SparkNotes: The Merchant of Venice: Character List The Merchant of Venice Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Shylock - A Jewish moneylender in Venice. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice’s Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by ruthlessly demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Although seen by the rest of the play’s characters as an inhuman monster, Shylock at times diverges from stereotype and reveals himself to be quite human. These contradictions, and his eloquent expressions of hatred, have earned Shylock a place as one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters. Read an in-depth analysis of Shylock. Portia - A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portia’s beauty is matched only by her intelligence. Bound by a clause in her father’s will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. Far and away the most clever of the play’s characters, it is Portia, in the disguise of a young law clerk, who saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife. Read an in-depth analysis of Portia.

Antonio - The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock’s contract and almost lose his life. Antonio is something of a mercurial figure, often inexplicably melancholy and, as Shylock points out, possessed of an incorrigible dislike of Jews. Nonetheless, Antonio is beloved of his friends and proves merciful to Shylock, albeit with conditions. Read an in-depth analysis of Antonio. Bassanio - A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and dear friend to Antonio. Bassanio’s love for the wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. An ineffectual businessman, Bassanio proves himself a worthy suitor, correctly identifying the casket that contains Portia’s portrait. Gratiano - A friend of Bassanio’s who accompanies him to Belmont. A coarse and garrulous young man, Gratiano is Shylock’s most vocal and insulting critic during the trial. While Bassanio courts Portia, Gratiano falls in love with and eventually weds Portia’s lady-in-waiting, Nerissa.

Jessica - Although she is Shylock’s daughter, Jessica hates life in her father’s house, and elopes with the young Christian gentleman, Lorenzo. The fate of her soul is often in doubt: the play’s characters wonder if her marriage can overcome the fact that she was born a Jew, and we wonder if her sale of a ring given to her father by her mother is excessively callous. Lorenzo - A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, Lorenzo is in love with Shylock’s daughter, Jessica. He schemes to help Jessica escape from her father’s house, and he eventually elopes with her to Belmont. Nerissa - Portia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante. She marries Gratiano and escorts Portia on Portia’s trip to Venice by disguising herself as her law clerk. Launcelot Gobbo - Bassanio’s servant. A comical, clownish figure who is especially adept at making puns, Launcelot leaves Shylock’s service in order to work for Bassanio. The prince of Morocco - A Moorish prince who seeks Portia’s hand in marriage.

The prince of Morocco asks Portia to ignore his dark countenance and seeks to win her by picking one of the three caskets. Certain that the caskets reflect Portia’s beauty and stature, the prince of Morocco picks the gold chest, which proves to be incorrect. The prince of Arragon - An arrogant Spanish nobleman who also attempts to win Portia’s hand by picking a casket. Like the prince of Morocco, however, the prince of Arragon chooses unwisely. He picks the silver casket, which gives him a message calling him an idiot instead of Portia’s hand. Salarino - A Venetian gentleman, and friend to Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo. Salarino escorts the newlyweds Jessica and Lorenzo to Belmont, and returns with Bassanio and Gratiano for Antonio’s trial. He is often almost indistinguishable from his companion Solanio. Solanio - A Venetian gentleman, and frequent counterpart to Salarino. The duke of Venice - The ruler of Venice, who presides over Antonio’s trial. Although a powerful man, the duke’s state is built on respect for the law, and he is unable to help Antonio.

Old Gobbo - Launcelot’s father, also a servant in Venice. Tubal - A Jew in Venice, and one of Shylock’s friends. Doctor Bellario - A wealthy Paduan lawyer and Portia’s cousin. Doctor Bellario never appears in the play, but he gives Portia’s servant the letters of introduction needed for her to make her appearance in court. Balthasar - Portia’s servant, whom she dispatches to get the appropriate materials from Doctor Bellario. More Help Introduction to Shakespeare's Shylock from The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare's Characters: Shylock (The Merchant of Venice) From The Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 8. Ed. Evangeline Maria O'Connor. J.D. Morris and Co. Please see the bottom of the page for additional resources. The central figure of [The Merchant of Venice], in the eyes of modern readers and spectators, is of course Shylock , though there can be no doubt that he appeared to Shakespeare's contemporaries a comic personage, and, since he makes his final exit before the last act, by no means the protagonist.

In the humaner view of a later age, Shylock appears as a half-pathetic creation, a scapegoat, a victim; to the Elizabethan public, with his rapacity and his miserliness, his usury, and his eagerness to dig for another the pit into which he himself falls, he seemed, not terrible, but ludicrous. They did not even take him seriously enough to feel any real uneasiness as to Antonio's fate, since they all knew beforehand the issue of the adventure. They laughed when he went to Bassanio's feast "in hate, to feed upon the prodigal Christian"; they laughed when, in the scene with Tubal, he suffered himself to be bandied about between exultation over Antonio's misfortunes and rage over the prodigality of his runaway daughter; and they found him odious when he exclaimed, "I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear!" He was, simply as a Jew, a despised creature; he belonged to the race which had crucified God himself; and he was doubly despised as an extortionate usurer.

For the rest, the English public � like the Norwegian public so lately as the first half of this century � had no acquaintance with Jews except in books and on the stage. From 1290 until the middle of the seventeenth century the Jews were entirely excluded from England, livery prejudice against them was free to flourish unchecked. Did Shakespeare in a certain measure share these religious prejudices, as he seems to have shared the patriotic prejudices against the Maid of Orleans, if, indeed, he is responsible for the part she plays in Henry VI? We may be sure that he was very slightly affected by them, if at all. Had he made a more undisguised effort to place himself at Shylock's standpoint, the censorship, on the one hand, would have intervened, while, on the other hand, the public would have been bewildered and alienated. It is quite in the spirit of the age that Shylock should suffer the punishment which befalls him. To pay him out for his stiff-necked vengefulness, he is mulcted not only of the sum he lent Antonio, but of half his fortune, and is finally, like Marlowe's Jew of Malta, compelled to change his religion.

The latter detail gives something of a shock to the modern reader. But the respect for personal conviction, when it conflicted with orthodoxy, did not exist in Shakespeare's time....It is strange to reflect, too, that just at the time when, on the English stage, one Mediterranean Jew was poisoning his daughter, and another whetting his knife to cut his debtor's flesh, thousands of heroic and enthusiastic Hebrews in Spain and Portugal, who, after the expulsion of the 300,000 at the beginning of the century, had secretly remained faithful to Judaism, were suffering themselves to be tortured, flayed, and burnt alive by the Inquisition, rather than forswear the religion of their race. But what is most surprising, doubtless, is the instinct of genius with which Shakespeare has seized upon and reproduced racial characteristics, and emphasized what is peculiarly Jewish in Shylock's culture. While Marlowe, according to his custom, made his Barabas revel in mythological similes, Shakespeare indicates that Shylock's culture is founded entirely upon the Old Testament, and makes commerce his only point of contact with the civilisation of later times. All his parallels are drawn from the Patriarchs and the Prophets.

