The Merchant of Venice

## Overview

*The Merchant of Venice* is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was believed to be written between 1596 and 1598, and the earliest record of it being performed was in 1605 for the court of King James. Although some modern adaptions of the play portray the work as a drama, it was originally performed as a comedy.

## Plot Summary

### Act I:

#### Scene i:

Antonio, a wealthy merchant from the city of Venice, complains to his friends Salarino and Salanio that a sadness has overtaken him, but Antonio is not able to explain why. His friends ask if the reason is that all of his money tied up over seas with his business investments, but Antonio says this is not the reason. They ask if Antonio is in love, but he says no to this as well. Then one of Antonio's good friends Bassanio enters with Gratanio and Lorenzo. Gratanio tells Antonio to not become a man who is always sad then he and Lorenzo take their leave. Bassanio then asks Antonio if he can borrow money to pursue the woman of Belmont Portia, but Antonio informs him he cannot because all of his money is tied up at sea. Instead he tells Bassanio that he will stake his name in order to get a loan from somebody else.

#### Scene ii:

We begin the scene with the first glimpse of Belmont, Portia's estate inherited by her recently deceased father, the Duke. Portia is complaining to Nerissa, her lady-in-waiting, about how she cannot decide for her own who her husband will be. She instead complains about the three chests in which her father placed for the suitors to choose. In only one hid the portrait of Portia, and if the suitor chooses correctly, Portia will be forced to marry that man, regardless of any lack of passion. Nerissa lists the suitors: A Neapolitan prince, a Palatine count, a Scottish lord, and a nephew of the duke of saxony. Portia has her own criticisms of each of them and ultimately finds a major flaw in each of the suitors.However each of these suitors leave without guessing in fear of guessing incorrectly. Next Portia remembers Bassanio, whom she had met once before, as she remembers him with love. Both women are informed that the prince of Morocco has arrived, to which Portia received the information solemnly.

#### Scene iii:

We are next introduced to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock agrees to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats (the form of money at the time) and Bassanio assures Shylock of Antonio's guarantee of the reimbursement of the deal. However Shylock is doubtful, for he knows that Antonio's wealth is currently invested on merchant ships, which was a very risky endeavor. After Antonio arrives, Shylock reveals his true hatred for the man as he walks away. his reasons for hatred involve Antonio's public humiliation of Shylock in previous meetings due to Shylock's Jewish heritage. Antonio and Shylock argue about the practice of moneylending at interest, Antonio saying it is an evil practice, while Shylock is adamant on the fact that it is a way to thrive economically. As Shylock is reviewing the deal, he recalls all of the insults Antonio said to him. Antonio offers to make the deal as enemies, claiming that enacting a harsh penalty might encourage Shylock to go through with the deal. Shylock offers to make the loan without interest on the intention that he means to be friends. The catch however, would be that Antonio would have to offer a pound of his own flesh if the loan isn't paid in time. Antonio assures Shylock that he will easily be able to pay the loan, and Shylock leaves the room to sign the bill. Antonio remarks about how there might be some Christian in Shylock due to his acts of generosity regarding the deal. Bassanio remains suspicious, but Antonio reassures him that his ships will return with plenty of money to pay the loan back.

### Act II:

#### scene i:

The Prince of Morocco arrives in Belmont for his chance to win Portia's hand in marriage. Portia explains to the prince that her marriage arrangements are out of her control. Portia's deceased father left in his will a test that her suitor's must pass in order to earn the right to marry his daughter. The suitor must choose between three caskets: gold, silver, or lead. One of the casket contains a portrait of Portia and the right for that suitor to marry her. However, if the the suitor chooses incorrectly, he must promise to never marry for the remainder of his life.

