The merchant of Venice

Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains to his friends of a melancholy that he cannot explain. His

friend Bassanio is desperately in need of money to court Portia, a wealthy heiress who lives in the

city of Belmont. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to Portias estate.

Antonio agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because his own money is all invested in a

number of trade ships that are still at sea. Antonio suggests that Bassanio secure the loan from

one of the citys moneylenders and name Antonio as the loans guarantor. In Belmont, Portia

expresses sadness over the terms of her fathers will, which stipulates that she must marry the

man who correctly chooses one of three caskets. None of Portias current suitors are to her liking,

and she and her lady-in-waiting, Nerissa, fondly remember a visit paid some time before by

Bassanio.

In Venice, Antonio and Bassanio approach Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, for a loan. Shylock

nurses a long-standing grudge against Antonio, who has made a habit of berating Shylock and

other Jews for their usury, the practice of loaning money at exorbitant rates of interest, and who

undermines their business by offering interest-free loans. Although Antonio refuses to apologize

for his behavior, Shylock acts agreeably and offers to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with

no interest. Shylock adds, however, that should the loan go unpaid, Shylock will be entitled to a

pound of Antonios own flesh. Despite Bassanios warnings, Antonio agrees. In Shylocks own

household, his servant Launcelot decides to leave Shylocks service to work for Bassanio, and

Shylocks daughter Jessica schemes to elope with Antonios friend Lorenzo. That night, the streets

of Venice fill up with revelers, and Jessica escapes with Lorenzo by dressing as his page. After a

night of celebration, Bassanio and his friend Gratiano leave for Belmont, where Bassanio intends

to win Portias hand.

In Belmont, Portia welcomes the prince of Morocco, who has come in an attempt to choose the

right casket to marry her. The prince studies the inscriptions on the three caskets and chooses the

gold one, which proves to be an incorrect choice. In Venice, Shylock is furious to find that his

daughter has run away, but rejoices in the fact that Antonios ships are rumored to have been

wrecked and that he will soon be able to claim his debt. In Belmont, the prince of Arragon also
visits Portia. He, too, studies the caskets carefully, but he picks the silver one, which is also

incorrect. Bassanio arrives at Portias estate, and they declare their love for one another. Despite

Portias request that he wait before choosing, Bassanio immediately picks the correct casket,

which is made of lead. He and Portia rejoice, and Gratiano confesses that he has fallen in love

with Nerissa. The couples decide on a double wedding. Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a token of

love, and makes him swear that under no circumstances will he part with it. They are joined,

unexpectedly, by Lorenzo and Jessica. The celebration, however, is cut short by the news that

Antonio has indeed lost his ships, and that he has forfeited his bond to Shylock. Bassanio and

Gratiano immediately travel to Venice to try and save Antonios life. After they leave, Portia tells

Nerissa that they will go to Venice disguised as men.

Shylock ignores the many pleas to spare Antonios life, and a trial is called to decide the matter.

The duke of Venice, who presides over the trial, announces that he has sent for a legal expert,

who turns out to be Portia disguised as a young man of law. Portia asks Shylock to show mercy,

but he remains inflexible and insists the pound of flesh is rightfully his. Bassanio offers Shylock

twice the money due him, but Shylock insists on collecting the bond as it is written. Portia

examines the contract and, finding it legally binding, declares that Shylock is entitled to the

merchants flesh. Shylock ecstatically praises her wisdom, but as he is on the verge of collecting

his due, Portia reminds him that he must do so without causing Antonio to bleed, as the contract

does not entitle him to any blood. Trapped by this logic, Shylock hastily agrees to take Bassanios

money instead, but Portia insists that Shylock take his bond as written, or nothing at all. Portia

informs Shylock that he is guilty of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen, which means

he must turn over half of his property to the state and the other half to Antonio. The duke spares

Shylocks life and takes a fine instead of Shylocks property. Antonio also forgoes his half of

Shylocks wealth on two conditions: first, Shylock must convert to Christianity, and second, he

must will the entirety of his estate to Lorenzo and Jessica upon his death. Shylock agrees and

takes his leave.

Bassanio, who does not see through Portias disguise, showers the young law clerk with thanks,

and is eventually pressured into giving Portia the ring with which he promised never to part.

