Learn all about how the characters in the merchant of venice such as shylock and antonio contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. These worksheets show both the text and some questions for the key scenes of the play when looking at the character of shylock. Antonio is short of money because all his wealth is invested in his fleet, which is currently at sea. A great talker, he is almost impossible to shut up, and can be unmannerly, to the extent that bassanio only allows him to. Character analysis in the merchant of venice owl eyes. The merchant of venice by william shakespeare summary. Jessica is shylocks daughter in william shakespeares the merchant of venice. Another jew, tubal, brings him news of antonios loss and jessicas fortune. Guide on the merchant of venice cliffs notes on the merchant of venice shakespeare resource. Jun 22, 2018 shylock is the most vivid and memorable character in the merchant of venice, and he is one of shakespeares greatest dramatic creations. The main characters in the merchant of venice are antonio, shylock, portia, and bassanio. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of merchant of venice by william shakespeare.
The merchant of venice study guide from litcharts the. The main characters of the play are antonio the merchant of venice, portia, shylock, and jessica. The character of portia in the merchant of venice from. See a complete list of the characters in the merchant of venice and indepth analyses of shylock, portia, and antonio. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The merchant of venice opens on a street in venice there are streets and not just canals in venicewho knew. The merchant of venice themes from litcharts the creators. When youre writing the examination paper, always quote the keywords and phrases, as much as possible. A list of all the characters in the merchant of venice. The best study guide to the merchant of venice on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes.
The merchant of venice is a sixteenthcentury play written by william shakespeare about a generous and funloving venetian merchant name antonio who will do anything for his friend, bassanio. 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 selfpitying lump, unable to muster the energy required to defend himself against execution. The merchant of venice shakespeare thug notes summary. Lancelot is a clown and a servantfirst shylocks and then bassanios. Character list since his main source of income is from his merchant ships, he is the merchant of the plays title. Professor regina buccola of roosevelt university explains the main characters in william. Bassanios character is more fully drawn than antonios, but it does not possess the powerful individuality that shakespeare gives to his portraits of portia an. Cliffs notes, inc this is the story that introduces us to shylock, one of the most vivid and memorable characters in shakespeares work. Merchant of venice workbook questions and answers icse. Bassanio is successful in his courtship and marries portia, but he returns to venice shortly after they are wed to support antonio in his time of need. A young nobleman of venice, bassanio admits to living. We tried our best to provide good and authentic answers to merchant of venice workbook. First performed in 1598, shakespeares study of religious difference remains controversial.
William shakespeares tragedycomedy the merchant of venice follows a group of. This study guide consists of approximately 167 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the merchant of venice. The merchant of venice is a clever and controversial comedy. Shylock, portia, antonio, bassanio, gratiano, jessica, lorenzo, nerissa, launcelot gobbo, the prince of morocco, the prince of arragon, salarino, solanio, the duke of venice, old gobbo, tubal, doctor bellario, balthasar. Antonio, the merchant of venice, lends three thousand ducats to his friend bassanio in order to assist him in his wooing of the wealthy and beautiful portia of belmont, an estate some distance from venice. It is considered one of shakespeares comedies about a jewish moneylender, shylock, who wants revenge against a christian who defaulted on his loan.
Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of venices christians, particularly antonio, shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by ruthlessly demanding as payment a pound of antonio s flesh. Bassanio he is a typical elizabethan lover and nobleman who. Learn the roles and relationships of the characters in the merchant of venice, and how they contribute to the plot. Although the plays title refers to him, antonio is a rather lackluster character. See below for a full list of all the characters in the merchant of venice duke of venice.
The merchant of venice by william shakespeare characters. Merchant of venice study guide contains a biography of william shakespeare, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Bassanio he is a typical elizabethan lover and nobleman who is careless with his money. Over the years, theater and film productions of the play have portrayed shylock in various ways. How does shakespeare set about delineating his chief characters as compared with other authors. Merchant of venice important scene relationship sample answer merchant of venice romeo and juliet sample answer 2004 jc a scene that you found happy or sad romeo and juliet 2007 jc sample answer theme of love romeo and juliet plan for answer on character of romeo romeo and juliet an introduction. Bassanio feels sure that he can win her hand in marriage, but he cannot. First off, when one begins considering bassanio, one should dismiss. He does this to heighten dramatic tension, as these three men are the most important candidates to win portias hand in marriage.
