Character Study
The MERCHANT of VENICE
By William Shakespeare
There are four characters in the play Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare in whom I am interested. They are Antonio, Portia, Bassanio and Shylock. The character I have chosen to do my character study about is Shylock. Shylock plays a leading part in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare,
It tells the story of Antonio the merchant of Venice. A friend of his called Bassanio asks him for a loan of three thousand ducats as he wants to marry a rich heiress called Portia who lives in Belmont. He needs this money to impress Portia by taking lots of presents to her and being accompanied by many servants so that she would marry him. Antonio has no ready money so he goes to the Rialto to act as a guarantor on behalf of Bassanio’s loan of three thousand ducats. They are granted a loan by Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, who strikes a bond which says that if Antonio doesn’t repay him within three months, he may take a pound of flesh of him. This is unfortunate as he detests Antonio. So Bassanio receives the money and eventually goes and marries Portia. To do this he, has to choose one casket from three. Portia’s father, who has died, has set up a task for anyone who came to propose to Portia. The person who chooses the right casket may marry her. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica elopes with a friend of Bassanio’s called Lorenzo and also takes heavily from Shylock’s treasury. Antonio’s ships do not arrive on time; Shylock is determined to get his pound of flesh from Antonio: first, he is annoyed that his daughter has eloped with Lorenzo, but secondly he would do anything to get one of his enemies out of his life and his business. Shylock reaches the point when he is about to take the pound of flesh from Antonio at a court trial. Meanwhile, Bassanio marries Portia by choosing the right casket (which is the lead one); also Lorenzo marries Jessica. Bassanio and Gratiano, another friend of Bassanio’s, heads for Venice to offer Shylock twenty thousand ducats instead of three thousand to spare the life of Antonio. Portia and her maid, Nerissa, now married to Gratiano, disguise themselves as a lawyer and a layer’s clerk to win the case for Antonio. Antonio is freed and Shylock has to become a Christian and forfeit most of his possessions.
