The Merchant of Venice

This is all about Antonio, an antisemitic merchant, who takes a loan from the
Jew Shylock to help his friend to court Portia. Antisemitic- meaning hostile to
or prejudiced to Jewish people.

Additional Information to introduce the story; Historical Context of The

Merchant of Venice

Like much of the rest of Europe, England severely restricted the rights of Jews. In
fact, Jews were banished completely from England in 1290 by King Edward I, and were
not officially allowed to return until 1655, when Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews to return.
This exile was technically in effect during Shakespeare's time, but scholars believe that
a few hundred Jews still lived around London in the guise of Christians. One of the
reasons Renaissance Christians disliked Jews was the Jews' willingness to
practice usury—the practice of charging interest or "use" on borrowed money.
There was a long tradition in Classical and Christian moral thinking against usury.
Shakespeare's contemporary, the philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon,
argued in his essay On Usury that it was "against nature for money to beget money."
(BEGIN THE STORY, ANG NAKAHIGHLIGHT KAY WALA NA SYA SA
POWERPOINT)

EXPOSITION

In Venice, a merchant named Antonio worries that his ships are overdue. As
his colleagues offer comfort, his young friends—Bassanio, Graziano, and
Lorenzo—arrive. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan, so that he can pursue the
wealthy Portia, who lives in Belmont. Antonio cannot afford the loan. Instead,
he sends Bassanio to borrow the money on the security of Antonio's
expected shipments.

At Belmont, Portia and her maid, Nerissa, discuss the suitors who have come
in response to Portia's father's strange will. The will says Portia may only
marry a man who chooses the correct casket made from three possible
options: gold, silver, and lead. Much to Portia's distress, all her suitors are
unsatisfactory. However, she does fondly remember a time when Bassanio
came to Belmont, and that leaves her with some hope.

RISING ACTION

Bassanio approaches Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, about the loan. Shylock

holds a grudge against Antonio for his lending practices and apparent
antisemitism. Still he offers Bassanio the loan. Instead of charging interest,
seemingly as a kind of joke, he asks for a pound of Antonio's flesh if the loan
isn't repaid within three months. The bond is agreed to (who wouldn't agree
to that?) and Bassanio prepares to leave for Belmont with his friend
Graziano.

Meanwhile, one of Shylock's servants, Launcelot, wishes to change masters

and persuades Bassanio to employ him. Shylock's daughter, Jessica, also
longs to leave home. She wants to become a Christian and marry Antonio's
friend Lorenzo. Before he departs to serve his new master, Launcelot takes a
letter to Lorenzo that contains plans for Lorenzo and Jessica to elope that
night. When Shylock goes out, Jessica escapes to elope, taking gold and
jewels with her. The following day, Bassanio sets sail for Belmont, while
Shylock rages over the loss of his daughter and the treasures she has stolen.

In Belmont, one of Portia’s suitors (the Prince of Morocco) chooses the golden
casket, while another (the Prince of Aragon) selects silver. Both chose the
wrong casket and are unsuccessful. As Aragon leaves, Bassanio is
announced. Portia eagerly goes to greet him.

After a few days, Shylock hears that his daughter Jessica is squandering her
stolen wealth in Genoa. He begins to rail bitterly against Christians. He
reminds Antonio's friends that if the loan is not repaid on time, he will insist
on the original agreement of one pound of flesh.

CLIMAX

Back in Belmont, Bassanio chooses the lead casket, and in so doing, he wins
Portia. His friend Graziano asks for Portia's maid Nerissa to be his wife. Portia
gives her ring to Bassanio, making him promise never to give it to another.
As Lorenzo and Jessica come to Belmont, news arrives that Antonio's ships
have been lost at sea, and he is now bankrupt. They are also told Shylock
insists on the fulfilment of his bond and has had Antonio arrested. Bassanio
and Graziano leave in haste to help Antonio. Portia and Nerissa resolve to
follow afterwards, disguised as lawyers.

FALLING ACTION

In the court in Venice, Shylock demands his pound of flesh. The Duke,
presiding over the court, seeks legal advice from the lawyer "Balthazar," who
is Portia in disguise. Portia pleads for Shylock to have mercy on Antonio.
Bassanio offers his wife's money, which would more than pay the debt, but
Shylock refuses to accept. Antonio's death is only prevented as Balthazar
explains the bond is for flesh but not for a single drop of blood. So Shylock
cannot collect the pound of flesh.

