Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare''s The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead. If they choose the right casket – the the casket containing Portia's portrait – they win Portia's hand in and a scroll – marriage. If they choose the wrong casket, they must leave and never seek another woman in marriage. Portia is glad when two suitors, one driven by greed and another by vanity, fail to choose correctly. She favours Bassanio, a young Venetian noble, but is not allowed to give him any clues to assist in his choice. Later in the play, she disguises herself as a man, then assumes the role of a lawyer's apprentice (named Balthazar) whereby
she saves the life of Bassanio's friend, Antonio, in court. Portia is one of the most prominent and appealing of the heroines in Shakespeare's mature romantic comedies. She is beautiful, gracious, rich, intelligent, and quick-witted, with high standards for her potential romantic partners. She obeys her father's will, while steadfastly seeking to obtain Bassanio. She demonstrates tact to the Princes of Morocco and Aragon, who unsuccessfully seek her hand. In the court scenes, Portia finds a technicality in the bond, thereby outwitting Shylock and saving Antonio's life when everyone else fails. It is Portia who delivers one of the most famous speeches in The Merchant of Venice: "The quality of mercy is not strain'd. It droppeth as the gentle rain from
heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." Despite Portia's lack of formal legal training, she wins her case by referring to the details of the exact language of the law. Her success involves prevailing on technicalities rather than the merits of the situation. She uses the tactics of what
is
Philadelphia
sometimes lawyer.
called
However,
a the
concept of rhetoric and its abuse is also brought to light by Portia – highlighting the idea that an unjust argument may win through eloquence, loopholes and technicalities, regardless of the moral
question at hand – and thus provoking the audience to consider that issue.
Shylock is a character in William
Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice.
A
Venetian
Jewish
moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity forms the climax of the story. In The Merchant of Venice , Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh from next to his heart. When a
bankrupt Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock demands the pound of flesh. This decision is fuelled by his sense of revenge, for Antonio had previously insulted, physically assaulted and spat on him in the Rialto (stock exchange of Venice) dozens of times, defiled the "sacred" Jewish religion and had also inflicted massive financial losses on him. Meanwhile, Shylock's daughter, Jessica, falls in love with Antonio's friend
Lorenzo
and
converts
to
Christianity, which adds to Shylock's rage and hardens his resolve for revenge. In the end - due to the efforts of
Antonio's
well-wisher,
Portia
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Shylock is charged with attempted murder of a Christian, carrying a possible death penalty, and Antonio is
freed without punishment. Shylock is then ordered to surrender half of his wealth and property to the state and the other half to Antonio. However, as an act of "mercy", Antonio modifies the verdict, asking Shylock to hand over only one-half of his wealth - to him (Antonio) for his own as well as Lorenzo's need - provided that he keeps two promises. First, Shylock has to sign an agreement bequeathing all his remaining property to Lorenzo and Jessica, which is to become effective after his demise, and second, he is to immediately convert to Christianity. Shylock is forced to agree to these terms, and he exits citing illness.
In Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice,' Shylock is a stereotyped
Jewish merchant who is bent on revenge. In this lesson, you'll have the chance to hear some of Shylock's monologues, which provide clues to his character and the unusual bargain he strikes with a fellow merchant. Who Is Shylock? Shylock is one of the main characters in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, a Jewish merchant living in a predominantly Christian environment. As the merchant, he exemplifies many negative character traits that we abhor in others and in ourselves: greed, jealousy and vengeance. Shylock's life revolves around money. In fact, he has a reputation for charging too much interest on loans.
We can find clues to Shylock's tragic character through his monologues, which reveal his innermost thoughts. A
'How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian, But more for that in low simplicity He lends out money gratis and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice. If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails, Even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains and my well-won thrift, Which he calls interest. Cursed be my tribe, If I forgive him!' In this monologue, Shylock reveals his resentment toward Antonio. First, he states that he hates Antonio for his religious beliefs, or simply because he
is not Jewish. Shylock also hates Antonio because he is honest: Antonio doesn't lend money at interest. As a result, fewer people borrow from Shylock, who does charge interest. Shylock hopes to entrap Antonio when Bassanio, Antonio's best friend, asks Shylock for a loan that Antonio guarantees. Shylock accuses Antonio of hating Jews, and there is some evidence that Antonio does discriminate. Antonio has made it clear that he dislikes the way Shylock does business. Shylock swears he will not forgive Antonio for his actions. The Loan
Antonio's best friend, Bassanio, needs money to win the hand of the beautiful Portia, a wealthy heiress. Antonio's money is tied up in his merchant ships
abroad, so he cannot give his friend any money. Shylock agrees to loan Bassanio 3,000 ducats, or gold coins, for three months but requires Antonio to sign a notarized agreement. If the loan is not paid on time, Shylock will cut off a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio must not feel too worried, because he signs the agreement. Most of us are familiar with the practices of loan sharks, but Shylock takes it even further! He seriously intends to cut off a pound of Antonio's flesh should he default on the loan. Antonio's Bad Luck
As the story progresses, Antonio's ships are lost at sea, leaving him unable to pay the debt. In the meantime, Bassanio succeeds in winning Portia's hand, partially by passing a test her father devised for her suitors.
When Bassanio finds out about Antonio's hard luck, Portia gives him 6,000 ducats to pay off the loan and save Antonio's life. However, Shylock is far more interested in revenge than money. When his own daughter, Jessica, runs off with a Christian named Lorenzo, Shylock is only concerned about the money and jewels she takes with her, and not her safety. Shylock's Justification
Shylock shows the depth of his resentment toward Antonio in this monologue from Act 3, when Salarino, a fellow merchant, asks him why he would want a pound of flesh from Antonio. Shylock says: 'To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us,
shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction'. In his heart of hearts, Shylock believes that Antonio hates him because he is Jewish. Whenever his business deals fail and Antonio's prosper, Shylock becomes more and more obsessed with revenge. In his monologue, Shylock continues to plead for equality, saying that Jews have eyes, organs and senses
and are capable of love. Poignantly, he asks: 'If we prick us, do we not bleed?' At this point, we can almost sympathize with Shylock. He is revealing deep inner hurts that no doubt stem from the prejudice he's experienced, due to his race and religion. Shylock believes his only recourse is revenge, and he blames Christians for teaching him revenge by example. As a result, he cannot be talked out of taking his pound of flesh.