With what unction he speaks when he justifies himself by the example of Jacob! His own race is always "our sacred nation," and he feels that "the curse has never fallen upon it" until his daughter fled with his treasures. Jewish, too, is Shylock's respect for, and obstinate insistence on, the letter of the law, his reliance upon statutory rights, which are, indeed, the only rights society allows him, and the partly instinctive, partly defiant restriction of his moral ideas to the principle of retribution. He is no wild animal; he is no heathen who simply gives the rein to his natural instincts; his hatred is not ungoverned; he restrains it within its legal rights, like a tiger in its cage. He is entirely lacking, indeed, in the freedom and serenity, the easy-going, light-hearted carelessness which characterises a ruling caste in its virtues and its vices, in its charities as in its prodigalities; but he has not a single twinge of conscience about anything that he does; his actions are in perfect harmony with his ideals.

Sundered from the regions, the social forms, the language, in which his spirit is at home, he has yet retained his Oriental character. Passion is the kernel of his nature. It is his passion that has enriched him; he is passionate in action, in calculation, in sensation, in hatred, in revenge, in everything. His vengefulness is many times greater than his rapacity. Avaricious though he be, money is nothing to him in comparison with revenge. It is not until he is exasperated by his daughter's robbery and flight that he takes such hard measures against Antonio, and refuses to accept three times the amount of the loan. His conception of honour may be unchivalrous enough, but, such as it is, his honour is not to be bought for money. His hatred of Antonio is far more intense than his love for his jewels; and it is this passionate hatred, not avarice, that makes him the monster he becomes. From this Hebrew passionateness, which can be traced even in details of diction, arises, among other things, his loathing of sloth and idleness. To realise how essentially Jewish is this trait, we need only refer to the so-called Proverbs of Solomon.

Shylock dismisses Launcelot with the words, "Drones hive not with me." Oriental, rather than specially Jewish, are the images in which he gives his passion utterance, approaching, as they so often do, to the parable form. (See, for example, his appeal to Jacob's cunning, or the speech in vindication of his claim, which begins, "You have among you many a purchased slave.") Especially Jewish, on the other hand, is the way in which this ardent passion throughout employs its images and parables in the service of a curiously sober rationalism, so that a sharp and biting logic, which retorts every accusation with interest, is always the controlling force. This sober logic, moreover, never lacks dramatic impetus. Shylock's course of thought perpetually takes the form of question and answer, a subordinate but characteristic trait which appears in the style of the Old Testament, and reappears to this day in representations of primitive Jews. One can feel through his words that there is a chanting quality in his voice; his movements are rapid, his gestures large. Externally and internally, to the inmost fibre of his being, he is a type of his race in its degradation.

Shylock disappears with the end of the fourth act in order that no discord may mar the harmony of the concluding scenes. By means of his fifth act, Shakespeare dissipates any preponderance of pain and gloom in the general impression of the play. Brandes: William Shakespeare. Merchant of Venice: Characters Minor Characters Understanding the ways in which characters are presented in Shakespeares plays is crucial if we want to understand the meanings that are being communicated. As readers we rely on what characters say and how they interact in order to construct pictures of them in our mind and to make sense of what the playwright is trying to say. Although it may sound obvious, The Merchant of Venice is a drama, and was written to be performed. Studying a play requires a different focus from studying a novel. The interpretations of director and actors and the way the play is staged in terms of set, lighting and costume will have a bearing on the messages and ideas that are communicated to us. It is interesting that the presentation of Shylock has changed greatly over the years.

The Jew as a stereotypically evil character has been replaced by a man bearing the weight of centuries of persecution on his shoulders and the vicious taunts of Gratiano in Act 4, Scene 1 make us squirm uncomfortably when we remember the Holocaust. One of the most important aspects of dealing with characters in a play is to come to some sort of conclusions about their dramatic function . Shakespeare tells us a fascinating and lively story but he has important themes or ideas to communicate as well. Shylock Despite the title of the play suggesting that Antonio is the central character, Shylock is the main interest, a man who both fascinates and repels us. His behaviour in the play is sickeningly vengeful yet somehow sympathy for his situation is created. It is, however, too simplistic to think of the play as either being merely anti-Semitic or of consciously subverting the anti-Jewish prejudice of Shakespeares own time (see background ). Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lives in the Jewish ghetto in Venice with his only daughter Jessica .

He has no other family that we know of, his wife is dead and we only see him with one other person from his community, Tubal who functions simply to give Shylock information on his runaway daughter. It seems that Shakespeare was not interested in showing anything of the Jewish community although we see much of the Christians. It is difficult to make sense of him without understanding something of the common beliefs in England at the time Shakespeare wrote this play. Shylock is a moneylender and although this seems to be an unpleasant line of work, study of the period in which the play was written reveals the plight and suffering of the Jews in Europe. Most trades were barred to Jews and Shylock is merely following one of the few professions open to him. In Shakespeares time Shylock was portrayed as a villain and a clown and it was not until the nineteenth century that the actor Edmund Keen played him as a victim of unjust laws and prejudice . Shakespeare is following in a long tradition of including in his play a villain who is Jewish.

The stereotype of the grasping, murderous Jew was common in Elizabethan theatre and a few years before The Merchant of Venice Christopher Marlowes play The Jew of Malta was hugely popular and probably influenced Shakespeare in his creation of Shylock. In Marlowes work, the Jew Barrabas is vicious and without redeeming features. As a study in hatred and revenge , Shylock goes beyond the traditional stereotypes, however. He is presented initially as grasping and filled with desire for vengeance and Shakespeare intended his audience to sympathise entirely with Antonio when his life is placed at risk within the terms of the bond of flesh . If Antonio cannot repay the money borrowed for Bassanio to pursue Portia within the allotted time of three months, Shylock is entitled to take a pound of flesh from Antonios body. Despite the monstrous nature of the bond of the pound of flesh, our sympathies for Shylock are engaged.

For the modern audience, the rampant anti-Semitism of the Christian characters is difficult to watch and listen to and we hear good reasons why Shylock hates Antonio, who has particularly targeted him, spat upon him and abused him in the street: You that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur Over your threshold ( 1.iii.112-14 ) It is ironic that this same man, with his friend Bassanio, has approached Shylock for a loan and the temptation to place him in an impossible position is too much. Shylock cleverly pretends to be friendly towards Antonio: I would be friends with you, and have your love, Forget the shames that you have stained me with, ( 1.iii.133-4 ) Of course, one of the contradictions in the play is that Shylock could not possibly know that Antonios ships would be lost but the audience is willing to suspend its disbelief in order to enjoy the excitement of the unfolding of the plot.

It is a measure of Antonios hatred for Shylock that he remarks: I am as like to call thee so again, To spet on thee again, to spurn thee too. ( 1.iii.125-6 ) Our sympathies (but not those of Shakespeares contemporary audience) are further engaged when we witness Jessicas treatment of her father: Though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners. ( 2.iii.18-19 ) Her elopement and the theft of her fathers jewels and money seem like a betrayal of both her family and her culture and Shylocks sadness when he discovers Jessica has exchanged her mothers ring for a monkey is understandable. Even Shylocks servant Lancelet Gobbo deserts him and goes to work for Bassanio. Shylock is completely isolated. One of the key speeches Shylock makes in the play is in Act 3, Scene 1 when Shylock responds to Salerio and Solanios gloating taunts over the flight of Jessica: Hath not a Jew eyes?

Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? ..If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. ( 3.i.52-66 ) His words transcend the anti-Semitic times in which Shakespeare was writing and to the modern audience seem to be a call for tolerance in a cruelly intolerant world. But the characterisation of Shylock is more complex than that. We can be appalled at his behaviour, yet understand his motives and feel moved by his words. He promises to exceed the wrongs done to him and certainly his attempt on Antonios life does that. The court scene is a clever and intriguing one. The terrible act of the cutting of Antonios flesh that we believe we are about to witness ensures that we feel Shylocks desire for revenge is unspeakable and our sympathies veer away from him.

The scene has some stage directions, unusual for Shakespeare, requiring the actor playing Shylock to whet the blade of his knife in readiness. At this point in the play, Shakespeare had a chance to show Shylock to be morally superior to the Christians. Showing mercy towards Antonio despite the prejudice of the Christians would have provided an exciting ending. This would have been unthinkable to the Elizabethan audience, however, and for them, Shylock has to be demonised throughout the play. Instead, Shylock exults in Portias apparent support for him: O wise and upright judge! ( 4.i.248 ) When the court turns upon him and he discovers the law is against him, not for him, he says little. It is up to the actor playing the part to express the range of emotions we sense he must be feeling, with few words to speak: I am content. ( 4.i.393 ) It is easy to imagine Shylock standing with a quiet dignity as his rights and goods are stripped away.

Our sympathies tend to shift back to him because of the harsh treatment he receives at the hands of his Christian tormentors who preach mercy but do not show it to non-Christians. Contemporary productions bring out this aspect of the play, a different situation from Shakespeares own time where the confounding and punishment of the Jewish moneylender would give rise to much mirth. Shylock is not a straightforward character and simple explanations do not do the play justice. He acts without mercy in a time that offered him no justice or real protection within the law. Perhaps that is why the character and the play continue to fascinate audiences with every new production. Portia Portia is the witty and spirited heroine of The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare often made his heroines more intelligent and lively than the heroes and Portia is perhaps one of the best examples. She is an heiress and before we even meet her we hear of her great beauty and eligibility.

In Belmont is a lady richly left, And she is fair, and, fairer than that word, Of wondrous virtues. ( 1.i.161-3 ) However the terms of her fathers will mean that she must marry the man who correctly identifies the one casket of three containing her portrait. Although she is only bound by a promise, it is Portias sense of the importance of family bonds that mean she keeps her word and she is intelligent enough to realise that the casket test of flesh and 3 caskets may find a husband more suited to her, who is able to look beyond mere surface features . Our first encounter with Portia is in Act 1, Scene 2 when she wittily dismisses the suitors waiting to try the test, providing great amusement for the audience. Portia and Bassanio are ideally suited. She is of equal status to him and she has plenty of money, something he needs.

They fall in love instantly and although critics over the years have been charmed by their pretty, courtly speeches in Act 3, Scene 2 her references to him as her Lord and the speed with which she surrenders all her possessions to him do not seem to fit neatly with her earlier spirited humour or her actions later. You see me here, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am. Though for myself alone I would not be ambitious in my wish To wish myself much better, yet for you I would be trebled twenty times myself  and That, only to stand as high in your account, ( 3.ii.149-53 and 156 ) When she discovers that her husbands best friend is in danger she immediately (and secretly) hatches a plan to save him by dressing as a lawyer and going to the court where Antonio faces trial. Her courageous actions in Act 4 are entirely in keeping with the woman of Act 1, Scene 2 and place the theme of appearance and reality central to the action. In the court, Portia demonstrates intelligence and good judgement.

She is obviously aware, from the beginning, of the loophole in the law that means the pound of flesh must be exact and that no drop of Christian blood may be spilt in the process, and yet she allows Shylock a chance to show mercy several times before she turns the tables on him. Be merciful: Take thrice the money. Bid me tear the bond. ( 4.i.231 ) Her speeches in Act 4 ( 4.i.182-200 ) are beautifully measured and elegant as well as philosophically balanced and are worth careful study. She is able to construct an argument better than any man in the play and in this area too she and Bassanio seem ill matched. Her wit and good humour are apparent even in the highly intense moments in the court when she pleads for mercy. She is unable to resist making a remark when Bassanio offers to give up his wife if only Antonio could be saved: Your wife would give you little thanks for that. ( 4.i.286 ) She does have some negative aspects to her character. She is racist as her treatment of The Prince of Morocco shows and is cruel in her relentless persecution of Shylock.

Her idea of the ring trick is unkind as well: Bassanio is entirely beholden to the young lawyer Balthazar (Portia in disguise) and has to give her the ring when Antonio asks him to. It is important to remember that Shakespeare needed to return the play to the conventions of comedy  its dramatic climax is the trial scene and our sympathies for, or hatred of, Shylock might overshadow the lightness of the ending. Antonio Antonio is the middle-aged merchant of the title of the play. Like Shylock , he is wealthy. Despite this he shows little of the keen business sense that has allowed him to become a successful merchant and it is astonishing that he has placed all his wealth into his ships at once, thus exposing himself to possible ruin. He is of high status and is well respected, and is thus placed in opposition to the Jewish moneylender. At the beginning of the play Antonio comments that he is unhappy but does not know the reason: In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.

It wearies me, you say it wearies you; But how I caught it, found it or came by it, What stuff tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn: ( 1.i.1 ) This opening speech strikes the keynote for Antonio. He is melancholy despite his advantages and this sadness only lifts when his close friend Bassanio is present. Their friendship is one of the central threads of the play. He has a premonition of disaster in Act 1, Scene 1 , suggesting a brooding, fatalistic nature.

He comments to Gratiano : I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano: A stage, where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one. ( 1.i.77-9 ) His love for Bassanio is extraordinary: My purse, my person, my extremest means, Lie all unlocked to your occasions. ( 1.i.138-9 ) And as Solanio comments in Act 2, Scene 8 : he only loves the world for him. ( 2.viii.50 ) Antonio has acted as a benefactor to Bassanio, lending him money and supporting his youthful excesses. He is even prepared to borrow money from his greatest enemy Shylock in order to fund Bassanios trip to Belmont to woo Portia and agrees to a horrific bond, a pound of his flesh to be cut out by Shylock if he fails to repay the loan.