Gratiano gives Nerissa, who is disguised as Portias clerk, his ring. The two women return to

Belmont, where they find Lorenzo and Jessica declaring their love to each other under the

moonlight. When Bassanio and Gratiano arrive the next day, their wives accuse them of faithlessly

giving their rings to other women. Before the deception goes too far, however, Portia reveals that

she was, in fact, the law clerk, and both she and Nerissa reconcile with their husbands. Lorenzo

and Jessica are pleased to learn of their inheritance from Shylock, and the joyful news arrives that

Antonios ships have in fact made it back safely. The group celebrates its good fortune.

Plot Overview Quick Quiz

1. Why does Bassanio need a loan?

To court an heiress To purchase a ship

To buy a house To go to university

2. How much money does Shylock offer to lend Bassanio?

Eight thousand ducats Three thousand ducats

Nothing Three hundred ducats

3. Who does Shylocks daughter Jessica plan to elope with?

Antonio Portia

Bassanio Lorenzo

4. In order to marry Portia, suitors must choose one of three caskets. What is the correct casket made of?

Bone Gold

Lead Silver

5. What does Portia give Bassanio as a token of her love?

The lead casket

A loan

A ring

A law book
Characters

Shylock - A Jewish moneylender in 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. Although seen by the rest of the plays
characters as an inhuman monster, Shylock at times diverges from stereotype and reveals himself
to be quite human. These contradictions, and his eloquent expressions of hatred, have earned
Shylock a place as one of Shakespeares most memorable characters.

Portia - A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portias beauty is matched only by her intelligence.
Bound by a clause in her fathers will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly
among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. Far and away
the most clever of the plays characters, it is Portia, in the disguise of a young law clerk, who
saves Antonio from Shylocks knife.

Antonio - The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylocks
contract and almost lose his life. Antonio is something of a mercurial figure, often inexplicably
melancholy and, as Shylock points out, possessed of an incorrigible dislike of Jews. Nonetheless,
Antonio is beloved of his friends and proves merciful to Shylock, albeit with conditions.

Bassanio - A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and dear friend to Antonio. Bassanios love for
the wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. An
ineffectual businessman, Bassanio proves himself a worthy suitor, correctly identifying the casket
that contains Portias portrait.

Gratiano - A friend of Bassanios who accompanies him to Belmont. A coarse and garrulous
young man, Gratiano is Shylocks most vocal and insulting critic during the trial. While Bassanio
courts Portia, Gratiano falls in love with and eventually weds Portias lady-in-waiting, Nerissa.

Jessica - Although she is Shylocks daughter, Jessica hates life in her fathers house, and elopes
with the young Christian gentleman, Lorenzo. The fate of her soul is often in doubt: the plays
characters wonder if her marriage can overcome the fact that she was born a Jew, and we wonder
if her sale of a ring given to her father by her mother is excessively callous.

Lorenzo - A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, Lorenzo is in love with Shylocks daughter, Jessica.
He schemes to help Jessica escape from her fathers house, and he eventually elopes with her to
Belmont.

Nerissa - Portias lady-in-waiting and confidante. She marries Gratiano and escorts Portia on
Portias trip to Venice by disguising herself as her law clerk.
The prince of Morocco - A Moorish prince who seeks Portias hand in marriage. The prince of
Morocco asks Portia to ignore his dark countenance and seeks to win her by picking one of the
three caskets. Certain that the caskets reflect Portias beauty and stature, the prince of Morocco
picks the gold chest, which proves to be incorrect.

The prince of Arragon - An arrogant Spanish nobleman who also attempts to win Portias hand
by picking a casket. Like the prince of Morocco, however, the prince of Arragon chooses unwisely.
He picks the silver casket, which gives him a message calling him an idiot instead of Portias hand.

The duke of Venice - The ruler of Venice, who presides over Antonios trial. Although a powerful
man, the dukes state is built on respect for the law, and he is unable to help Antonio.
All My Sons Character List

Joe Keller
Middle aged and prosperous, Joe Keller is a family man whose world does not extend beyond the borders of
his front yard or the gate around his factory. He is not a greedy, conniving caricature of capitalism, but
rather a good-natured and loving man of little education, whose myopic perspective on his world stems from
a devotion to his family and an education in a society that encourages generally antisocial behavior.
American rugged individualism alienated Keller, whose past misdeeds haunt the future of his family.

