William Shakespeare: Life and Works

• William Shakespeare was a British poet and playwright (1564-1616), widely regarded as the greatest writer in world literature.
• Baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
• Received a grammar-school education.
• Married Anne Hathaway at 18.
• By 1594, he was a rising playwright and actor in London with the "Lord Chamberlain's Men" (later "King's Men").
• The company performed at the Globe Theatre from 1599.
• Shakespeare retired to Stratford before 1610.
• His earliest plays date from the late 1580s to mid-1590s, including history plays, comedies, and Romeo and Juliet.
• Plays written between 1596 and 1600 are mostly comedies.
• Between 1600 and 1607 he wrote Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear.
• Later works include The Winter's Tale and The Tempest.
• His plays are in iambic pentameter verse with poetry and complex characterizations, and inventive use of English.
• His 154 sonnets, written mostly in the 1590s, express feeling within a controlled form.
• The "First Folio", the first collected edition of his plays, was published in 1623.

The Merchant of Venice Plot Summary

• Antonio discusses his melancholy with friends.
• Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan to court Portia.
• Antonio suggests securing a loan from Shylock.

Subplot of the Three Caskets

• Portia must marry the man who chooses correctly one of three caskets, as stipulated by her father’s will.
• Portia and Nerissa recall Bassanio’s visit.

Main Plot of the Bond

• Antonio and Bassanio approach Shylock for a loan, guaranteed by Antonio.
• Shylock has a grudge against Antonio for his criticism of usury.
• Shylock agrees to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with no interest, but demands a pound of Antonio's flesh if the loan is not repaid.
• Antonio agrees, despite Bassanio’s protests.

Subplot of Jessica and Lorenzo

• Launcelot decides to leave Shylock’s service for Bassanio’s.
• Jessica plans to elope with Lorenzo.
• Jessica will escape with Lorenzo by dressing as his page during a festival night.

Subplot of the Three Caskets Continued

• Bassanio and Gratiano leave for Belmont to win Portia's hand.
• The Prince of Morocco and The Prince of Arragon both fail to choose the correct casket.
• Bassanio chooses the correct casket and wins Portia.
• Gratiano confesses his love for Nerissa.
• Lorenzo and Jessica join the couples, and the couples decide on a double wedding.

Subplot of the Rings

• Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a token of love, under the promise that he will keep the ring forever.
• Nerissa gives Gratiano a ring, with the same promise.

Main Plot of the Bond Continued

• News arrives of Antonio's lost ships and imminent forfeiture of his bond to Shylock.

• Portia gives Bassanio money to pay the debt and return to Venice to save Antonio.

• Portia and Nerissa go to Venice disguised as men (a judge and his clerk).

• Shylock rejects pleas for mercy, so a trial is called.

• Portia, disguised as a lawyer, asks Shylock to show mercy.

• Shylock demands the pound of flesh.

• Bassanio offers Shylock multiples of the money owed, but Shylock refuses.

• Portia examines the contract and declares it legally binding.

• As Shylock is about to cut Antonio's flesh, Portia reminds him that the contract does not allow for any blood to be shed.

• Shylock agrees to take Bassanio's money, then the bond itself, but Portia insists he take the bond as written, or nothing at all.

• Portia declares that Shylock is guilty of conspiring against a Venetian citizen (Antonio) and must turn over half of his property to the state, and half to Antonio.

• Antonio forgoes his half if Shylock converts to Christianity and wills his estate to Lorenzo and Jessica.

• Shylock agrees and departs, sick and broken-hearted.

• Bassanio, doesn't recognize Portia, and thanks her for her help, and offers her a reward.

• Portia asks for the ring that Bassanio is wearing.

• Nerissa asks Gratiano for his ring.

• Bassanio and Gratiano arrive the next day, where their wives accuse them of giving their rings to other women.

• Portia reveals her true identity as the lawyer, and Nerissa reveals herself to be the clerk.

• Lorenzo and Jessica learn of their inheritance from Shylock.

• News arrives that Antonio's ships have returned safely.

• The play ends happily for almost all but Shylock.

Characters

Shylock

• A Jewish usurer angered by mistreatment from Venetians.
• He seeks revenge by demanding a pound of Antonio's flesh.
• Shylock diverges from the villain stereotype and seems human.
• His contradictions and expressions of hatred make him memorable.

Portia

• A wealthy heiress from Belmont known for her beauty and intelligence.
• She can only marry the suitor who chooses the correct casket, according to her father’s will.
• She marries Bassanio, whom she truly loves.
• She saves Antonio from Shylock's knife while in disguise as a lawyer.

Antonio

• A merchant who signs Shylock's contract for his friend, Bassanio.
• He is a lonely figure, melancholic.
• Antonio shows mercy to Shylock, but with conditions.

Bassanio

• A gentleman of Venice and friend of Antonio.
• Bassanio borrows money from Shylock to court Portia.
• He is successful at courtship, choosing the casket with Portia's portrait.

Gratiano

• A friend of Bassanio's who accompanies him to Belmont.
• Gratiano is Shylock's critic during the trial.
• He marries Nerissa.

Jessica

• Shylock's daughter who is unhappy in her father's house.
• She elopes with Lorenzo to Belmont.
• The play questions if the marriage of Jessica and Lourenzo can succeed since she is Jewish and Lorenzo is Christian.

Lorenzo

• A friend of Bassanio and Antonio.
• He elopes with Jessica and schemes to help her escape her father’s house.

Nerissa

• Portia's lady-in-waiting and confidante.
• She marries Gratiano.
• She escorts Portia to Venice disguised as her clerk.

Launcelot Gobbo

• Formerly in Shylock’s service, he leaves to work for Bassanio.

Portia's Suitors

• The Prince of Morocco selects the gold chest, but is incorrect.
• The Prince of Arragon selects the silver casket and finds a message calling him a fool.
• Salarino and Solanio are friends to Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo.

The Law

• The play depends on laws and rules which can be manipulated for good or cruel purposes.
• Portia manipulated the laws skillfully, in result Antonio was rescued.

Cross-dressing

• Used when Jessica escapes and when Portia and Nerissa appear as officers of the court.
• Shakespeare used device of cross dressing often, especially in his comedies.
• Portia indicates the donning of men's clothes implies male authority can be easily imitated.

Context

• Shylock's speech that he feels the same emotions as his opponents makes us help but see him as human and deserving of pity.
• Shylock is a complex character and many critics believe the play deflates every time he makes an exit.
• Portia reveals her eloquence and skills by appealing to Shylock's methodical mind.
• She states that the gift of money is soft and gentle, like the spring rain but above all, it is one of God's attributes.
• In showing mercy, two benefits are reaped and the person is blessed by God for his generous act.
• Shylock's resolve to collect his debt only seems to strengthen beyond reason after he discovers that Jessica had fled.