The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely

regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent
dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or
simply "the Bard"). William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice in the 1600s.
The structure of The Merchant of Venice is based in part on the difference between
idealistic and realistic ideas about relationships and society. On the one hand, the
play tells us that love is more important than money, that mercy is better than
revenge, and that love lasts forever. On the other hand, more cynical voices tell us
that money rules the world, that mercy alone can’t run our lives, and that love can
disappear after marriage.

Merchant of Venice Summary – A Quick Overview

 Bassanio wants to marry a woman called Portia but he can't

afford to pay for his clothes and travel to Belmont to see her,
so he asks his friend Antonio if he can borrow some money.
 Antonio has no money to lend his friend so he asks Shylock
for a loan instead. Shylock agrees to give him the money, but
states that if Antonio doesn't pay him back on time he must
give a 'pound of his own flesh'.
 Portia's father set up a 'lottery' in his will, that means anyone
who wants to marry his daughter has to pass a test first. Portia
and Nerissa watch as several suitors try to win her love,
through picking one of three caskets: gold, silver or lead - but
they all fail.
 Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, escapes from his house so that
she can marry Lorenzo with help from Lancelet Gobbo.
Lorenzo is a Christian and a friend of Bassanio’s.
 Bassanio arrives in Belmont, with his friend Gratiano, and
correctly chooses the lead casket, winning Portia’s hand in
marriage. Portia is delighted.
 Antonio’s ships are lost at sea, meaning he has no way to
repay Shylock and will have to face him in court. He writes to
Bassanio, who leaves Belmont with Portia's money to try and
help his friend.
 Portia follows Bassanio to the court, in disguise as a male
lawyer. She asks Shylock to be merciful but he is determined
to take a pound of Antonio's flesh and have his revenge.
 In front of the Venetian court, Portia examines the original
contract between Shylock and Antonio. She tells the court
 Shylock can only take a pound of flesh if he spills no blood
and Shylock admits this isn't possible.
 Shylock is punished by the court for attempting to kill a
Venetian citizen. All of his wealth is seized and he is forced to
convert to Christianity.
 Bassanio returns to Belmont, where Portia reveals that she
was the lawyer in disguise. They are are reunited, along with
two other couples. Antonio receives the positive news that
three of his ships made it safely back to Venice.
CHARACTER - ANTONIO:-

Antonio is one of the main characters of the play “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE”.
He is middle aged, unmarried man who is a friend of Bassanio. He appears to be a
happy-go-lucky-man who is known for his generosity towards his friends. In reality he
is depressed. It is evident in the way he admits that he is overcome by melancholy
and he cannot ascertain the cause of his sadness. Shakespeare presents him a
honourable man who would do anything for his friends. When he could not offer
Bassanio some money to marry Portio, he agrees to undertake the risky task of
being the guarantor of the loan. Although he is a benevolent soul, he appears to
harbour a deep-seated hatred towards the Jews, Shylock in particular. But despite
this, he honours the contract he had with Shylock. He agrees to part with a pound of
his flesh because he had failed to repay the loan Bassanio had taken in his name..

ANTONIO

 the hero of the play

 melancholic by nature
 love for Bassanio
 a generous philanthropist
 A Kind-hearted and Accommodating Man
 passive, stoic

Antonio – The Hero of the Play

Antonio is the hero of the play and is the merchant of Venice. He is a passive
character who at times seems to be unheroic. He pales into insignificance before
Shylock or Portia. But he has sterling qualities of character—honesty, sincerity,
freshness and humility. His love and affection for his friends deserves all out
admiration. He is a rich merchant but is perhaps impractical to some extent.
Antonio Temperamental Melancholy

Antonio is a wealthy merchant in the city of Venice. He is a leading citizen,

commanding great respect. When he is first introduced to us in the play, he is in a
melancholy mood. His friends ask him if he is feeling melancholy because all his
ships are at sea, facing all sorts of dangers from storms and from rocks, but he tells
them that he is not at all feeling worried about the safety of his ships. He then tells
them that his melancholy is something natural to him, something temperamental or
inborn. He says that he looks upon this world as the stage of a theater on which
every man has to play a part, his own part being that of a sad man. Thus melancholy
may be regarded as one of the principal traits of his Character.