#### scene ii:

Launcelot Gobbo, a servant of Shylock, contemplates quitting his job because he is troubled by the fact that his employer is Jewish. Despite lacking a legitimate reason, he decides to resign. Immediately after making his decision, Launcelot Gobbo's father, Old Gobbo, enters looking for his son. Old Gobbo is blind, so he is unaware that he is speaking to his son. After Launcelot plays a joke on his sightless father, he informs his dad that he is refusing to work for Shylock. Then, Bassanio enters the room, and immediately, the two men start begging Bassanio to hire Launcelot Gobbo. After taking a few minutes to ponder the proposition, Bassanio agrees to hire him. After that, Bassanio and Gratiano meet, and Bassanio agrees to bring Gratiano with him on his journey to Belmont for his chance win Portia's hand in marriage.

#### scene iii:

Jessica, Shylock's daughter, says farewell to Launcelot Gobbo. She expresses her gratitude for his services and is saddened to see him leave. Before he leaves, Jessica gives him a letter intended for Lorenzo, and instructs him to take it back to Bassanio. After Launcelot Gobbo's departure, Jessica confesses that she feels guilty for her plans to run away from her home and her father, but she expresses her desire to marry Lorenzo and convert to Christianity.

#### scene iv:

The scene is set in Venice with Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino, and Solanio. They are conversing of a plan to unite Lorenzo and Jessica, for the two are in love. Gratiano fears that their plan is ill-prepared for the situation, but Lorenzo assures the other men that they have all of the sullies that they need. While the men converse, Launcelot, Shylock's Servant, enters bearing a letter written by Jessica to Lorenzo. Lorenzo orders Launcelot to return to Shylock's house to inform Jessica that the plan will continue as scheduled. Lorenzo reveals part of the plan to Gratiano, saying that Jessica will escape by disguising herself as Lorenzo's torchbearer.

#### scene v:

We return to a conversation between Shylock and Launcelot in which Launcelot is wishing to leave Shylock for Bassanio. Shylock warns Launcelot that Bassanio will not be as good of a master as he was, and also that Bassanio wouldn't put up with Launcelot's laziness and bad habits. Shylock summons Jessica for dinner and orders her to lock her doors and to not glance outside during the night. Shylock acts this way due to a premonition he witnessed in a dream. Jessica says that she must disobey her father for there could possibly be a Christian man out there who would be worth her time. Shylock leaves to see Bassanio after talking with Jessica about the uninspiring performance of Launcelot as a servant. After Shylock's departure, Jessica bids him farewell, knowing of the possibility of her losing a father and him losing a daughter after the events of the night.

#### scene vi:

Gratiano and Salarino meet in front of Shylock's house. Lorenzo is late, which creates doubt between the two men, considering the thought of love would encourage Lorenzo to arrive early. Salarino and Gratiano argue about what love actually is until Lorenzo arrives and apologizes for his tardiness. Lorenzo calls up to Jessica, who comes into view dressed as a man and throws down a chest of gold and jewels which belonged to her father. Jessica descends down to the men and they depart. The scene shifts to Antonio, who reports that Bassanio is setting sail for Belmont immediately in search of Portia's love. Gratiano leaves to accompany Bassanio on his voyage.

#### scene vii:

In Belmont, Portia is showing the prince of Morocco the three caskets, and only one contains her portrait. The first casket is made of gold, and on it reads, "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire" (II.vii.37). The second casket is made of silver and inscribed on it are the words, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves" (II.vii.23). The third casket is made of an unimpressive lead, and it says "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath"(II.vii.16). The prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket, with the reasoning that gold, the most precious metal, would surely contain the portrait of a beautiful woman. To his surprise, he finds a skull with a scroll in its eye socket. The scroll contained a short poem berating him for his insolent choice. The prince quickly leaves, and Portia remarks that hopefully all men of his complexion will have such luck with the caskets.

#### scene viii:

Solanio witnesses Shylock's outrage at Jessica's departure and describes the scene to Salarino. Descriptions of the tragic scene included Shylock crying out at the loss of his daughter and his ducats, and requesting that the law somehow correct the situation. Solon replies with hopes that Antonio is able to pay his debt to a man that is so devastated. Salarino informs Solanio of rumors surrounding the current state of Antonio's ships, that they have capsized in the English Channel. The scene ends with Salarino and Solanio recounting the happy embrace of Antonio and Bassanio as Bassanio embarked for Belmont. They also recount Antonio insisting that Bassanio remove any thoughts of debt or Shylock's anger from his mind in order that it won't interfere with Bassanio's courtship of Portia.