When his ships are lost and he cannot repay the money, his melancholy fatalism means that he accepts the forfeit and pleads with the Duke : Let me have judgement, and the Jew his will. ( 4.i.83 ) He is a vehement anti-Semite and his treatment of Shylock has been abusive and violent, as we hear in Act 1, Scene 3 : In the Rialto you have rated me and You called me misbeliever, cut-throat, dog, And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine. ( 1.iii.102 ) Antonio has no regrets about his behaviour because he is aware of the law and even promises Shylock to spet on thee again, if he is given the opportunity. It seems little wonder that Shylock desires revenge. Although many Christian characters in the play exhibit anti-Semitism Antonios hatred seems extreme. It has been argued that his melancholy and solitary nature required some sort of emotional outlet and that this was achieved in his hatred of Shylock. Some recent productions suggest Antonios feelings for Bassanio are not entirely platonic.

This is explained by his unmarried status, his offer to lay down his life for Bassanio and his uncomfortable encounter with Portia in Act 5, Scene 1 , despite the fact that she has willingly offered more than enough money to pay off the bond. At the end of the trial scene it is Antonio who pushes for a full punishment of Shylock (see theme of law and justice ). He is quick to seize his opportunity for revenge when the tables are turned on his enemy. Antonio is a very complex character. His love for Bassanio contrasts sharply with his cruel treatment of Shylock and he seems displaced at the end of the play when the married couples are reunited. Bassanio Bassanio is a straightforward character, the hero and the lover of Portia . He does not change or develop as the play progresses and his decision to give up the carefree life of a bachelor and marry has been made before the play begins. His wooing of Portia should not be taken as a sign of fortune-hunting tendencies despite his description of her as richly left( 1.i.161 ): Shakespeares original audience would have greatly approved of this as an indication of maturity.

He is presented as the epitome of Elizabethan manhood, noble, educated, handsome and much admired, yet heavily in debt. His attitude to life is summed up in his opening line in Act 1, Scene 1: Good signiors both, when shall we laugh( 1.i.66 ). We gain a positive impression of him from his friends. Antonio only loves the world for him( 2.viii.50 ), and Portia whose judgement we are intended to admire, falls in love with him. Nerissa feels he is the best deserving a fair lady( 1.ii.110 ), and his friends always address him as My Lord Bassanio( 1.i.69 ), and Signior Bassanio( 2.ii.164 ). Even Lancelet the fool wants to work for him. He is honest. He freely admits he already has debts and plans to borrow more in order to pay them all off.

In Act 3, Scene 2 he tells Portia he has no fortune: When I did first impart my love to you, I freely told you all the wealth I had Ran in my veins: I was a gentleman. ( 3.ii.253-5 ) In other words, true nobility and breeding count for as much as wealth. In addition, when Portia confronts him over the whereabouts of the ring she gave him he tells the truth. To the modern audience, Bassanio appears headstrong. He spends money recklessly, falls in love hastily and rashly offers his own life for his friend Antonio in Act 4, Scene 1 . He attempts to win Shylock over, yet calls him devil. However, although he exhibits the same anti-Semitic views as Antonio he is much more restrained in his abuse of Shylock. It is difficult to feel interested in Bassanio as an individual. He lacks any depth to his character and functions mainly as a foil for both Portia and Antonio. His relationship with Antonio helps us to consider the nature of the bond of friendship whilst the bond of romantic love is explored in the scenes with Portia.

However, the most interesting aspect to consider here is the way the two relationships collide: the ring test, where Bassanio is persuaded by Antonio to give up his love token places these key relationships in opposition. Antonios behaviour in the final scene also suggests that the two bonds might not be compatible. Lorenzo Lorenzo is a serious-minded Christian Venetian who falls in love with Jessica and elopes with her. He does not seem to have planned beyond this initial flight, however, and according to Tubal in Act 3, Scene 1 they then roam around Italy spending money recklessly, probably on gambling. He agrees to go to Portias house after meeting Salerio and does not seem to have thought beyond that. The conversation he has with Jessica about doomed lovers in Act 5, Scene 1 suggests that they may live to regret their actions. The play is a comedy , however, and the punishment meted out to Shylock means that Lorenzo and Jessica inherit a fortune, suggesting a happy ending. Lorenzos zealous conversion of Jessica highlights for us the plight of the Jewish community in Venice . He shows no qualms in helping Jessica to deceive her father nor at the theft which accompanied it.

Jessica Jessica is the daughter of the moneylender Shylock and her character is difficult to evaluate. Some modern audiences would disapprove of her behaviour and thus feel sympathy for Shylock, others would understand the desire of an unhappy teenager to leave her stifling home. The Elizabethan audience would have wholeheartedly approved of Jessicas conversion to Christianity . She appears to be of a fickle, pleasure-loving nature and is thus diametrically opposed to her father. Only once does she show any remorse at her actions ( 2.iii.16 ) even though she is his only kin. Although she has converted she is not fully accepted by the Christian nobility, represented by Portia . Her decision to marry Lorenzo was made in haste: they have had little opportunity to meet and the conversation they have about doomed lovers in Act 5, Scene 1 suggests that they might live to regret it. Shakespeare once again questions the vows of marriage . Nerissa Nerissa is Portias waiting woman at Belmont but she has a role far more important than that of a servant. Her confidence and wit suggest she is of nearly equal social status to Portia but lacks her wealth.

She is Portias confidante and shares her thoughts, for example, in Act 1, Scene 2 when they laugh together about the inadequate suitors. She is prepared to make Portia count her blessings, however in Act 1, Scene 2, lines 3-4 . She herself is headstrong, and, like Lorenzo and Jessica , she makes a hasty marriage that she may live to regret. She does not appear to have absorbed the message of the caskets that what appears on the surface is not always the truth (see appearance and reality ), despite being a witness to the unsuccessful candidates. She is a match for Portia in terms of humour but her jokes tend to be cruder. She is a follower, she seems to model herself on Portia and willingly goes along with the plan to dress up as men. She is the first to start a quarrel when they return. Gratiano Gratiano is a high-spirited character, an acquaintance of Antonio and a friend to Bassanio and does not seem to be particularly liked even by his friends. In Act 1, Scene 1 we learn that his noisy aggression has got him into trouble and others are often embarrassed by his behaviour.

He functions as a kind of fool and makes it his job to make others laugh. He is described as too wild, too rude, and bold of voice( 2.ii.169 ), and Bassanio dryly comments: Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice. His reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff: you shall seek all day ere you find them, and when you have they are not worth the search. ( 1.i.114 ) He insists on accompanying Bassanio to Belmont despite the fact that his friend has grave misgiving that he might not behave well. He does in the end behave himself but rushes into things and falls in love with Nerissa in the time it takes Bassanio to choose the right casket, drawing our attention to the questions surrounding the vows of marriage . He can be witty and in Act 1, Scene 1 in an attempt to cheer him up he urges Antonio to, Let me play the fool( 1.i.79 ). However there is a dark and unpleasant side to his character, shown in Act 4, Scene 1 .