Antonio Profound Affection for Bassanio

Another major trait of Antonio’s character is his capacity for friendship and his
profound affection for Bassanio. Indeed, the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio is
one of the romantic elements in the play because this friendship has been idealized
and glorified by Shakespeare. Bassanio had once before taken a loan from Antonio
but had not repaid it; and now again he needs money badly. This time he again asks
Antonio for a loan. Antonio has no cash in hand at the moment, and yet he would not
like to disappoint his friend. He therefore bids Bassanio approach some money-
lender in the city and take a loan on his (Antonio’s) behalf. Bassanio approaches
Shylock who is a Jew and a professional money lender, and asks for a loan of three
thousand ducats in Antonio’s name. Antonio then signs a bond which seems to be
potentially dangerous but which Antonio signs, regardless of the danger which it
implies. There is in it a clause according to which Shylock would be entitled to cut off
a pound of Antonio’s flesh from nearest his heart in case Antonio fails to repay the
loan within a period of three months. Antonio willingly signs this bond to meet the
needs of this friend Bassanio; and this act on his part shows how much he loves
Bassanio. He is really a friend in need. He is willing to risk his life for the sake of his
friend.

Antonio – A Generous Philanthropist

Antonio is a philanthropist. He does good to others. He believes that to take interest

on lent money is immoral. He has given loans without interest to some of Shylock’s
debtors and saved them from Shylock’s clutches. It appears that Shylock hates him
because he thinks that he spoils his business. Antonio dislikes Shylock because he
earns money by way of interest on his lent money. It is because of this reason that
Antonio has insulted Shylock in public in the most humiliating manner. He has
abused him several times. He has called him a ‘misbeliever’.

In the trial scene, Antonio endures unbearable agony of mind patiently. He asks
Bassanio not to persuade Shylock to change his mind. He is ready to accept the
verdict of the court. He tells the Duke to pronounce his judgement. His attitude
towards possible death in the trial scene shows calm fortitude.

Antonio – A Kind-hearted and Accommodating Man

Antonio is a kind-hearted man who lends money to needy people without charging
any interest from them. In this respect he offers a striking contrast to Shylock who is
a usurer. (A usurer is a money lender who charges excessive rates of interest on the
loans which he gives). It is true that Shylock is a professional money-lender and he
must, therefore, charge interest on the loans which he gives.

Antonio, on the other hand, is not a money-lender by profession. But the point to
note is that Shylock charges unreasonably high rates of interest; and Antonio lends
money to people even though he is not a money-lender, and he lends money gratis
(that is, without charging any interest). While Shylock is a greedy man, Antonio is not
at all greedy. In fact, Antonio is almost indifferent to wealth.

Although Antonio is a man who wins our respect and admiration because of his fine
qualities, yet he also suffers from a serious defect. As a Christian he shows an
intolerance towards the Jews. He hates Shylock because Shylock is a usurer but
even more because Shylock is a Jew. This religious or racial intolerance on his part
somewhat lowers him in our estimation. In fact, Antonio goes out of his way to insult
and degrade Shylock. On many occasions he has abused Shylock, and even spat on
his clothes. His reason for thus treating Shylock is that Shylock is a usurer and a
Jew. And even when he is asking Shylock for a loan, he says that in future also he
would abuse him and spit on him. He tells Shylock that he wants a loan from him not
as a friend but as an enemy. There was certainly in those days a general prejudice
against the Jews; but we would expect a nice man like Antonio to be free from a
prejudice of that kind. Antonio is a perfect gentleman but his religious fanaticism is
undoubtedly a flaw in his character.
Antonio – Passive and Stoic

Antonio’s passivity is his greatest weakness. He seems to accept defeat even before
the fight begins. His speech in the trial scene—

“I am a tainted wether of the flock,

Meetest for death”—

confirms that he too soon yields. In short, with all his weaknesses, Antonio is a man
who is generous, genial and stoic.

A Deficiency in Antonio Character

Antonio also suffers from a deficiency. He does not have much of a sense of
humour. As he is constitutionally a melancholy man, he is unable to laugh much. He
cannot enjoy a joke; and he is certainly incapable of making a joke. He does not
approve of Gratiano’s flippant and light-hearted talk. Himself a man of few words, he
does not approve of Gratiano’s glibness or garrulity (that is, excessive talkativeness).
Being a serious-minded man, he is also unable to enjoy such merry-making as torch
light, masked processions in which Lorenzo and others take great pleasure. And it
also seems that he is incapable of falling in love. When at the outset it is suggested
that he may be feeling melancholy because he is in love, he promptly rejects the
suggestion, saying; “Fie, fie!”