#### scene ix:

In Belmont, the prince of Aragon arrives to try his chances at the three caskets and winning Portia's hand in marriage. The prince selects the silver casket, claiming that he "shall get as much as he deserves" (II.ix.35). Instead he finds a portrait of a jester and a poem accompanying the picture describing the prince as a fool. After he exits, a messenger informs Portia that a favorable Venetian, who seems like an ideal suitor, has arrived and wants to choose a casket. Desiring that it is Bassanio, Portia and Nerissa go to meet the Venetian.

### Act III:

#### scene i:

This scene begins with Shylock approaching Salarino and Salanio, who had been rumoring of another one of Antonio's ships wrecking, and accusing them of assisting Jessica in her escape. The two men take credit for their assistance, which only infuriates Shylock more. Salarino then moves the topic of Antonio to Shylock, asking if Shylock knew any word of Antonio's ships. Shylock replies that Antonio will be bankrupt soon, and will collect his bond when that happens. Salarino highly doubts Shylock's true intentions, curious as to what Shylock could use a pound of flesh for. Shylock responds with an alarming statement about how at the pound of flesh will fuel his revenge at the very least. Shylock then speaks in a monologue about how Antonio has persecuted him based off of his Jewish background. A friend of Shylock's, Tubal, then enters and states that he cannot find Jessica despite his best efforts, but he does say that Jessica took Shylock's ring when she fled. This especially angers Shylock, but his mood shifts when he hears from Tubal that Antonio's ships have run into serious trouble off of the coast.

#### scene ii:

In Belmont, Portia begs Bassanio to delay his choosing process and to stay for a while so that he can ponder the decision. She fears that if he chooses incorrectly immediately, she will lose him without spending any time with him. Basinal insists that he make his decision immediately to avoid the torture of being with Portia while she is not his wife. Portia instructs that music is to be played while her beloved Bassanio is o make his decision. Basinal reviews the three caskets, declining the gold and rejecting the silver. Finally he chooses the lead casket, to which he finds the portrait of Portia as well as a poem congratulating him on the success of his decision. The couple share words of affection and love and promise to be true to one another and to never part ways. Portia reveals a ring which she bestows to Bassanio, claiming that the removal of the ring from his finger will indicate the end of his love for her. Nerds and Gratiano also disclose that they too have fallen in love and suggest a double wedding. During the rejoicing, Lorenzo and Jessica arrive with Salarino, who hands a letter to Bassanio. The letter contains heartbreaking news from Antonio, stating that all of his ships have been lost. Basinal, now overcome with guilt, seems helpless to the situation. This motivates Portia to offer to pay the sum some twenty times over. Jessica claims fearfully claims that her father's fascination lies within revenge rather than money. Basinal reads Antonio's letter aloud to the group, to which Antonio's only request was a final unification of himself and Bassanio. Portia strongly encourages Bassanio to respect Antonio's last request, and Bassanio, after bidding Portia adieu, immediately leaves for Venice.

#### scene iii:

Shylock escorts Antonio to prison telling him that he will have his bond and that the court will not deny him justice. Antonio begs Shylock for mercy, but Shylock refuses recalling all of the times Antonio persecuted him for his faith. Solanio tries to comfort Antonio by telling him that the the Duke of Venice will never allow for such an inhumane action to be performed in order to settle a debt. However, Antonio is not so sure. Antonio knows that Venice has a notable reputation for upholding the law and that an exception cannot be made without the economy suffering repercussions.

#### scene iv:

Lorenzo assures Portia that she is doing the right thing by sending money to help Antonio. Lorenzo explains that Antonio is a good man and does not deserve the trouble he faces. Portia explains that she enjoys doing good deeds. Also, she feels obligated to help anyone that is that close with her husband. Then, Portia informs Bassanio that her and Nerissa will be staying alone at a monastery while he is away trying to save Antonio. Portia allows Lorenzo and Jessica to stay at the estate while her and Nerissa are gone. After that, Portia sends her servant, Balthasar, to retrieve law documents and a couple outfits from her cousin Doctor Bellario. Portia explains to Nerissa that they will not be staying at a nearby monastery. Instead they will be dressing like male lawyers and injecting themselves into Antonio's trial.