He interrupts the court proceedings and does nothing to help matters. He abuses Shylock openly and even though he probably only voices the views of other characters, he speaks inappropriately, calling Shylock inexecrable dog( 4.i.128 ), and thus earns Shylocks telling rebuke, Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall To cureless ruin. ( 4.i.141-2 ) He is delighted when Portia outwits Shylock and crows delightedly, O Jew, an upright judge, a learn&egraved judge. ( 4.i.321 ) The modern audience has little time for Gratianos nonsense and his attacks only serve to increase our sympathy for Shylock. The Prince of Morocco Together with the Prince of Arragon , the Prince of Morocco serves as an example of an unsuitable suitor. We have already heard Portias scornful dismissal of the others in Act 1, Scene 2 and because Morocco is unable to choose the right casket he provides us with a contrast to the eminently suitable Bassanio .

His choice of the gold casket is based entirely on surface value, alerting us to the theme of appearance and reality  the most precious exterior does not necessarily contain a centre of the greatest worth. He gains what many men desire( 2.vii.5 ), gold, but it is of no real value. As the writing on the scroll in the casket says, if Morocco had been as wise as bold he would have seen past the surface and made a better choice. In showing this, Shakespeare is asking us to consider human values. Morocco is boastful and shallow and lacks the moral judgement needed to make the correct choice. He is brave, strong and handsome, with many sexual conquests but we are not meant to consider him to be as worthy as Bassanio. For the modern reader or audience there is a difficult issue surrounding Morocco.

He is black and, although she is polite to his face, Portia makes no secret of her loathing for him: Let all of his complexion choose me so. ( 2.vii.79 ) Black skin was considered ugly in Shakespeares time  Bassanio talks of veils hiding Indian beauty ( 3.ii.99 ) in very negative terms. This racist view is one that does not sit comfortably with our modern understanding of the importance of tolerance and valuing difference. We do need to look at the play within its own context, however. These views would be considered commonplace then and a white actor would have played Morocco in dark make-up. Although sometimes in Shakespeares comedies , unsuited characters do fall in love, the requirement for a happy ending means that by the end of the play the appropriate matches are made in terms of social status. Morocco is presented as unsuitable because he is black and it was unthinkable for a black man to marry a white woman. In Shakespeares great tragedy Othello, the hero is black and marries a white Venetian.

Convention dictates that it must all end tragically and he kills her, thus ensuring that the unsuitable marriage is ended. A modern company can create some interesting moments with his character: we do not particularly admire him but we feel the sting of racism when he is dismissed by Portia. The Prince of Arragon As there are three caskets, the patterning of the folk tale dictates that there need to be three suitors, two of whom should be unsuccessful. Arragon is the second unsuccessful candidate and increases our sense of dramatic tension as we observe him making his choice. Arragon chooses the silver casket, believing it to be no more than he deserves. Even his name suggests the word arrogant and indeed his overblown sense of self-importance means he wins only a picture of a blinking idiot( 2.ix.54 ) or fool . Shakespeare is inviting us to laugh at him, more so than for Morocco . It is important to note that Arragon was a Spanish kingdom and the Spanish were bitter enemies to England. By showing Arragon to be full of self-importance and conceit Shakespeare was having fun at the expense of a popular enemy.

Tubal Tubal is a friend of Shylocks and Shakespeare is careful to show their relationship as business-like. They do not talk of friendship or ideas but instead Shylock receives the gossip on his daughters behaviour. Sometimes Tubal is interpreted as malicious in his intentions, sometimes as a good friend to Shylock. The Duke The Duke does not appear until the trial scene, Act 4, Scene 1 , but is mentioned before in the context of Jessicas disappearance. As ruler of the state of Venice he is the most powerful and wealthy man in the city and has the final judgement in major disputes. He represents the law in Venice. He could be viewed as weak because he is not prepared to rule against Shylock in order to see justice prevail. It is only the intervention of Portia , in disguise as Balthazar the lawyer, which saves Antonio . To the modern audience it is somewhat disturbing that he has clearly taken the side of the prisoner before the trial begins: I am sorry for thee; thou art come to answer A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, ( 4.i.3-4 ) This only serves to underline the second-class status of Jews .

Salerio and Solanio These two Venetians are introduced in Act 1, Scene 1 as a means of showing the extent of Antonios popularity and thus provide a contrast with the isolated Shylock. Their friendship with Antonio is one-sided however  they view him as a means to better themselves socially and are often portrayed on stage as jealous of the attention Antonio gives to Bassanio . They usually appear together and are not distinguished from one another in terms of character. They also add a sense of laddishness to the elopement scene ( Act 2, Scene 6 ) by noisily (and possibly drunkenly) supporting Lorenzo . Their comments about and to Shylock are unpleasantly ant-Semitic and in this they serve to remind us of the general anti-Jewish prejudice in Venice. Their most important function is as a kind of chorus , or narrators. They give the audience and the major characters updates on the action and on events supposedly taking place off stage, for example, in Act 2, Scene 8 and in Act 3, Scene 1 , events that would have taken too long to show onstage. Thus they act as devices for sustaining dramatic tension .

Lancelet Gobbo and Old Gobbo Lancelet is a character who changes in the play. He begins as a comic figure who represents the lower-class people of Venice but by the end has become more of a professional stage fool successfully teasing Jessica and irritating Lorenzo . He is not interested in the affairs of the higher-status characters like Antonio and Bassanio unless they affect him. His move to Bassanios household seems to be based on boredom and on casual anti-Semitism  he calls Shylock the devil( 2.ii.24-5 ) without apparent ill-feeling. Shylock describes him as greedy and is pleased that Bassanio will now have to pay for his food. His humour is in the form of clownish capering and he constantly and unconsciously makes verbal mistakes, mixing up his words and making quite different meanings. He teases his blind father and pretends to be someone else. He seems genuinely fond of Jessica, however, and part of his function is to aid her escape by relaying messages. In addition he lightens the atmosphere of the play, particularly after dramatically intense moments.

For example, after the tension of the bond scene, Act 1, Scene 3 , and the high formality of the first casket scene, Act 2, Scene 1 , his silly capering serves as light relief for the audience, an important aspect of comedy His comic struggle with his conscience in Act 2, Scene 2 is intended to remind the audience of morality plays . These three characters are all servants of Portia and Bassanio . Their presence ensures we understand the high status of their employers. SparkNotes: The Merchant of Venice: Analysis of Major Characters Analysis of Major Characters Themes, Motifs & Symbols Shylock Although critics tend to agree that Shylock is The Merchant of Venice’s most noteworthy figure, no consensus has been reached on whether to read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly, Shylock is the play’s antagonist, and he is menacing enough to seriously imperil the happiness of Venice’s businessmen and young lovers alike.

Shylock is also, however, a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has endured at Christian hands make it hard for us to label him a natural born monster. In one of Shakespeare’s most famous monologues, for example, Shylock argues that Jews are humans and calls his quest for vengeance the product of lessons taught to him by the cruelty of Venetian citizens. On the other hand, Shylock’s coldly calculated attempt to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering his persecutor, Antonio, prevents us from viewing him in a primarily positive light. Shakespeare gives us unmistakably human moments, but he often steers us against Shylock as well, painting him as a miserly, cruel, and prosaic figure. Portia Quick-witted, wealthy, and beautiful, Portia embodies the virtues that are typical of Shakespeare’s heroines—it is no surprise that she emerges as the antidote to Shylock’s malice. At the beginning of the play, however, we do not see Portia’s potential for initiative and resourcefulness, as she is a near prisoner, feeling herself absolutely bound to follow her father’s dying wishes.