For threatening the life of a Venetian, Shylock forfeits his goods to Antonio
and Bassanio. Antonio refuses his share of compensation and asks for it to be
put in a trust for Lorenzo and Jessica. He also demands that Shylock
becomes a Christian. Broken and in submission, Shylock leaves the court.
Bassanio and Graziano thank the lawyers, who ask for their rings as legal
fees. Bassanio and Graziano refuse until Antonio intervenes and makes them
give the rings to the lawyers.

Undisguised, Portia and Nerissa return home at night to find Lorenzo and
Jessica enjoying the tranquillity of Belmont. When their husbands arrive,
Portia and Nerissa scold them for giving away their rings, pretending they
had been given away to other women. Before long, they reveal themselves
as the lawyers from the trial. Antonio receives news that his ships have
returned safely after all (looks like we didn't need to go through all this mess
in the first place!). The play ends as the three couples prepare to celebrate
their marriages.

THEMES
 PREJUDICE AND INTOLERANCE:
The Venetians in The Merchant of Venice almost uniformly
express extreme intolerance of Shylock and the other Jews in Venice.
Yet there are also reasons to think that Shakespeare may be subtly
criticizing the prejudices of his characters. Shylock's fury comes not
from some malicious "Jewishness" but as a result of years of abuse. For
example, though he is criticized by Antonio for practicing usury
(charging interest on borrowed money) Jews were actually barred from
most other professions. In other words, the Christians basically forced
Shylock to work in a profession that the Christians then condemned as
immoral. Shylock insists that he "learned" his hatred from the
Christians, and it is Shylock alone who argues that all the characters
are the same, in terms of biology and under the law. Viewed this way,
The Merchant of Venice offers a critique of the same prejudices that it
seemingly endorses.
 LAW, MERCY AND REVENGE
Both the central action of The Merchant of Venice—Shylock's attempt
to revenge himself on the Christian Antonio—and the romantic subplot
 —between Bassanio and Portia—explore the relationship between law,
mercy, and revenge.
Shakespeare's contemporary, the philosopher Francis Bacon, defined
revenge as a "kind of wild justice." When one private individual decides
to take revenge on another, he is going outside the official justice
system. And yet, as the phrase "wild justice" suggests, the revenger is
responding to what he sees as a "higher law." The revenger takes the
law into his own hands when he feels that the state is not capable of or
refuses to enforce justice. Therefore, while law and revenge are
technically opposed to each other, since revenge is illegal, they also
overlap. Shylock, pursuing Antonio's "pound of flesh," exposes the
intimate connection between law and revenge. He seeks vengeance
against Antonio precisely by sticking to the letter of the law within the
Venetian justice system.
 MERCY
Portia presents mercy as a better alternative to the pursuit of either
law or revenge. Shylock explicitly refuses to show mercy, while the
Christians, in sparing Shylock's life in the end, claim that they have.
Yet, when they do, Shylock himself asks to be killed. He says that
having had all his possessions confiscated and his religious identity
revoked (which would also make it impossible for him to work as a
moneylender, since Christians were not allowed to practice usury), he
has nothing left to live for. The question of who is or is not merciful,
therefore remains open.
 LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
The Merchant of Venice also explores love and friendship between
its characters. The central romantic relationship of the play is that
between Bassanio and Portia. Their marriage is paralleled by
several others: the elopement of Shylock's daughter, Jessica, with
the Christian, Lorenzo; and the marriage of Portia's servant, Nerissa,
to Bassanio's companion, Gratiano. In addition, numerous critics
have suggested that the strongest friendship in the play—between
Antonio and Bassanio—also approaches romantic love. In addition,
the play shows how strong the amicable ties are that connect all the
various Venetian characters.
 GREED AND GENEROSITY
the primary grievance that Antonio has against Shylock is that he is
greedy—for charging interest to those who borrow money from him
when they are in need. The Venetians implicitly contrast Shylock's
greed with the generosity that they show one another. It seems
that, like love or mercy, generosity is limitless, unbounded.
However, The Merchant of Venice also frequently begs the question
of whether friends aren't using friends, or lovers their lovers, for
materialistic reasons. For instance, why is the perpetually indebted
Bassanio so intent on wooing the rich Portia? And as Portia's and
Nerissa's anger over the rings that their husbands give away in the
final scene reflects, even the freest gift-giving comes with strings
attached, like the rules governing Shylock's more frankly capitalistic
contracts.