Act I, Scene 1
New Characters:
Antonio: a merchant of Venice
Salerio and Solanio: friends to Bassanio and Antonio
Bassanio: a young gentleman of Venice, friend of Antonio
Lorenzo: friend of Bassanio and Antonio, loves Jessica
Gratiano: friend of Bassanio and Antonio
Summary
In Venice, Antonio is depressed, though he is uncertain why. Salerio and Solanio try to account for his sadness by suggesting he is worried about his merchant ships sailing in dangerous waters. Antonio denies this, but can suggest nothing in...
Source: MAXnotes to The Merchant of Venice, ©2000 Research and Education Association, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 1811 words.)
Want to read the whole thing?
Subscribe now to read the rest of this article. Plus, get access to:
- 30,000+ literature study guides
- Critical essays on more than 30,000 works of literature from Salem on Literature (exclusive to eNotes)
- An unparalleled literary criticism section. 40,000 full-length or excerpted essays.
- Content from leading academic publishers, all easily citable with our "Cite this page" button.
- 100% satisfaction guarantee READ MORE

