A Pound of Flesh

§ Shylock - A Jewish moneylender in Venice. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands

of Venice’s Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by
ruthlessly demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Although seen by the rest
of the play’s 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 Shakespeare’s
most memorable characters.
§ Portia: A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portia’s beauty is matched only by her
intelligence. Bound by a clause in her father’s 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 play’s characters, it is Portia, in
the disguise of a young law clerk, who saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife.
§ The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock’s
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.
Bassanio’s 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 Portia’s portrait.
§ Gratiano: A friend of Bassanio’s who accompanies him to Belmont. A coarse and
garrulous young man, Gratiano is Shylock’s most vocal and insulting critic during
the trial. While Bassanio courts Portia, Gratiano falls in love with and eventually
weds Portia’s lady-in-waiting, Nerissa.
§ Prejudice and social injustice
§ Revenge, justice and forgiveness
§ Money and love

§ Friendship and Loyalty

§ Are theses attitudes and behaviour are ever justified.
§ Bassanio asks to borrow three thousand ducats from Shylock, Shylock reminds him
and Antonio of past mistreatment and Antonio agrees to the bond.
§ Shylock speaks of his bitterness at being treated as an outcast ('Hath not a Jew
eyes...'), regrets the loss of the turquoise ring his wife gave him, and is excited to
hear that Antonio has lost another ship.
§ In the trial scene Shylock demands his pound of flesh and when Portia finds a legal
loophole he loses half his wealth and is required to convert to Christianity.
§ Bassanio asks to borrow three thousand ducats from Shylock, Shylock reminds him
and Antonio of past mistreatment and Antonio agrees to the bond.

§ Shylock speaks of his bitterness at being treated as an outcast ('Hath not a Jew
eyes...'), regrets the loss of the turquoise ring his wife gave him and is excited to
hear that Antonio has lost another ship.
§ In the trial scene, Shylock, isolated, demands his revenge while Portia argues that
'the quality of mercy is not strained.'
§ What is Portia/Balthazar's argument for Shylock to be merciful to Antonio?
§ Why does Shylock insist on getting his pound of flesh in the courtroom? What does
his pursuit of his bond suggest about his character?
§ Is Shylock's forced conversion to Christianity supposed to be an act of "mercy"?
§ Is there justice for any of the characters at the end of the play? Is justice a natural or
necessary part of the play's resolution?
§ Antonio's support of his friend Bassanio contrasts with Shylock's bitterness over
past mistreatment, including Antonio's lending of money without charging interest.

§ Lancelot explains why he wants to leave Shylock's service and work for Bassanio.
He plays a trick on his blind father and then asks for his blessing.
§ Jessica describes her shame in being her father's child and her plans to elope with
Lorenzo.

§ Jessica elopes with Lorenzo, taking with her a casket of gold and jewels.
§ Shylock discovers his daughter has gone, with his ducats.

§ Bassanio rejects the gold casket in favour of the lead and wins Portia. Gratiano
announces his engagement to Nerissa and Jessica and Lorenzo arrive in Belmont.
§ Does Antonio's sadness have anything to do with his affection for Bassanio?
§ Is Bassanio a good friend to Antonio, or is he just a user?
§ How does Portia view the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio?

§ Does Portia resent Antonio, or does she genuinely want to help him? Does helping
him serve her purposes somehow?
§ Why does Antonio insist that Bassanio give up Portia's ring? (And why the heck
does Bassanio give it away?)
§ What kinds of love are there in the play? Is any love held up as more valuable or
enduring than another? Are all types of love presented as equally realistic?
§ What exactly is the nature of the love between Bassanio and Antonio? Is it shared,
equal, or completely misunderstood? Do both men feel the same way about each
other?
§ Does Antonio really see his love in competition with Portia's love for Bassanio? In
the end, when he wagers his soul as a guarantee of Bassanio's faithfulness to Portia,
is he giving anything up?
§ Write a paragraph analyzing Shylock’s perspective. What is his argument for the
equality of Jews and Christians based on? What reasons does he give? How do the
other characters react? (100 words)
§ Write a paragraph discussing the idea of justice in the play. Is what Shylock wants
really “just”? Can a pound of flesh make up for all of the crimes committed against
him? Or is he overreacting?
§ Write a paragraph discussing Bassanio’s love for Portia. Does he really love her or
not? Does she really love him?
§ https://www.educationquizzes.com/gcse/english-literature/the-merchant-of-
venice-themes/