This opening appearance, however, proves to be a revealing introduction to Portia, who emerges as that rarest of combinations—a free spirit who abides rigidly by rules. Rather than ignoring the stipulations of her father’s will, she watches a stream of suitors pass her by, happy to see these particular suitors go, but sad that she has no choice in the matter. When Bassanio arrives, however, Portia proves herself to be highly resourceful, begging the man she loves to stay a while before picking a chest, and finding loopholes in the will’s provision that we never thought possible. Also, in her defeat of Shylock Portia prevails by applying a more rigid standard than Shylock himself, agreeing that his contract very much entitles him to his pound of flesh, but adding that it does not allow for any loss of blood. Anybody can break the rules, but Portia’s effectiveness comes from her ability to make the law work for her. Portia rejects the stuffiness that rigid adherence to the law might otherwise suggest. In her courtroom appearance, she vigorously applies the law, but still flouts convention by appearing disguised as a man.

After depriving Bassanio of his ring, she stops the prank before it goes to far, but still takes it far enough to berate Bassanio and Gratiano for their callousness, and she even insinuates that she has been unfaithful. Antonio Although the play’s title refers to him, Antonio is a rather lackluster character. He emerges in Act I, scene i as a hopeless depressive, someone who cannot name the source of his melancholy and who, throughout the course of the play, devolves into a self-pitying lump, unable to muster the energy required to defend himself against execution. Antonio never names the cause of his melancholy, but the evidence seems to point to his being in love, despite his denial of this idea in Act I, scene i. The most likely object of his affection is Bassanio, who takes full advantage of the merchant’s boundless feelings for him. Antonio has risked the entirety of his fortune on overseas trading ventures, yet he agrees to guarantee the potentially lethal loan Bassanio secures from Shylock.

In the context of his unrequited and presumably unconsummated relationship with Bassanio, Antonio’s willingness to offer up a pound of his own flesh seems particularly important, signifying a union that grotesquely alludes to the rites of marriage, where two partners become “one flesh.” Further evidence of the nature of Antonio’s feelings for Bassanio appears later in the play, when Antonio’s proclamations resonate with the hyperbole and self-satisfaction of a doomed lover’s declaration: “Pray God Bassanio come / To see me pay his debt, and then I care not” (III.iii.35–36). Antonio ends the play as happily as he can, restored to wealth even if not delivered into love. Without a mate, he is indeed the “tainted wether”—or castrated ram—of the flock, and he will likely return to his favorite pastime of moping about the streets of Venice (IV.i.113). After all, he has effectively disabled himself from pursuing his other hobby—abusing Shylock—by insisting that the Jew convert to Christianity.

Although a sixteenth-century audience might have seen this demand as merciful, as Shylock is saving himself from eternal damnation by converting, we are less likely to be convinced. Not only does Antonio’s reputation as an anti-Semite precede him, but the only instance in the play when he breaks out of his doldrums is his “storm” against Shylock (I.iii.132). In this context, Antonio proves that the dominant threads of his character are melancholy and cruelty. More Help Introduction to Shakespeare's Portia from The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare's Characters: Portia (The Merchant of Venice) From The Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 8. Ed. Evangeline Maria O'Connor. J.D. Morris and Co., 1901. In the elements which compose the character of Portia, Shakspeare anticipated, but without intention, the intellect of those modern women who can wield so gracefully many of the tools which have been hitherto monopolized by men. But the same genius which endowed her with a large and keen intelligence derived it from her sex, and, for the sake of it, he did not sacrifice one trait of her essential womanliness.

This commands our attention very strongly; for it is the clue which we must start with. She is still a woman to the core of her beauty-loving heart. Coming home from the great scene in Venice, where she baffles Shylock, and swamps with sudden justice the scales that were so eager for the bonded flesh, she loiters in the moonlight, marks the music which is floating from her palace to be caressed by the night and made sweeter than by day. Her listening ear is modulated by all the tenderness she feels and the love she expects; so she gives the music the color of a soul that has come home to wife and motherhood, till her thoughts put such a strain upon the vibrating strings that they grow too tense, and threaten to divulge her delicate secret.... Portia has the strong sense to expect that the majority of her noble admirers will be taken by appearance. She is not quite sure, but has an instinct, that these gentlemen who are after her are also after her pretty property of Belmont, and will be likely to choose the metals responsive to this temper.

Bassanio frankly acknowledges to a friend that he would like to repair his broken fortunes; but Shakspeare shows him to be a lover before he gives this mercenary hint; and he has reason to surmise that Portia loves him. This unspoken mutuality dignifies his quest; as if Shakspeare himself would not admit the charge that he is a fortune-hunter. And it is noticeable how little consequence we attach to Bassanio's character. We do not care to see him in any action, or to have him show a worthiness to be Portia's lover. He is but the lay-figure of her love: there is so much of her that there must be a great deal of him, and he may be spared the trouble of appearing at full length. And we never suspect her of belonging to that tribe of bright women who, either from instinct or calculation, marry good-natured, well-mannered numskulls, and never have reason to sue for a divorce. Shakspeare ennobles Bassanio when the divining soul sees through the leaden lid. But what if one of the other suitors should also have a noble heart whose pulses feed discernment, one as fine and unconventional as herself!

There is just hazard enough to affront her cherishing of the absent Bassanio. She does not relish the moment when her heart, richer than the princes know of, goes into the lottery. However, when her father made his will, it doubtless occurred to her that his choice of metals came from a life's experience of the calibre of the average man, and was meant affectionately to protect her till the true gentleman should come. As Nerissa says, "Your father was ever virtuous; and holy men, at their death, have good inspirations; therefore, the lottery that he hath devised in these three chests, of gold, silver, and lead (whereof who chooses his meaning chooses you) will, no doubt, never be chosen by any rightly but one whom you shall rightly love." Fortunate is the man who wins a wife because he chooses Heaven's meaning in a woman! Luckless the wife who is not chosen by some implied Heaven in a man!... An ordinary woman might have enmeshed him in a cocoon of delicate coquetries: any woman dead in love, and a little less than strict to an oath, would have managed in some way to provoke that lead casket into twinkling a hint to him.

But she is too honest for either. A woman with a soul as tender as it is firm, here she stands dismayed as Destiny is about to rattle its dice upon her heart: happiness, and a future worthy of her, all at stake. For though her mental resources might compete with any fate, she is all woman, made to be a wife, and without wifehood to feel herself at one essential point impaired, � all the more defrauded because so well endowed. How she clings for support to the few moments that yet stand before his choice! She wishes there were more of them to stay her. . . . Now Bassanio, who lives upon the rack, denies her plea for delay: "Let me to my fortune and the caskets." How profoundly she surmises that music might lull the watching Fate, so that he could pass to his Eurydice! She bids the music play: � " As are those dulcet sounds in break of day, That creep into the dreaming bridegroom's eari And summon him to marriage." Bassanio must be attempered to his choice; the song's key must have an instinct for the proper casket's key.

