See below for a full list of all the characters in the merchant of venice duke of venice. Learn the roles and relationships of the characters in the merchant of venice, and how they contribute to the plot. Commentary on the merchant of venice heres a fascinating and insightful look at different ways to interpret the merchant of venice, especially with respect to antisemitism. The protagonist in the merchant of venice by william shakespeare is often considered to be antonio, as he is the character through whom all the other characters in the play are connected antonio. The merchant of venice shakespeare theatre of new jersey. We now propose to complete that criticism by extending it to other parts of the same drama. The merchant of venice, comedy in five acts by william shakespeare, written about 159697 and printed in a quarto edition in 1600 from an authorial manuscript or copy of one. Preliminary production notes the merchant of venice, p. Bassanio and gratiano return immediately to venice to help. The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the. Sep 05, 2011 merchant of venice also has great significance to present date. The merchant of venice is no puppy pile or cuddle puddle. A great talker, he is almost impossible to shut up, and can be unmannerly, to the extent that bassanio only allows him to. The merchant of venice text excerpts penn state law.
A brief history of the english language words shakespeare invented 20 examples words and phrases coined by shakespeare merchant of venice characters, scene information, and language help using a 2014 production playing shakespeare merchant of venice full online text. All line numbering and text references generally follow the merchant of venice, oxford edition, edited by jay l. A brief history of the english language words shakespeare invented 20 examples words and phrases coined by shakespeare merchant of venice characters, scene information, and language help using. D uke of v eni ce p rince of m orocco m orochoq1, m or oc husq1 p rince of a rragon a ragon a suitors to portia a ntonio a nthonioq1. Its basic plot outline, with the characters of the merchant, the poor suitor, the fair lady, and the villainous jew, is. The merchant of venice character analysis course hero. 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. The merchant of venice title page of the first quarto written bywilliam shakespeare characters antonio shylock portia bassanio jessica date premieredspring of 1605 place premieredcourt of king james original languageenglish seriesfirst folio subjectdebt genreshakespearean comedy settingvenice, 16th century 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 merchant of venicefrank finlay right is shylock in a 1972 production of the.
The merchant of venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on shakespeares play of the same name. Follows the acts and scenes of original the merchant of venice text. Download the merchant of venice william shakespeare. You see, im completely unable to repay what i owe you now. Get free homework help on shakespeares the merchant of venice. Shylock is a jewish moneylender of notable prominence in venice. Shylock, a jewish moneylender, recalls past insults from antonio and, instead of asking interest on the loan, asks insteadin what he calls a merry sportthat if the loan is not repaid, antonio will owe a pound of his own flesh.
Character analysis in the merchant of venice owl eyes. In this play, portia and bassanio the hero and heroine are married along with gratiano and nerissa, and lorenzo and jessica. A nobleman from venice, who is a kinsman, close friend, and longtime debtor of the merchant, antonio. Antonio, the merchant in the merchant of venice, secures a loan from shylock for his friend bassanio, who seeks to court portia. Character list since his main source of income is from his merchant ships, he is the merchant of the plays title. Summary of william shakespeares merchant of venice. He is infatuated with the illustrious portia, who causes him to borrow. Youre very kind, but i must tell you the worst at once.
Portia enters with the prince of morocco and both their entourages. Flourish cornets enter portia with the prince of morocco, and both their trains trumpets play. The the merchant of venice characters covered include. When bassanio asks him for money to impress portia, antonio wants to give it to him but cannot because all of his money is tied up in goods that are being transported by ship to ports where they will be sold. Shylock is the most vivid and memorable character in the merchant of venice, and he is one of shakespeares greatest dramatic creations. Antonio is a merchant who helps his friend bassanio win portias hand. Written sometime between 1594 and 1598, the play is primarily based on a story in il pecorone, a collection of tales and anecdotes by the fourteenthcentury italian writer giovanni fiorentino.