The merchant of venice characters from litcharts the. Prejudice and intolerance the venetians in the merchant of venice almost uniformly express extreme intolerance of shylock and the other jews in venice. Merchant of venice examination questions and answers. Read our short the merchant of venice summary to help you understand the play and characters. Bassanio asks antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to portia. His friend bassanio is desperately in need of money to court portia, a wealthy heiress who lives in the city of belmont. Get free homework help on shakespeares the merchant of venice. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599.
The merchant of venice by william shakespeare monkeynotes. The merchant of venice characters from litcharts the creators of. Salarino i would have stayd till i had made you merry, if worthier friends had not prevented me. Monkeynotes study guides download storedownloadable study guidesbook summary,book notes, notes,chapter summarysynopsis. Shakespeares the merchant of venice is a much loved and studied play, set in venice, italy. Bassanio is the merchant antonios intimate friend and the wealthy heiress portias favored suitor. Merchant of venice key scene worksheets a cheats guide to the merchant of venice by william shakespeare. Character analysis in the merchant of venice shylock. The duke of venice in the merchant of venice the duke of venice his role in the play is to uphold the law, which is why shylock so were told goes running to him after jessica robs him blind 2. Shakespeare highlights three of portias suitors, the prince of morocco, the prince of arragon and bassanio. This study guide and infographic for william shakespeares the merchant of venice offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Portia and nerissa give bassanio and gratiano rings in honour of their love.
Professor regina buccola of roosevelt university explains the plot summary. Bassanio would like to repay his friend, but so far he has been unable to do so. Although antonio doesnt have cash handy, because all of his ships are at sea, he gives bassanio permission to borrow as much money as he needs on antonios credit. Among his many friends is a young man named bassanio, who owes antonio a good deal of money. He lends antonio and bassanio the 3,000 ducats that bassanio needs. The christian characters in the play represents the love and value for human relationships more than money and business, whereas, the jewish character, shylock, represents a character who always think of his selfinterest. Detailed analysis of characters in william shakespeares the merchant of venice. Plot overview plot summary ks3 english revision bbc. Since his main source of income is from his merchant ships, he is the merchant of the plays title. A detailed play synopsis and character list of william shakespeares the merchant of venice. William shakespeares the merchant of venice explained with scene summaries in just a few minutes. Merchant of venice act 1 summary and analysis gradesaver. Cliffsnotes on shakespeares the merchant of venice.
Youll gain insight into this romantic comedy as you move through each of the. Merchant of venice, you can hire a professional writer here to write you a high quality authentic essay. In shakespeares the merchant of venice, bassanio needs to repay a loan to his friend antonio, a leading merchant of venice, so he hatches a plot to win the hand of portia, a young and wealthy. A cheats guide to the merchant of venice by william. In a bid to escape her unhappy family home, she elopes with lorenzo, a penniless.
Antonio, a leading merchant of venice, is a wealthy, respected, and popular man. The merchant of venice is a 16thcentury play written by william shakespeare in which a merchant in venice named antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a jewish moneylender, shylock. The plot the merchant of venice royal shakespeare company. Need help on characters in william shakespeares the merchant of venice. If antonio fails to pay shylock back, shylock demands a pound of antonios flesh. Antonio borrows money from shylock to help his friend, bassanio, court portia, but, through misfortune, is unable to repay and is subjected to an onerous default a literal pound of flesh cut from his body. Character sketch of gratiano in merchant of venice. What are the four subplots in the merchant of venice.
Lancelot in the merchant of venice lancelot like all shakespearean clown figures, lancelots job is to fool around, make smartalecky comments, and bag on all the other characters in the play. They reveal the contents of the three caskets and their. Tragedy in the merchant of venice essay merchant of venice. Act i 6 volume i book vi salanio here comes bassanio, your most noble kinsman, gratiano and lorenzo. Shylock is a jewish moneylender, father to jessica, enemy to antonio, and one of the most complex characters of the merchant of venice and arguably of all of shakespeares works. Get an answer for what are the four subplots in the merchant of venice. A booklet for a high ability gcse group or a group to accompany the merchant of venice. Bassanio asks antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to portia s estate. In the merchant of venice, shylock is a wealthy jewish moneylender from venice and jessicas father. By signing up, youll get thousands of stepbystep solutions to your homework questions. The merchant of venice is a play by wiliam shakespeare about a man named antonio who gets into debt with a vengeful moneylender named shylock antonio borrows. Professor regina buccola of roosevelt university provides an indepth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, themes, and motifs of william shakespeares play the merchant of venice. The merchant of venice character analysis a plus topper.