Unconsciously she breaks her oath; for what benign influence selected the song that is now sung? Some star, whose tenant was her father? Or was it Nerissa's doing, who determined to convey a hint to the lover? Or did Gratiano hit upon it, who had got from Nerissa a promise of her love if the choice went to suit her? A hint, indeed! It is the very breadth of broadness, and a lover is not dull. . . . When Portia's heart unties the spasm of joy that tightened round it at Bassanio's choice, it beats again with the grave and sweet dignity that is as native to her as her playful wit. Her mind recognizes the serious change that must befall her fortune: in the first moment of it there comes a deep humility that makes her speech kneel at the feet of the man whom she will marry. For her great superiority is free from the taint of conceit, save "a noble and a true conceit of godlike amity." ...

So Portia, who could, when it was needed, "turn two mincing steps into a manly stride," doffs the lawyer's robe, and, returning, is met by music and conducted to a palace that was not till then a home. Weiss: Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare. _________ Merchant of Venice Essay - 980 Words Merchant of Venice Essay Please sign up to read full document. Text Preview English essay In Shakespeare’s play the merchant of Venice the audience learns about love in many forms. Through the characters, of Portia and Bassanio, Shylock and his love for money over his daughter and Antonio and Bassanio. The audience learns through Portia that true love always triumphs. From shylock we learn that money isn’t everything it seems to be and that you should treasure your family more than money. Through the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio we learn about the love of one friend for another and how they would sacrifice anything for one another. Shakespeare uses many techniques including: tests, plot incident, passionate dialogue, characterisation and emotive language to express his idea of love and friendship to the audience.

Plot incident and passionate dialogue are used in the merchant of Venice to convey the friendship and the almost brotherly love between Bassanio and his best friend Antonio. Their friendship is so strong that Antonio would risk his life for Bassanio to go visit Portia. Later this is shown in the court scene when Bassanio says that he would take the punishment of getting a pound of flesh cut from anywhere on his body instead of his best friend. When Antonio gives Bassanio the money (ducats) to go visit Portia in Belmont he says “therefore go forth, try what my credit can in Venice do, that shall be racked even to the uttermost to furnish thee to Belmont”. This means that Antonio will give Bassanio the money to go to Belmont and find Portia, his best friend’s true love. This is a plot incident because it leads up to the main plot in the play as Antonio agreed to give one pound of flesh if the money is not repaid in three months time with ten percent interest. Passionate dialogue is also used because they are really good friends that care so much for each other they would do anything for each other. Portia’s fathers will insisted that suitors must correctly choose from three caskets made of gold, silver and lead to...

Please sign up to read full document. YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL Final Essay for Merchant of Venice ...﻿Final Essay for Merchant of Venice Although the Merchant of Venice, written by the renowned playwright William Shakespeare, is part of brilliant romantic comedy series, it is known largely for its drama and intense allusions to themes and concerns of the time period, which may be looked at differently in the modern society. The title of the play refers to the character of Antonio, who is ‘the Merchant of... 973 Words | 3 Pages The Merchant of Venice essay notes ...﻿Notes merchant of Venice Key characters Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio, Portia Need to know Personality traits How they impact on the plot of the narrative? How they change throughout the play? Key relationships The problems they must overcome Their characters importance in the plot key themes Law, mercy and revenge Self-interest vs love Prejudice and intolerance Wealth Greed vs generosity Love and friendship Law, mercy and revenge The law can be...

771 Words | 4 Pages Merchant of Venice Essay ...The Merchant Of Venice Essay May 31, 2012 There are two emotions commonly shown to motivate characters in the Merchant Of Venice, both positively and negatively, namely that of love and hate. These two emotions motivate characters such as Shylock, who’s actions are motivated by his hate for Antonio, Jessica’s love for Lorenzo and hate for her father and Antonio’s love for Bassanio and hate for Shylock.... 1001 Words | 3 Pages Merchant of Venice Essay ...Merchant of Venice Essay The Merchant of Venice is a Shakespearian play whose plot is centered around love and loss. Throughout the play Shakespeare satirizes Jewish stereotypes and depicts acts of extreme bigotry, this has lead to a significant amount of debate as to whether or not Shakespeare was antiemetic. However when one makes a detailed analysis of the text it becomes increasingly evident that Shakespeare holds a... 1009 Words | 3 Pages Merchant of Venice Essay ...5. The real evil in The Merchant of Venice is the corrupt value system of the principal Christian characters. Discuss this proposition in light of the evidence from the play.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice the antagonist appears to be Shylock and his desire for revenge. However, as the text goes further, it becomes clear that the real evil in The Merchant of Venice is the corrupt... 1060 Words | 3 Pages Essay about Merchant of Venice ...difference between the Christian characters and Shylock appears to be that the Christian characters value human relationships over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money. The Christian characters certainly view the matter this way. Merchants like Antonio lend money free of interest and put themselves at risk for those they love, whereas Shylock agonizes over the loss of his money and is reported to run through the streets crying, “O, my ducats! O, my... 2372 Words | 7 Pages Essay on Merchant of Venice ...﻿Merchant of Venice- Romantic Comedy or not? Introduction A romantic comedy is a play that integrates romantic elements as well as humour. In Shakespeare’s romantic comedies, the protagonists live happily ever after, and more often than not, the play ends with the tolling of wedding bells, with more than one couple getting married to create a joyful atmosphere. Love always seems to triumph over adversity in his romantic comedies.

Besides, evil is also brought to... 961 Words | 3 Pages The Merchant of Venice Essay ...﻿ William Shakespeare wrote several plays which depict Jews and blacks in a very negative, stereotypical fashion. In his play, The Merchant of Venice, characters are often judged based on their appearances and beliefs. There are many events in this play that led to discriminating and racist outcomes. The Merchant of Venice is portrayed as a racist play through the characters of Portia, Solanio, and Shylock. Shakespeare’s racist... 524 Words | 2 Pages Characters: The Merchant of Venice — Utah Shakespeare Festival The Prince of Morocco: One of Portia’s unsuccessful suitors The Prince of Arragon: Another unsuccessful suitor Antonio: A wealthy Venetian merchant, Antonio is a close friend of Bassanio. Bassanio: Frivolous with his money and in love with Portia, Bassanio solicits a loan from his friend Antonio in order to win Portia’s hand. Solanio: A friend of Antonio and Bassanio Gratiano: Bassanio’s light-hearted and talkative friend who falls in love with Portia’s gentlewoman, Nerissa.