Pdf the merchant of venice book by william shakespeare. The merchant of venice is a play by william shakespeare set in 16th century, venice. Read the merchant of venice translated as an easy to read, exciting teenage novel. The prince of arragon arragon salanio friends to antonio and bassanio. This seems an awful lot to ask, but if you would trust me, and lend me even more, i think i could manage to pay you back. It is the first fulllength sound film in english of shakespeares play other versions are videotaped productions which were made for television, including john sichels 1973 version and jack golds 1980 bbc production. Also notable is portias speech about the quality of mercy. William shakespeare the merchant of venice william shakespeare short biography. Antonio is borrowing the money for his friend, bassanio. The merchant of venice characters from litcharts the. The merchant of venice by shakespeare, free pdf, ebook. Pdf downloads of all 1282 litcharts literature guides. Edited, introduced and annotated by cedric watts, professor of english literature, university of sussex.
The merchant of venice is often considered shylocks play, for the reading of his character generally influences the interpretation of the drama as a whole. 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. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. William shakespeare short biography born on 23 april 1564 in stratford. Introduction the merchant of venice main menu the text comedy or tragedy.
Usury the jew of malta, marlowe antisemitism settings. The wordsworth classics shakespeare series, with romeo and juliet, henry v and the merchant of venice as its inaugural volumes, presents a newlyedited sequence of william shakespeares works. Bassanio, needing money to be a suitor to portia, asks his friend antonio, a wealthy merchant, for a loan, but antonios wealth is invested in shipments that are currently out at sea. Detailed analysis of characters in william shakespeares the merchant of venice. The duke of venice knows that he cannot risk venices livelihood by denying shylocks suit, but is less than happy at the fact. An overview and statistics of shakespeares play the merchant of venice. 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 antonios flesh. Merchant of venice might be described as a revenge tragedy barely averted, as portia swoops into the courtroom scene and saves antonio from shylock. The most potent isolation is caused by religious estrangement. It was first published in the first quarto edition in 1600.
The merchant agrees to this, confident in the return of his ships before the appointed date of repayment. Below is a list of all the merchant of venice characters, with links to more detailed info on key the merchant of venice characters duke of venice, prince of. This is a play about a merchant, antonio, who borrows money from a jewish money lender, shylock. Characters 171 the language of the merchant of venice 180 history and the jews 186 the merchant of venice in performance 189 writing about shakespeare 198 writing about the merchant of venice 200 timeline 202 acknowledgements 203 cambridge unive rsit y pre ss 9781107615397 the merchant of venice edited by rob smith frontmatter more. Regardless of this controversy, or where a person may weigh in on it, the main interest of this essay for people studying the merchant of venice is its indepth character analysis of the plays three main characters. The first edition of the novel was published in 1596, and was written by william shakespeare. The merchant of venice shakespeare homepage merchant of venice you can buy the arden text of this play from the online bookstore. Perhaps the most important related work for merchant of venice, however, is christopher marlowes the jew of malta 158990, which tells the story of the moneylender, barabas, who has all. This ten minute activity gets students out of their seats and moving around the room engaging with the characters of the play. The merchant of venicefrank finlay right is shylock in a 1972 production of the merchant of venice. An interactive study guide english at dartmouth academy. Lancelot is a clown and a servantfirst shylocks and then bassanios. Which is a pound of this poor merchant s flesh, thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture, but, touchd with human gentleness and love, forgive a moiety of the principal.
Key the merchant of venice character map christian friends enemies married by bryan heckman related unknown religion works for the person from belmont not from belmont or venice from venice owes money to girl guy suitor to portia antonio jew gratiano. The occasion is a production that looks at jewish characters from the merchant of. The characters clash on a variety of levels, as they come from different backgrounds and life situations and have different points of view. Act i volume i book vi 7 bassanio in my schooldays, when i had lost one shaft, i shot his fellow of the selfsame flight the selfsame way with more advised watch, to find the other forth, and by adventuring both. The merchant of venice shakespeare resource center.
