In a street of Venice, the merchant Antonio laments that he is sad but knows not why. His friends, Solanio and Salerio try to cheer him up, to no avail. More friends, Lorenzo and Gratiano also try and fail. Antonio's friend, Bassanio, informs him that he intends to seek the wealthy Portia's hand in marriage, yet needs financial backing. Antonio, though reluctant, offers Bassanio 3,000 ducats (money) to help him. At Belmont, Portia's house, she laments to her servant, Nerissa, that she fears a suitor she dislikes will pursue her hand in marriage. Per her late father's will, the suitor must choose the correct of three chests (gold, silver, and lead), and then, if correct, he may marry Portia. She likes none of her six suitors, but wishes Bassanio would come and choose the correct chest. Back in Venice, after much begging, Bassanio convinces the merchant Shylock the Jew to lend him 3000 ducats, with Antonio putting up his property as the bond. Although Shylock hates Antonio, he lends the money anyway, hoping Antonio will default on the loan. Antonio, though, has confidence one of his ocean vessels will come to port one month before the three month deadline.
The Moroccan prince arrives at
Belmont to woo Portia and learns that if he chooses the wrong chest, he must
swear to never ask any woman to marry him. Back in Venice, Launcelot Gobbo, a
clown and Shylock's servant, tells his father, old Gobbo, that he wishes to
leave Shylock and work for Bassanio. Bassanio agrees to it and instructs his
servant Leonardo to prepare dinner for him and Shylock. Gratiano then arrives
and tells Bassanio he'll help him win over Portia. Shylock's daughter, Jessica,
gives a love letter to Launcelot to deliver to Antonio's Christian friend
Lorenzo. In the letter, Lorenzo learns that Jessica will pretend to be a male
torchbearer for him at the supper between Antonio and Shylock. Shylock, going
to the supper, leaves his house keys with his daughter, Jessica, warning her
not to take part in the evening's Christian activities. Later that night,
Gratiano, Salerio, and Lorenzo meet outside Shylock's house to get Jessica.
After Lorenzo and Jessica unite, they all head to meet Bassanio on Antonio's
ship to sail to Portia's. At Portia's house, the Moroccan prince chooses a
chest to open. Each has an inscription, and only the correct one contains
Portia's picture. He chooses incorrectly (the gold one), and leaves defeated.
Salerio assures Solanio that Lorenzo and Jessica were not on the ship with
Bassanio and Gratiano, and they are thus missing. Shylock, of course, wants his
money and his daughter back. At Portia's house, the Prince of Aragon arrives
and chooses the silver chest, also the wrong one. Again, he must swear to never
woo any maid in marriage and to never tell a soul which chest he opened.
Solanio and Salerio confirm that
Antonio's ship has sunk. They then make fun of Shylock for his predicament of
losing his daughters. Shylock then laments of his monetary loss to another Jew,
Tubal, yet rejoices that Antonio is sure to default on his loan. At Portia's
house, she begs Bassanio to wait in choosing so that she may spend time with
him, in case he chooses wrong. He correctly chooses the lead casket, though,
and wins Portia's hand in marriage. To seal the union, Portia gives Bassanio a
ring, warning that he should never lose it or give it away, lest he risk losing
her love for him. Gratiano then announces his intention to wed Nerissa. Next,
Salerio, Lorenzo, and Jessica arrive, informing Bassanio that Antonio lost his
ships, and, furthermore, that Shylock is viciously declaring forfeiture of the
bond by Antonio. Bassanio leaves for Venice to repay the loan. In Venice,
Shylock has Antonio arrested for failure to repay the loan. At Belmont, Portia
tells Lorenzo and Jessica to manage her house while she and Nerissa go to a
monastery until Bassanio returns. In fact, though, she and Nerissa will
disguise themselves as young men and travel to Venice.