Salerio: Another friend of Antonio and Bassanio Lorenzo: A friend of Antonio and Bassanio, Lorenzo elopes with Shylock’s daughter, Jessica. Shylock: An intelligent but embittered Jewish moneylender, Shylock lends money to the hated Christian Antonio, with a “pound of flesh” as his bond. He is the father of Jessica. Tubal: A friend of Shylock Launcelot Gobbo: A “clown” and servant of Shylock who thinks Shylock is the devil, Launcelot Gobbo eventually leaves to become Bassanio’s jester. Old Gobbo: The father of Launcelot, Old Gobbo has come to Venice to seek news of his son. Leonardo: A servant of Bassanio Balthazar: A servant of Portia Stephano: A servant of Portia Portia: Famous for her beauty and wealth, Portia will marry the man who can successfully solve the riddle her deceased father has decreed for her. She marries Bassanio and goes to court to save Antonio.

Nerissa: Portia’s merry gentlewoman who marries Gratiano Jessica: The young daughter of Shylock, Jessica falls in love and elopes with the Christian, Lorenzo. × Portia & Shylock: Outsiders of Venice Portia and Shylock: The Outsiders of Venice (originally published in the Utah Shakespearean Festival Souvenir Program, 1992) Kenneth Myrick says, "The Merchant of Venice is the earliest of three superb comedies in which Shakespeare has set a generous and clear-sighted woman in sharp contrast to a no less unusual, but markedly unsocial man. From beginning to end, Portia and Shylock--like Rosalind and Jaques in As You Like It and Viola and Malvolio in Twelfth Night--remain poles apart" (Introduction to The Merchant of Venice [New York: The New American Library, Inc., 1965], xxi). Shylock, the Outsider of Venice, is most precisely fixed within the structure of the play by his confrontation with that other outsider, Portia of Belmont, and she is, in turn, illuminated by the obstinate opposite she faces.

Their conflicts and contiguities (for they have those as well) focus the issues of the entire play. Shylock has paid three thousand ducats to feed his revenge, to purchase the death of the man he hates; Portia offers more than thrice that sum to deface his deadly bond, to rescue her dear bought husband's dearest friend. Both Portia and Shylock are using money as a means, but to very different ends. Portia uses money as Antonio has used it, to secure the happiness of those around her: her wealth now sustains the prodigal Bassanio, and her house shelters both Shylock's thrown away servant and his runaway daughter. Portia's wealth means an expansion of possibilities, a musical movement through life that may at times catch brief echoes (even in "this muddy vesture of decay") of that purer music which sounds in the heavens. Shylock's Puritan attitudes link him with Jaques and Malvolio (not to mention Angelo in Measure for Measure), and for Shakespeare's theatre audience mark him more clearly as a villain than his Jewishness does.

His puritanical thrift means shutting up the self in a dark house where friendship, festival, love, and music find their way only as intruders, garish masks glimpsed in the streets or discordant noises heard from far away. But just for a moment before Shylock's final discomfiture, we are given a chance to see the similarities between the lady and the miser. They are, after all, tied together in several strange ways. Portia has obeyed her father's will in a manner that Shylock would certainly approve and by means which he has indirectly supplied. His money made her combination of obedience and happiness possible. There is a curious circle here: Antonio's bond and Shylock's ducats freed Portia from her bond; now, she comes in her turn to release both Antonio and Shylock. Indeed, in her role as Balthasar she is closer to Shylock than to Antonio. She is an outsider in the society of Venice, an actress playing a new and unfamiliar part. And more than that, she is an alien--a woman in a world of men, an intruder who has less right to be in the court than Shylock has.

This is an aspect of the situation that a twentieth century auditor can easily miss, but surely an Elizabethan would have found the figure of a female judge more outlandish than any masculine intruder. So, when Portia says, "Then must the Jew be merciful" (4.1.181), she is one alien speaking to another, appealing to their common humanity, pointing to the possible perils that may pierce it, and arguing that all such fragile souls stand in need of compassion. We do not, of course, expect Shylock to penetrate her disguise; even if his own blindness would permit it, the stage convention will not. We hope, however, that he will see through himself. But like Jaques in As You Like It, he responds only to those things which chime with his own unmusical pose. Like Malvolio, he insists on revenge. Balthasar is a wise young judge when he upholds the bond, but Shylock ignores him when he strays from that comfortable text.

Instead, Shylock plunges on, to demand the letter of the law, to draw his deeds literally on his own head, and to be forced to accept what he had refused to give--a grudging mercy. Even the last act, with Shylock absent, continues the comparisons between the two. Portia forgives and loves Bassanio, aristocratic representative of a Christian patriarchal order that excludes her in much the same way that it shuts out the Jew. Copyright ï¿½ 1997 by Ace G. Pilkington Shakespeare's Language: The Merchant of Venice — Utah Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare's Language: The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare's Language: The Merchant of Venice Many students—and adults for that matter—find Shakespeare difficult to read and hard to understand. They accuse him of not speaking English and refuse to believe that ordinary people spoke the way his characters do. However, if you know more about his language, it is easier to understand. One idea that may help is to remember that his plays are written in two forms: prose and verse. In The Merchant of Venice prose and verse are both used extensively. Prose Prose is the form of speech used by common people in Shakespearean drama.

There is no rhythm or meter in the line. It is everyday language. Shakespeare’s audience would recognize the speech as their language. Characters such as murderers, servants, and porters use prose. However, many important characters can also speak in prose. The majority of The Merry Wives of Windsor is written in prose because it deals with middle-class. Launcelot Gobbo from The Merchant of Venice speaks in prose. For example: “To be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master who (God bless the mark!) is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who (saving your reverence) is the devil himself” (2.2.20–23). Launcelot Gobbo, a servant of Shylock, debates with himself in humorous terms whether to seek a new employer, because he dislikes Shylock and his practices. Because there is no rhyme or rhythm, and the text flows without concern of where the line ends on the page, we recognize the passage as prose. Consequently, we can tell that Launcelot is a commoner who speaks with the language of an Elizabethan audience member.

Verse The majority of Shakespeare’s plays are written in verse. A character who speaks in verse is a noble or a member of the upper class. Most of Shakespeare’s plays focused on these characters. The verse form he uses is blank verse. It contains no rhyme, but each line has an internal rhythm with a regular rhythmic pattern. The pattern most favored by Shakespeare is iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is defined as a ten-syllable line with the accent on every other syllable, beginning with the second one. For example: “The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought. ‘Tis mine, and I will have it” (Shylock, 4.1.101–102). The accent occurs on every other syllable, and the natural accent of each word is placed in that position on the line. At times Shakespeare found it necessary to take a vowel out of a word so that the rhythm of the line would not be interrupted.

For example, strain’d and bless’d is pronounced as one syllable, as in the following speech by Portia: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes” (4.1.189–92) Shakespeare used this style of writing as a form of stage direction. Actors today can tell by “scanning” a line (scansion) what words are most important and how fast to say a line. When two characters are speaking one character may finish the ten syllable line started by the other character, showing that one line must quickly come on top of another. This is called a shared line or a split line. For example: Portia: You stand within his danger, do you not? Antonio: Ay, so he says. Portia: Do you confess the bond? Antonio: I do.

Question: In which Shakespeare play would you find the characters 'Shylock and Portia'?
Answer: The Merchant of Venice