Home > The Merchant of Venice Summary & Study Guide > FAQs > Why does Antonio enter into the potentially fatal loan contract with Shylock?
The Merchant of Venice | Why does Antonio enter into the potentially fatal loan contract with Shylock?
On the surface, Antonio's willingness to borrow money from Shylock is an act of altruism. With his capital embodied in ventures abroad, Antonio can only help his friend and kinsman Bassanio by assuming a loan. Antonio is a "good" (Christian) man, but as we look deeper into the circumstances, both the nature of his favor to Bassanio and his dealings with Shylock raise questions. To begin, Bassanio is a spendthrift who has not repaid money he has borrowed in the past, a fact that he freely acknowledges by saying "That which I owe is lost" (I, i.). Moreover, the reason that Bassanio needs...
[The entire page is 303 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- The Merchant of Venice: Introduction
- The Merchant of Venice: Summary
- The Merchant of Venice: William Shakespeare Biography
- The Merchant of Venice: Reading Shakespeare
- The Merchant of Venice: List of Characters
- The Merchant of Venice: Historical Background
- The Merchant of Venice: Summary and Analysis
- The Merchant of Venice: Critical Commentary
- The Merchant of Venice: Quizzes
- The Merchant of Venice: Essential Passages
- The Merchant of Venice: Themes
- The Merchant of Venice: Character Analysis
- The Merchant of Venice: Principal Topics
- The Merchant of Venice: Essays
- The Merchant of Venice: Criticism
- The Merchant of Venice: Selected Quotes
- The Merchant of Venice: Suggested Essay Topics
- The Merchant of Venice: Sample Essay Outlines
- The Merchant of Venice: Modern Connections
- The Merchant of Venice: FAQs
- The Merchant of Venice: Bibliography and Further Reading
- The Merchant of Venice: Pictures
- Copyright
Tell a friend about The Merchant of Venice at eNotes.