#### scene v:

Lorenzo reprimands Launcelot for conceiving a child with a Moorish servant. Launcelot then escapes the criticism to go prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Lorenzo asks Jessica about her true feelings about Portia. Jessica explains that she think Portia is flawless. Then, Lorenzo and Jessica go to eat their dinner.

### Act IV:

#### scene i:

The court comes together to assess the case between Antonio and Shylock. The Duke of Venice and the audience in the court room do not truly believe Shylock is serious about collecting his bond. They believe that Shylock will show mercy on Antonio and grant him forgiveness. However, Shylock immediately reassures them of his intention to take a pound of Antonio's flesh. Shylock argues that not granting him the right to collect his bond would be a violation of Venetian law. He knows that in order for Venice to remain a respected free market republic that it must hold true to its laws and values in court. Shylock justifies his intentions to collect his bond by describing his hatred felt towards Antonio. Shylock explains that he seeks revenge against Antonio because the Christian merchant had always treated him as if he was inferior due to the fact that he is Jewish. Bassanio, who has recently returned from Belmont, begs Shylock to show mercy on his friend Antonio. Shylock refuses. Then, Bassanio offers Shylock six thousand ducats (twice the money that Shylock loaned Antonio) which Portia had given to him in order to settle Antonio's debt. Again, Shylock refuses suggesting that no sum of money would satisfy his desire for revenge. Bringing order to the court, the Duke of Venice informs everyone that he has called for a renowned lawyer to hear the case and settle the matter. Then, Nerissa dressed as a lawyer's clerk enters the court with a letter from Doctor Bellario. The Duke reads the letter and informs the court that Doctor Bellario is sick and unable to attend the court case. However, Doctor Bellario has sent a trusted, young lawyer named Balthasar to take his place. Then, Portia enters disguised as Balthasar. She takes her turn of trying to reason with Shylock and asks for him to spare mercy on Antonio. Bassanio begs her to make an exception to the law, but she states that the law shall not be broken or amended. With that, Shylock approaches Antonio with his sharpened knife, but before he can start carving, Portia reminds Shylock that the bond states that he can collect only flesh not blood. Realizing that collecting a pound of flesh without spilling a drop of blood would be an impossible task, Shylock bargains for the original offer of repayment of his ducats, but it is too late. Shylock is forced to drop the case. Just when Shylock thinks things could not get any worse, Portia points out that it is a crime for a non citizen to threaten the life of a Venetian citizen. The punishment of such a crime requires the violator to forfeit half of their property to the state and the other half of their property to the victim. Shylock desperately begs for mercy, and in response, the Duke of Venice grants him forgiveness issuing him a fine for his actions but allowing Shylock to keep his half of the property. Antonio offers to let Shylock keep the other half of the property as well if in return, Shylock agreed to covert to Christianity and leave his inheritance to Lorenzo and Jessica. Defeated, Shylock agrees to Antonio's terms and hastily leaves the court room. After the case, the Duke of Venice instructs Antonio to pay Balthasar for his services. Since Antonio has no way to reward the young lawyer, Bassanio offers to pay with the ducats that Portia had given him to settle Antonio's debt. Portia, still in disguise, refuses Bassanio's offer of the ducats, and instead, she asks for the wedding ring that she had given to Bassanio when they recited their vows to one another. Bassanio explains to Portia that the ring is special to him, and she can have anything besides the ring. Portia says that she wants the ring as the reward for her services or nothing. Bassanio hesitates then refuses to give it to her. He explains to his disguised wife that he promised his wife that he would never remove, lose, or give away the ring. With that, Portia turns to leave. Antonio feeling in debt to the lawyer insists that Bassanio forfeit his ring. Eventually, Bassanio gives the ring to Gratiano and instructs him to deliver the ring to the disguised Portia. Antonio and Bassanio then leave to plan their visit to Belmont to visit and thank Portia for her generous donation.