At a Venetian court, the Duke
presides over the sentencing hearing of Antonio wherein Shylock intends to cut
"a pound of flesh from Antonio's breast" since the due date has past
and that was the terms of the bond, even though Bassanio offers him 6,000
ducats for repayment. Nerissa and Portia, disguised as a court clerk and doctor
of civil law respectively, arrive at the court. Gratiano, Bassanio, the Duke,
and Portia try to dissuade Shylock, to no avail. Yet, Portia points out that
the deed calls for no blood to be shed and exactly one pound to be taken, lest
Shylock be guilty of not following the bond himself. Shylock, realizing this is
impossible, recants and simply requests 9,000 ducats. Portia then reveals that
Shylock is himself guilty of a crime; namely, conspiring to kill another
citizen, i.e. Antonio. As punishment, the Duke and Antonio decide that Shylock
must give half his belongings to the court; keep the other half for himself and
promise to give all his remaining belongings to his daughter and son-in-law
(Lorenzo) upon his death; and become a Christian. With no other choice, Shylock
agrees. As Portia (as the doctor of civil law) leaves, Bassanio offers her a
monetary gift. Portia turns this down, instead requesting Bassanio's gloves and
wedding ring instead. Bassanio, due to his vow, hesitates on the ring, but
reluctantly gives it after much prodding by Antonio. Nerissa (disguised as a
court clerk), vows to try to get her husband (Gratiano) to give her his wedding
ring.
At Belmont, Lorenzo and Jessica
share a peaceful night together. The next morning, Bassanio and Portia, and
Gratiano and Nerissa reunite. After quarreling over the loss of rings, the
women admit of their ruse and return the rings to their husbands. Further, they
inform Antonio that three of his ships have come to port full of merchandise.
Finally, they give the deed to Jessica and Lorenzo promising to give them
Shylock's money and possessions upon his death.
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Squander some of your time in this timeless story and you will be amazed by the profound world of love and controversy...You will never fail to learn from Shakespeare's work.--Submitted by jing.
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William Shakespeare has always held a fascination for me and one could wonder how easily he could twist and twirl the flow of human lives in his characters. The Merchant of Venice is not just a book that talks about the everyday merchant of Venice alone but it brings to mind the actual characteristical weaknesses, strengths, and beauty of the human world. The weakness is characterised by Shylock's greediness and eventual fall, Antonio's love for his friend, and the nonchalant attitude or should I say ignorance to the wickedness of an enemy--failure to be on guard--that almost cost him his life. Shylock's daughter, Bassanio, Antonio, Portia, Nerissa, et al were happy at the end of the play. The beauty of it is the knowledge that one could truly bend life situations as is the case with Portia, who surprises everyone with such an unexpected turn of situation, bending Shylock even when he thought he had bended Antonio to a point of no return. Merchant is a great work of art and is a pointer to all those who feel they've got it sorted out because one could be surprised.--Submitted by dolapo.
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Squander some of your time in this timeless story and you will be amazed by the profound world of love and controversy...You will never fail to learn from Shakespeare's work.--Submitted by jing.
~
William Shakespeare has always held a fascination for me and one could wonder how easily he could twist and twirl the flow of human lives in his characters. The Merchant of Venice is not just a book that talks about the everyday merchant of Venice alone but it brings to mind the actual characteristical weaknesses, strengths, and beauty of the human world. The weakness is characterised by Shylock's greediness and eventual fall, Antonio's love for his friend, and the nonchalant attitude or should I say ignorance to the wickedness of an enemy--failure to be on guard--that almost cost him his life. Shylock's daughter, Bassanio, Antonio, Portia, Nerissa, et al were happy at the end of the play. The beauty of it is the knowledge that one could truly bend life situations as is the case with Portia, who surprises everyone with such an unexpected turn of situation, bending Shylock even when he thought he had bended Antonio to a point of no return. Merchant is a great work of art and is a pointer to all those who feel they've got it sorted out because one could be surprised.--Submitted by dolapo.
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