Merchant of venice essays tragedy in the merchant of venice. Gratiano merchant of venice merchant of venice characters gratiano character sketch of gratiano in merchant of venice merchant of venice workbook answers gratiano a minor character joyful and lively pretends to be a philosopher very talkative restrained in belmont a faithful friend and husband gratiano a minor character gratiano is a joyful, sprightlyread more. Antonio is a merchant who helps his friend bassanio win portias hand. First off, when one begins considering bassanio, one should dismiss all the critics who condemn him for his financial habits. Antonio, a venetian merchant, complains to his friends of a melancholy that he cannot explain. On stage, it is shylock who makes the play, and almost all of the great actors of the english and continental stage have attempted the role. The merchant of venice translation table of contents when antonio obtains a loan of money from shylock to help his friend bassanio woo the wealthy portia, shylock makes a stark bargain. The merchant of venice by william shakespeare was written in the sixteenthcentury and centers around antonio, a wealth merchant who owns ships, who. Antonio a wealthy venetian merchant who occasionally lends money, but never charges interest.
Welcome to the litcharts study guide on william shakespeares the merchant of venice. He is horribly mistreated by the christian characters, especially antonio, and seeks to enact his revenge by forcing antonio to stick to the bond that he signs. Read a character analysis of shylock, plot summary and important quotes. Ks3 english the merchant of venice learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers. Dr aidan, phd in shakespeare studies, has created 8 videos that offer a brief overview of the play, theme analysis, key character analysis,key scene analysis. The merchant of venice play synopsis and characters. The merchant of venice character analysis course hero. The main characters in the merchant of venice are antonio, shylock, portia, and.
Who are the main characters in the merchant of venice. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. The merchant of venice is the story of a jewish moneylender who demands that an antisemitic christian offer a pound of flesh as collateral against a loan. The duke of venice in the merchant of venice shmoop. It also shares certain aspect with shakespeares romantic comedy. Antonio is the title character in shakespeares the merchant of venice. A young venetian, bassanio, needs a loan of three thousand ducats so that he can woo portia, a wealthy venetian heiress. This is a controversial play, but is a must read for actors.
A young venetian, bassanio, needs a loan of three thousand ducats so that he can woo portia, a wealthy. The merchant of venice by william shakespeare plot summary. The character of portia in the merchant of venice from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The merchant of venice summary read the full text of the merchant of venice with a sidebyside translation here. In venice, bassanio, a notsowealthy nobleman, asks to borrow money from his dear friend and wealthy merchant antonio, in order to have the funds to woo portia, a wealthy noblewoman. Characters map for william shakespeares the merchant of venice. The merchant of venice opens on a street in venice there are streets and not just canals in venice who knew. Got to admit that some of the sections are pinched from cliff notes and wikipedia. A cheats guide to the merchant of venice by william shakespeare. Notes on the sources of the merchant of venice dramatic criticism from nicholas rowe, william hazlitt, elmer edgar stoll, and others a comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text and more. Jessica, the merchant of venice the central plot of the merchant of venice is relatively straightforward. Compare and contrast portias three suitors, examining their characters.
Like this is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable book summarybooknotessynopsis for the merchant of venice by william shakespeare in pdf format. Get everything you need to know about portia in the merchant of venice. May 20, 2015 the merchant of venice is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. In belmont, bassanio tells antonio, there lives a beautiful and young and wealthy heiress. Bassanio, a poor nobleman in venice, needs money to woo the beautiful heiress portia. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the merchant of venice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Free essays available online are good but they will not follow the guidelines of your particular writing assignment. Portia and nerissa give bassanio and gratiano rings in honour of their love, and make them vow never to be parted from them. Other characters include bassanio, gratiano, lorenzo, nerissa, and. Following are the main themes of the play the merchant of venice love versus selfinterest. The plot of the play centered on love, money, biases, and social injustices. Cliffsnotes on shakespeares the merchant of venice cliffsnotes literature guides kindle edition. What of the importance of his secondary characters. A merchant in venice, antonio, voices his concern over his melancholy.
Character analysis bassanio bassanios character is more fully drawn than antonios, but it does not possess the powerful individuality that shakespeare gives to his portraits of portia and shylock. In the beginning of shakespeares play, the merchant of venice, we are introduced to antonio, really the plays namesake, a merchant in the city of venice. In venice, solanio and salerio hear that some of antonios ships are lost, and shylock promises to redeem his bond. A great talker, he is almost impossible to shut up, and can be unmannerly, to the extent that bassanio only allows him to accompany his trip to belmont on. The the merchant of venice characters covered include. Shylock is a jewish moneylender of notable prominence in venice.