio hasn't paid back the 3000 ducats he had lend from Shylock, Shylock may have one pound of his fair flesh.
Shylock takes it to court...

Act 4

Still in the court of law, Portia and Nerissa have disguised themselves as doctor and clerk. Shylock wants his revenge on the Christians because they treat him like a dog and spit on him. He wants his bond and the one pound of the flesh of Antonio. Portia very smartly knows how to trick him by saying that it doesn't say in the bond that any blood can be spilt and that he has to take exactly one pound of the flesh. No more and no less. Shylock has to give up because he can't deny this. Antonio is safe! Bassanio has given the ring that he had got from Portia to the doctor and Gratiano has given the ring that he had got from Nerissa to the clerk... They had said to their women that they would never give the rings away.

Show More
Related

  • Response to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice by a Modern Audience

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Portia play’s a major role in trying to persuade Shylock to be merciful to Antonio, as the story continues. Basannio, the loyal friend of Antonio also tries to persuade Shylock to show some sympathy towards Antonio, but is not shown.

    Read More

  • Deception In The Merchant Of Venice Essay

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    His love for Portia blinds him of the fact that possessions do not always bring others close to you. Later, this decline in moral values is seen when Portia pretends to like the Prince of Morocco, one of her suitors, by inviting him to dinner, but later reveals her true opinion of him after he chooses the golden casket. Once the Prince of Morocco leaves Portia's house, after picking the wrong casket, Portia expresses her feelings concerning the outcome, "A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains : go. / Let all of his complexion choose me so," (II.vii.78-79). Portia's hope that anyone with the prince's dark colour chooses the wrong casket shows her low morals in that she does not want to marry any of them. Through deceiving the prince, Portia's displays her prejudice towards the prince's race. These examples show how deception, as seen through love, leads to a decline in the moral values of

    Read More

  • Merchant Of Venice

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the opening of the play three characters are on stage, Antonio, Salerio, and Solanio. Through the dialogue, Salerio informs the audience of Antonio's ships: "Your mind is tossing on the ocean/There where your argosies [ i.e., great merchant ships] with portly [i.e., stately] sail (I.i. 8-9). While in the same scene Solanio helps the audience establish that Antonio has no major love interest: "Why then you are in love," to which Antonio replies, "Fie, fie!" (I.i. 46-47). Through their conversations, the two have given the audience a basis for the play: that Antonio is a merchant and that he is not concerned about being in love.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Risk In The Merchant Of Venice

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    While engendering the bond in the inciting force of the play, Antonio says to Shylock – the antagonist – “Content in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, / And say there is much kindness in the Jew” (1.3.149-150) which reveals how Antonio sees such positive terms in the deal. Although the terms may seem simples to follow, Antonio will still face the consequences of putting his life on the line for his dear friend, Bassanio. This bond portion of the play establishes relationships through the rivals and also gives background information about characters, which show the elements of dramatic significance. Subsequently, Shylock’s possessions are at stake during their trial after Antonio fails to pay him back because his argosies were abolished. Shylock’s punishment for attempting to

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice: Portia

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    We see how she is manipulated by men through her father, who though dead, still manages to control who she marries from his will. He states in his will that from three different caskets the suitors will have to chose, in each of which will contain either a letter to the suitor or a picture of Portia. In one of the three caskets, either the lead, silver or gold casket, there will be a picture of Portia the suitor picking the casket containing the picture will be the suitor who will get to marry Portia. ‘I may neither choose who I would, nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father’ this shows that Portia would rather have a say as to who she gets to choose rather than being told who she has to marry. She overcomes that after two suitors who she wishes not to marry choose the wrong casket letting her know which casket contains her picture, so that when Bassanio becomes a suitor and she falls for him she is able to hint to him which casket to choose:

    Read More

  • soliloquies in the merchant of venice

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    casket to open in order to see if he will be able to marry Portia, but Bassiano

    Read More

  • Merchant of Venice: Comparison of the Marriage Plot and the Trial Plot

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Let us look at the marriage plot. Already in I,i Bassanio reveals his plans of wooing Portia. He describes his undertaking as a quest; "her sunny locks/ Hang on her temples like a golden fleece/ Which makes her seat of Belmont Colchos' strond,/ And many Jasons come in quest of her."(I, i, 169-172). We might notice how he describes Portia's looks in an almost petrarchan manner. He is describing a single feature of her (her hair), and thereby objectifying her. More importantly, Bassanio's words tell us that he is aware of the economic gains that he can achieve through the bond of marriage. This makes us ask an essential question: What does Bassanio want to achieve through wooing Portia?

