The Merchant of Venice

1. The Merchant of Venice 9th Grade, English

2. Background Information • William Shakespeare (26 April 1564– 23 April 1616)was an English poet and playwright, 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". His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. • The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's 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' speech. Also notable is Portia's speech about the 'quality of mercy'.

3. Shylock , a Jew who lived in Venice . He was a very rich money lender and a miser . He was hard hearted and disliked by all • Antonio was a young and kind hearted Christian merchant of Venice. Shylock hated Antonio because he used to lend money to people in distress, without interest . So there was bitter enmity between both of them • Antonio had a friend named Bassanio. He lost his fortune by expensive living. Whenever Bassanio wanted money , Antonio assisted him. They were very close to each other.

4. One day Bassanio came to Antonio and told him that he wished to regain his fortune by marrying a rich lady . She has lost her parents recently and become the sole heiress to a large estate. He wanted money to furnish himself in order to attract her. So he asked Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats. • Antonio had no money to give his friend. But he expected some of his ships loaded with goods would bring fortune to him. So he took his friend to Shylock, the rich money lender, to borrow some money for a few days. Shylock did not want to lose any chance to take revenge on Antonio. He agreed to give the loan on the condition that he should repay by a certain date. If he failed to do so Shylock would get the right to cut off a pound of flesh from any part of his body. Antonio accepted the conditions and signed the bond. He gave the money to Bassanio.

5. Bassanio met Portia and she accepted to marry him. As a token of love she presented him a ring . Taking the ring he vowed never to part with it . • When they were talking, a messenger brought a letter for Antonio . His ships were lost at sea and as he could not repay the loan in time, Shylock demanded a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body as specified in the bond. On hearing it Portia and Bassanio were worried and Portia agreed to repay the loan amount. They married on the same day and Bassanio set out for Venice. • Bassanio was very sad to see Antonio in prison in Venice. When Bassanio met Shylock with the money, he refused to accept the loan amount as the last date for payment had passed. He insisted on a pound of Antonio’s flesh , as written in the bond. • With this as the background, a day was fixed for the trial of Antonio in the presence of the duke of Venice.

6. In the mean while , Portia consulted an advocate and narrated the case to him. On his advice, she came to Venice along with her attendant in disguise as a counselor to plead for Antonio. • The trial began and Portia in her new attire was not recognized by Bassanio. Then she began her argument to defend Antonio. She told about the noble quality of mercy and requested Shylock to show mercy on Antonio. But Shylock insisted on the pound of flesh as written in the bond. Bassanio offered to repay three times the amount owed by Antonio which Shylock refused.

7. Finally, Portia asked Shylock to show the bond. When she read it she told that he had every right to claim a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body . Shylock felt very happy and sharpened his knife. Once again she read the bond and said that he could cut off the pound of flesh from Antonio’s body without shedding even a single drop of blood and he should cut exactly a pound of flesh, not an ounce more or less. • Shylock was taken aback to hear the argument. He realized that he was defeated and begged the court for the money. Portia argued that he should be punished for conspiring against the life of Antonio and that the duke alone could pardon him.

8. Shylock begged the duke to pardon him. The Duke said that he would pardon him but he had to lose his property. Half of the wealth would go to Antonio and the other half to the state. The generous Antonio offered to return his share of the wealth to Shylock’s daughter on her marriage. • The Duke released Antonio and dismissed the case. He praised the wisdom of the young counselor in glowing terms and rewarded her. Portia and her clerk returned home and waited for the arrival of Bassanio and Antonio. Then they narrated the entire story of their disguise. At that time all the ships of Antonio that had been assumed lost reached the harbor safely. Then there was great rejoicing all around.

9. Glossary

10. Q and A (short ) 1. Who was Shylock ? What type of man was he ? • Shylock was a Jew who lived in Venice. He was a rich money lender but a miser. He was hard hearted and disliked by all. 2. Why did Shylock hate Antonio ? • Antonio was known to be generous , he used to lend money to the poor without interest. Everyone seemed to like Antonio and that is why Shylock hated Antonio. 3. How did Bassanio plan to repair his fortune ? • Bassanio wanted marry a lady who had recently lost her parents and thus had become the sole heir to a large fortune. 4. On what condition did Shylock agree to offer the loan ? • Shylock agreed to give 3000 ducats as loan to Antonio if he would agreed to repay it by a certain date or in case he was unable to repay , Shylock would be allowed to cut off a pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body.

11. Q and A (short ) 5. What was the counselor's advice to Shylock ? • Counselor initially tried to convince shylock by speaking about the importance of mercy and how it helped both the parties if they forgive each other. But as Shylock refused to agree to that the counselor let him know that he could cut a pound of flesh but he had no right to cut a little less or a little more . And that there should be no blood spilled in the process. 6. What was the judgment given by the duke ? • The Duke ‘s judgment was that Shylock had to split his wealth into halves and give one half to Antonio and the other half to the government. If Shylock agreed to that he would be pardoned and released. 7. Why did the duke dismiss the case ? • The Duke dismissed the case as Antonio requested that his share of Shylock’s wealth back to him. Shylock had realized his mistake , this together with the generosity of Antonio made the duke dismiss the case.

12. Q and A (Paragraph) 1. Why could not Shylock succeed in his plot against Antonio ? • The very smart councilor on Antonio’s side had found a flaw in the bond between Shylock and Antonio , that Shylock had the right only to the flesh and not the blood from Antonio's’ body. As flesh cannot be removed without spilling blood , Shylock was cornered and hence couldn’t succeed in his plot against Antonio. 2. How did Shylock lose his property? • The Duke’s Judgment on the case was that Shylock had to give half of his wealth to Antonio and the other half to the state. This was because Shylock was trying to unjustly get a pound of flesh from Antonio even though Antonio and his friend were willing to pay more than twice of the amount that they had borrowed.