Kate Keller (Mother)

Though she has a successful husband and a loving son, Mother cannot abandon the memory of her other son,
who was lost in the war. Her delusions about Larry's disappearance and her vehement self-denial are
symptomatic of greater issues than just a grief-stricken mother's inability to cope with the loss of a child.
Nervous and suspicious, Mother has taken on the burden of her husband's secret while he presents the face
of an untroubled conscience to the world, while she suffers from headaches and nightmares. Her fantasies
about Larry are constructed from a sense of self-preservation, and the flimsy basis for her hopes is
threatened any time someone who loved Larry intimates that he or she may not share Kate's confidence in
his return.

Chris Keller
Returning from the war as a hero, Chris found the day-to-day provincialism of his old life stifling. But Chris
is a family man, and he is devoted to his parents. He is uncomfortable with the success his father's business
found during the war, when so many of his comrades died pointlessly. He redirects his discomfort into an
idealism and an attitude of social awareness that is foreign to his family environment. Others perceive
Chris's idealism as oppressive, asking sacrifices of others that Chris himself does not make as he lives
comfortably (if guiltily) on his father's dime.

Larry Keller
Although he has been dead for some years by the start of the play, Larry is as much a character in the play as
anyone who actually appears on stage. His disappearance haunts his family through his mother's
superstitious belief in his return, as well as through his brother's wary but measured rejection of Larry's
claim on his childhood sweetheart. Larry is constantly compared to Chris throughout the play, ostensibly for
the purpose of better defining the character of Chris, but in the end we learn that Larry's own character had
quite an effect on the story. Larry is portrayed by his father as the more sensible and practical of his sons,
the one with a head for business who would understand his father's arguments. Larry, not Chris, possessed
the stronger sense of honor and connectedness, and Larry sacrificed himself in penance for his father's
misdeeds.

Ann Deever
The beautiful Ann has not become attached to a new man since her beau Larry died in the war, but this is not
through lack of suitors. Ann is mired in the past, though she has not been waiting for Larry to return. Rather,
she has waited for his brother Chris to step forward and take Larry's place in her heart. She is an honest,
down-to-earth girl, and she is emboldened by the strength of certain of her convictions. Sharing Chris's
idealism and righteousness, she has shunned her father for his crimes during the war, and she fully
understands his assertion that if he had any suspicions of his own father, he could not live with himself. Ann
and her brother work to establish "appropriate" reactions to a father's wartime racketeering.

George Deever
George serves a mostly functional role in the story of the Keller family. His arrival in the second act is a
catalyst for a situation that was on edge from long-established tensions. His disdain is for the crime, not for
the man, and now that he has been newly convinced of his father's innocence, he is here to rescue his sister
from entering the family of the man he believes is actually guilty. Yet George is easily disarmed by Keller's
good humor, and his own convictions about his father's innocence are almost undermined by his awareness
of his father's other faults and weaknesses.

Dr. Jim Bayliss

The neighborhood doctor, Jim is a good man who believes in the duty of one man to help another, but he at
the same time acknowledges a man's responsibility to his family. He is interested in medicine not for the
money but to help people. This point is dramatized by his reluctance to bother with a hypochondriac. He
once left his wife to do medical research, but he eventually went home, putting his responsibility to his
family ahead of his responsibility to the world.

Sue Bayliss
Jim's wife Sue put her husband through medical school, and she expects more than gratitude in return. She
blames Chris's infectious, insinuating idealism for her husband's interest in the fiscally unrewarding field of
medical research.

Frank Lubey
A simple neighbor, Frank has an interest in astrology. Mother asked him before the start of the play to
prepare a horoscope for Larry in order to determine his "favorable day."

Lydia Lubey
Now married to Frank, Lydia is a former sweetheart of George's, but she did not wait for him to return from
the war. Seeing Lydia makes George wistful about the simpler life he could have had, if he had not left
home for the greater world of New York.

Bert
Bert is a neighborhood boy who plays cop-and-robber games with Joe Keller, to Mother's chagrin. Keller
has allowed Bert and the other children to get the story of his jail time wrong and to believe that he is a chief
of police with a jail in his basement. Mother is made very anxious by these games.