#### scene ii:

Portia sends Nerissa to make sure that Shylock holds up his end of the agreement and signs his inheritance over to Lorenzo and Jessica. After obtaining the document from Shylock, Portia and Nerissa plan to return to Belmont. Before they can depart, Gratiano arrives with an invitation to dinner and offers Bassanio's ring to Portia (who is still disguised as Balthasar). Portia declines the dinner invitation, but accepts the ring. Seeing this, Nerissa (who is still disguised as lawyer's clerk) decides to try and get her husband to give up his ring. She has her husband lead her back to Shylock's house where she successfully gets Gratiano to give her his wedding ring.

### Act V:

#### scene i:

In Belmont, Lorenzo and Jessica are interrupted by a messenger informing them of Portia's return from the monastery. Lancelot also informs them of Bassanio's return within the next day. As Portia and Nerissa enter, beautiful music plays and Lorenzo comments on how one has to be moved by the music. Bassanio, Antonio, and Gratiano arrive, and the characters exchange introductions. Nerissa scolds Gratiano for losing the ring in which she gave him and Portia remarks that her own husband would never part ways with his own ring. Basinal admits to giving his ring to the good doctor that defended Antonio in the case and was very influential in saving Antonio's life. Portia suggests that Bassanio gave the ring to another woman, and Portia then claims to offer this same man her own body and to be equally unfaithful. Antonio tries to intervene on behalf of Bassanio and Gratiano, and Portia and Nerissa reveal a new set of rings to give to their husbands. They claim to have laid with the men in order to get the rings back. Before things blow out of proportion, Portia reveals that she was the young lawyer in Venice, and Nerissa claims that she was the lawyer's clerk. Immediately after, Antonio receives news that his ships did not sink, but have actually arrived in port. Lorenzo is told that he will receive Shylock's fortune. The characters are delighted in how everyone received good fortune.

## Character List

* Antonio
* Balthasar
* Bassanio
* Dr. Bellario
* The Duke of Venice
* Gratiano
* Jessica
* Launcelot Gobbo
* Leonardo
* Lorenzo
* Nerissa
* Old Gobbo
* Portia
* The Prince of Aragon
* The Prince of Morocco
* Salanio
* Salarino
* Salerio
* Shylock
* Stephano
* Tubal

## Christopher Moore's Adaption of *The Merchant of Venice*

In Christopher Moore's satirical novel *The Serpent of Venice,* Moore borrows characters and plot events from William Shakespeare's original play. However, he adds a twist to the story by making Shylock one of the protagonists and Antonio one of the antagonists in his novel. In the end of Moore's *The Serpent of Venice*, opposite of the original play's resolution, Shylock receives justice and Antonio is killed by the the sea monster Viv.

## Critical References

Isler, Allan. "The Monster." In *The Bacon Fancier.* New York: Viking, 1997, pp. 3-41.

Lamb, Charles, and Mary Lamb. "The Merchant of Venice." In *Tales From Shakespeare.* London: Thomas Hodgkins, 1807.

Lewisohn, Ludwig. *The Last Days of Shylock.* New York and London: Harper, 1931.

Witwer, H.C. "The Merchant of Venice." In *The Classics in Slang.* New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1927, pp. 73-86.

## External Links

*The Merchant of Venice*No Fear Shakespeare by sparknotes

*The Merchant of Venice*- audiobook

Michael Radford's *The Merchant of Venice* (2004) - Film

*The Merchant of Venice* summary by sparknotes

*The Merchant of Venice* summary byShmoop

*The Merchant of Venice* Wikipedia

## Works Cited

Moore, Christopher. *The Serpent of Venice*. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. Print.

Radford,
Michael. *William Shakespeare’s The*
Merchant of Venice*. Perf. Al Pacino. Music Jocelyn Pook. Sony, 2004. Film.*

Shakespeare,
William. *The Merchant of Venice*. Ed.
Leah S. Marcus. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.