Name: Andrés Fernando Román Arévalo

SHAKESPEARE AND THE ELIZABETHAN THEATER

First Midterm Exam Instructions

Answer ONE of the following (max. 3 pages, 1 inch margins, 1.5 line spacing):

1) Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio and Portia are the main characters of the Merchant of
Venice. Each one of them represent different values and visions of human bonds and
relationships. Explain what they represent and how their perspectives are confronted in the
play.

Each of the main characters have their own vision or perspective respect of humans bonds and
relationship. For that reason, I am going to explain each separately:

1. Shylock: This character is consider the play’s antagonist and one of the most noteworthy
figure.For instance, he only care about the money in his business and he usually charges
interest on loans, except for the ring that the daughter sold and the beginning of the play. For
that reason we can conclude that for him relationship and human bonds are based on money
and the profits that he can get from people.

Although the worst thing about him is that he is so resentful and vengative. We can

observe this behavior at the last part of the play (the court act) where Bassanio offers twice
time the original debt and he reject the proposal.

However, I think he is one of the best characters of the play and despite the fact that he is so
cruel. He only has one face or personality and he is easy to identified and avoid unlike others
characters of the play that we will analyze later

2. Portia: She is so complicated of describe what she represent in the play because she show to us
like a person with multiple personalities . On the one hand she is respectful for his father’s will
and based on that we can describe that her relationship or humans bonds are of obedience and
adherence to the rules.
 But, on the other side she showed herself to be resolute and determined person in the last part
when she dressed like a man to save her husband and on the other side she mistrusts her
husband when she asked for the wedding ring.

For that reason I consider that she fits the people and she doesn’t show her true face
consequently we can’t describe the way like she relates to other people like we did with
Shylock.

3. Antonio: He shows himself to be a caring Christian that support his friend like when he helped
Bassanio get the money for Portia. Fo that part, we can think his like a very good and
respectful person who cares about others and his relationships and human bonds are perfects or
ideals.

But he has a defect which is that he doesn’t respect other religions like the judaism

that practices Shylock . Also based on the above I dare to think that he doesn’t like people who
behave or think differently. In this case he can be a cruel person with people who he dislike.
One example of that we can find in the scene 4 act II when he forces to Shylock to become
Christian and leaves all his properties to his son.

4. Bassanio: He shows like a good , clever and lucky person who worries about the others one
example of that we can find at the end of the play when he decided to help his friend Antonio.
Another example is when he picked the right casket to marry with Portia.

Based on the above we can consider that his relationships are “healthy” or even “perfects”. But,
I considered myself like a negative or realistic person and for me an ideal person like Bassanio
doesn’t exist. I considered that he keeps dark secrets that he doesn’t show in the play. Although
sadly I can prove it.