Allows you to master the plot, characters and language of the merchant of venice. Main menu the merchant of venice was most likely performed for the first time in 1596. A christian stole his daughter and she took his money, and nothing will satisfy shylock except the legal fulfillment of the bond. In venice, shylock is no longer interested in the mere payment of the money due him. Themes prejudice and social injustice revenge, justice and forgiveness money and love motifs recurring elements and patterns of imagery in the merchant of venice which support the plays themes goldducats, jewels and caskets the law. In strict terms the merchant of venice appears to be a comedy, as four of the central charactersbassanio and portia and. Merchant of venicecharacter analysis by celine edwards on. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599.
The merchant of venice by william shakespeare a contemporary english version, emended and rectified with notes and commentary by jonathan star dramatis person. The merchant of venice is a play by wiliam shakespeare about a man named antonio who gets into debt with a. In a late number of the journal there was a partial analy sis of shakespeares merchant of venice. Act i volume i book vi 7 bassanio in my schooldays, when i had lost one shaft, i shot his fellow of the selfsame flight the selfsame way with more advised watch, to find the other forth, and by adventuring both i oft found both. The merchant of venice character map by bryan heckman on prezi. M erchant of v eni c e c a rd 1 merchant of venice act i scene i. The merchant of venice characters from litcharts the creators of. While bassanio courts portia, gratiano falls in love with and eventually marries her servant, nerissa. Bassanio he is a typical elizabethan lover and nobleman who is careless with his money. Antonio from shylock, so bassanio is the likeliest candidate. Summary of the merchant of venice shakespeare birthplace. It furthers the universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship. By the foregoing remarks, or in the previous essay, it.
The title character is the merchant antonio, not the jewish moneylender shylock, who is the plays most prominent and most famous character. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 237 pages and is available in paperback format. Ks3 merchant of venice character starter teaching resources. The merchant of venice was probably written in either 1596 or 1597, after shakespeare had written such plays as romeo and juliet and richard iii, but before he penned the great tragedies of his later years. Free download or read online the merchant of venice pdf epub book. Characters map for william shakespeares the merchant of venice. Of particular interest to this study of cognitive types involves the radical shift that portia makes in the court scene. The main characters in the merchant of venice are antonio, shylock, portia, and bassanio. The merchant of venice shakespeare birthplace trust. One of portias unsuccessful suitors the prince of arragon. Although classified as a comedy in the first folio and sharing certain aspects with shakespeares other romantic. Home introduction quizzes essay topics youtube videos themes characters quotes. Characters character list shylock a jewish moneylender in venice.
The prince obboof morocco hylock morocco suitors to portia. A list of all the characters in the merchant of venice. It is a romantic comedy with a knife at its heart, and that gives it a dark side that people talk about long after the lovers have left the stage. The the merchant of venice quotes below are all either spoken by portia or refer to portia. Character analysis in the merchant of venice shylock. Need help on characters in william shakespeares the merchant of venice. The the merchant of venice quotes below are all either spoken by shylock or refer to shylock. I urge this childhood proof, because what follows is pure innocence. In the court of justice, presided over by the duke of venice, shylock faces his enemy, antonio. Though classified as a comedy in the first folio and sharing certain aspects with shakespeares other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and is best known for shylock and the famous hath not a jew eyes. 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. Intermediate level points for understanding answer key macmillan readers the merchant of venice. 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.
Shylock asks for a pound of flesh as part of a loan contract weird, bassanio agrees to it weirder, and portia saves the day by crossdressing and pretending to practice the law perfectly normal. The merchant of venice is a play by william shakespear e, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. The merchant of venice ranks with hamlet as one of shakespeares most frequently performed dramas. Enter antonio, salarino, and salanio ant oni o in truth, i know not why i am so sad. Glancing an eye of pity on his losses, that have of late so huddled on his back, enow to press a royal merchant down and pluck commiseration of his state.
In todays time when there is want of sincerity, moral values and justice, the play delineates all this very successfully. Antonio is a merchant of venice, perhaps the merchant of venice. 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 condition that he keep himself under control. The main characters of this classics, drama story are. Marries the 10year older than him ann hathaway 1586 leaves his family in.
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