    Read More

  • Shylock Deserves Sympathy

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is where Shakespeare evokes our sympathy, by making us realise how Shylock has suffered because of the prejudices of the Christians around him. He explains his motives for revenge in a rational way, showing how his actions are no different from the Christians'. Look carefully at the language he uses, as well as the insulting and mocking language used by the other two. At the end of the scene, Shylock mourns the loss of his daughter, although our feelings towards him are a bit mixed, for he seems to care more about the money. He does give evidence, however, of his love for his wife, which again, creates sympathy.

    Read More

  • Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    just a pound of flesh.” To cut off an exact pound of flesh and have it

    Read More

  • Merchant Of Venice - Antonio And Shylock

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another way Antonio and Shylock are different is their religion based social status: Antonio is a Christian and Shylock is a Jew.

    Read More

  • Classifying the merchant of venice

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is a drama that most scholars find difficult classifying. The play loosely focuses upon Antonio who becomes the subject of a loan that almost costs him his life due to his belittling and poor treatment of Shylock, who as a Jew has received many forms of prejudice from Christians. Despite this fact Antonio is relieved from the loan. Bassino is freed from his prior debts and gets to marry Portia, Portia weds the man that she desires, and four other characters get married. While these moments surely made the play happy and enjoyable, the looming threat of Antonio losing everything because he ended up defaulting on the loan causes the audience to worry and fear the outcome of what may happen. If not for Shakespeare’s usage of comic relief to support the happy ending it would be even more difficult to classify this play. Although there is plenty of happy moments and comic relief the treatment of Jews and Shylock in particular also causes some people to view “The Merchant of Venice” as a tragedy. While others yet view the drama as a problem play, “where moral dilemmas or social problems were explored through one central player”. William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is best classified as a comedy due to comedies definition, the rise of sympathetic characters, the use of comic relief to decrease the dark tense moments, and the inability to properly classify the play as a tragedy.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In Merchant Of Venice

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shylock makes known that he would rather have a law than his money and mercy. The doctor approves the pound of flesh to be taken from Antonio under the condition that Shylock must cut exactly one pound while shedding no blood, or he will lose all his lands and goods. Now faced with the impossible, Shylock requests that he take his 6000 ducats and let Antonio go. However, the doctor has already made the call and demands Shylock take the flesh or he will suffer death. Shylock has been so adamant that the law be upheld, but now that it has turned in his favor, he becomes the victim.

    Read More

  • Bassanio and Portia in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antonio lends him the money he will use it to make his fortune and pay

    Read More

  • Appearance vs. Reality in The Merchant of Venice

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the discussion of the bond, Shylock says to Antonio “ I would be friends with you and have your love” and “this kindness will I show”. He pretends to be Antonio’s friend, but he has an ulterior motive, which is to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh from whatever part of his body he pleases. The underlying meaning is to kill him, and thus, although Shylock seems good-hearted, he is in truth, harbouring deceit. Shylock is manipulative and crafty as he tries to put up a show to deceive Antonio. He sounds generous about offering the three thousand ducats without “usance for my moneys”, thus winning Antonio’s trust. This was done to divert Antonio’s attention from his actual intentions. However, Shylock proposes a flesh bond as a “merry sport”, in substitution for not charging interest. The bond, although an unusual forfeit, is a serious matter, because Antonio may be killed from accepting its terms and conditions. Shylock is a brilliant strategist, and even the perceptive businessman, Antonio, has fallen for it. Shylock is a vindictive and unforgiving man, whose hatred for Christians has driven him to want to kill Antonio. We know that Shylock has suffered emotionally and physically because of how Antonio has kicked, spat and rated him many a times. Thus he deserves some of our pity, as taking revenge on your enemy is only natural.

    Read More

  • Is Shylock a Villain or a Victim?

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shylock also seems to show little or no love towards his daughter, Jessica. He may have been hurt by his daughter running away with a large amount of his wealth and with a Christian lover (Lorenzo); this is a point where Shylock can be viewed as a victim in the story. This still does n...

    Read More

More about The Merchant Of Venice

Open Document