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The Merchant of Venice
In act 2, scene 5 of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock has been invited to attend dinner with Antonio, his hated adversary, and Bassanio, Antonio's friend. Shylock debates with...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 2, scene 8, of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Salerio and Solanio are discussing how Shylock has just learned that his daughter, Jessica, has eloped with Lorenzo. Shylock is...
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The Merchant of Venice
In The Merchant of Venice, to win Portia's hand, her suitor must choose the right casket among three choices. One casket is lead, one gold, and one silver. The inscription on the gold casket reads,...
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The Merchant of Venice
One main reason that The Merchant of Venice has remained relevant for so long is precisely because William Shakespeare shows the complexity of the moral issues. The characters and the plot do not...
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The Merchant of Venice
While the play is not specifically about money and credit, the setting of the Venetian Rialto shows how the themes of prejudice, love, and friendship are still inextricably tied to the financial...
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The Merchant of Venice
The theme of friendship and loyalty in The Merchant of Venice is represented on many levels and by many characters, but the most pronounced representatives of it are Antonio and Bassanio, who...
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The Merchant of Venice
Gratiano is Bassanio’s friend in The Merchant of Venice, a big talker and a bit of a rogue. He is probably Shylock’s biggest critique and is often very rude to him. In act 4 scene 1, during...
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The Merchant of Venice
Gratiano, a friend of Antonio and Bassanio, becomes Nerissa’s suitor in The Merchant of Venice. One of Gratiano’s key functions in the play is to help Lorenzo and his beloved, Shylock’s...
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The Merchant of Venice
The audience learns in act 2, scene 1 of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice that the Prince of Morocco is a vain, self-important man. He's enamored of his dark skin—the color of "the...
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The Merchant of Venice
One dramatic technique that Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice absolutely uses is stage directions. This should not come as a surprise as it is a play, and the playwright provides stage...
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio and Bassanio are close friends from the beginning to the end of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In the opening scene of the play, it is Antonio's "most noble kinsman," Bassanio, who...
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The Merchant of Venice
The final act of The Merchant of Venice is one long scene which takes place in Belmont, outside the city, at night. Lorenzo and Jessica are preparing for their marriage when Portia and Nerissa...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Salerio and Antonio are friends, and this friendship explains Salerio's great concern for Antonio and Antonio's wellbeing. Salerio is also a Venetian...
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The Merchant of Venice
Loyalty is expressed most fully in Antonio's willingness to be loyal to his friend Bassanio. He takes a risk in pledging a pound of his own flesh as collateral in order to obtain a loan from the...
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The Merchant of Venice
Portia's father has insisted that all suitors to her must choose one of the caskets, gold, silver or lead. If they find her picture inside, they get to marry her. If they don't find her picture,...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 1, Scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice, Portia and Nerissa discuss the various suitors which have traveled to Belmont and attempted to marry Portia. Portia begins the scene by lamenting the...
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The Merchant of Venice
To understand why Shylock hates Christians, one has to first understand a little about the context of the play. The play was written at the end of the sixteenth century, and at this time Jewish...
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The Merchant of Venice
As the play begins, poor old Antonio laments over his sadness. The worst of it is that he doesn't know why he's feeling like this. He concludes, not unreasonably, that if he doesn't know what's...
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The Merchant of Venice
After learning that Antonio's merchant ships have been lost at sea, Shylock excitedly anticipates the payment on his contract with Antonio. It appears as if Shylock's wish for the demise of Antonio...
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The Merchant of Venice
Bassanio is the close, younger friend of the merchant Antonio. As the play opens, Antonio is depressed for reasons he doesn't understand, but it becomes clear that his sadness coincides with...
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The Merchant of Venice
The character to whom you're referring in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is Bassanio. Bassanio is the friend and fellow merchant for whom Antonio borrows money from Shylock. This is...
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The Merchant of Venice
Shylock has become one of William Shakespeare’s most enduring and most hotly debated characters, precisely because his portrayal includes elements of both a victim and a villain. Jews were often...
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The Merchant of Venice
This speech by Shylock evokes the social world in which he lives. For, as a Jew, Shylock rails in magnified language against Antonio, a Venetian who has castigated Shylock for his usury. Also,...
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The Merchant of Venice
What a neat assignment! I love ideas for creative writing like this, and it's even better for people who enjoy news writing. :) This sort of assignment truly forces the reader to get into the...
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The Merchant of Venice
[eNotes editors are only permitted to answer one question per posting. If you have another question, please submit it separately.] In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the reader gets a sense...
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The Merchant of Venice
As the play opens, Antonio tells his friends he doesn't understand why he feels so sad. Antonio's friends Salarino and Solanio suggest that his sadness might be caused by worries about having three...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Merchant, Portia--who is conflicted about the casket test that her deceased father designed for her suitors--tells Nerissa to name her potential husbands so that she can...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 2, scene 4, Launcelot Gobbo comes to Shylock's home. Called a "Clown," Launcelot is a foolish young man who was formerly Shylock's servant but has just gone to work for Bassanio. Antonio,...
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The Merchant of Venice
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Nerissa asks Portia what she thinks about all of the different suitors who have come to try their luck to win her hand in marriage. Portia...
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The Merchant of Venice
Portia is often seen as the hero of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice for several reasons. First, she offers to cover Antonio's debt to Shylock with her considerable funds. When Shylock refuses,...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 2 of William’s Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice (1600), we see one of the play’s most important plots unfold: the choices made by Portia’s suitors. Three caskets, or...
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The Merchant of Venice
In his monologue at the beginning of act 2, scene 2, of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Launcelot Gobbo is arguing with himself about running away from his master, Shylock, the wealthy Jewish...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act I, scene 1, Bassanio describes Portia to Antonio as follows: In Belmont is a lady richly left, And she is fair and—fairer than that word— Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her eyes I...
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The Merchant of Venice
Portia was disguised as a lawyer who came to defend Antonio during his trial in Venice. She had heard from Bassanio, who at that point had won her hand by choosing the correct casket, that his...
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The Merchant of Venice
In sooth, I know not why I am so sad This is the first line spoken in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, and it's spoken by Antonio, the Venetian merchant referenced in the title. The first...
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio opens The Merchant of Venice expressing melancholy, though he does not know what's causing his poor spirits. This suggests that he possesses an introspective side to his personality: to be...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 1, scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Salerio and Salanio, merchants and friends of Antonio, are trying to help Antonio discover the reason for his melancholy. ANTONIO: In...
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The Merchant of Venice
"Assertive" is a very good adjective to describe Portia, who is generally considered one of William Shakespeare’s strongest female characters. Although Portia is resigned to following the...
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The Merchant of Venice
There are several biblical references in this act. In act 4, scene 1, Antonio refers to himself as “a tainted wether of the flock / Meetest for death.” In speaking of a “wether,” or lamb,...
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The Merchant of Venice
The enmity between Shylock and Antonio stems from their religious differences and contempt for each other's business practices. In act 1, scene 3, Shylock briefly speaks with Bassanio about loaning...
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The Merchant of Venice
I would say the main difference between Portia and Nerissa arises from the difference in their social classes. Portia is a wealthy, privileged heiress, used to being in charge and having her way....
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The Merchant of Venice
More than one hundred lines of Antonio's trial scene occur in Act IV, scene 1 before Portia arrives disguised as a lawyer to plead Antonio's case. These lines heighten the tension to an almost...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 4, scene 1, of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock comes before the Duke at court to demand repayment of the loan he made to Antonio according to Venetian law. The Duke believes...
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The Merchant of Venice
Enotes has an excellent summary on how Jews were treated during the time Shakespeare wrote and performed Merchant of Venice. That information strongly suggests that he did not have much sympathy...
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The Merchant of Venice
I believe you're referring to Gratiano's monologue in Act I, Scene i. Here, he happily confesses to being a fool, someone who enjoys everything that life has to offer. As he explains, he'd much...
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The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice seems to have a happy ending for most of its characters. The threat to Antonio has been lifted, and the couples celebrate happily in the close of the play after the action in...
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The Merchant of Venice
The major stereotype of Jews in those days was that they were money-hungry and cruel. Shylock very clearly shows this stereotype. Shylock lends money at interest, which was frowned upon, and he...
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The Merchant of Venice
In act 3, scene 3, as they prepare for the trial, Shylock visits Antonio in jail. Shylock refuses to listen to Antonio, furious because he called him a dog and confident that the duke will find in...
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The Merchant of Venice
Act 3, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is when Bassanio wants to try his luck by choosing from the three caskets for Portia's hand in marriage. Based on the previous suitors who...
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The Merchant of Venice
Yes, I would consider The Merchant of Venice a tale of friendship and loyalty. One the most endearing qualities of the play is the friendship and loyalty characters show to one another. Most...