❖ SUBMITTED TO :- ❖ SUBMITTED BY :-

Prof. Hrishita Tiwari Aryan Thapak

Prof. Meera Shroti Ashi Jain
Ashika Namdeo
Ashish Kumar Singh
Ashwin Gorle
THE MERCHANT OF
VENICE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Shakespeare was an English poet and
playwright who is considered one of the greatest
writers to ever use the English language. He is
also the most famous playwright in the world,
with his plays being translated in over 50
languages and performed across the globe for
audiences of all ages.
Known colloquially as "The Bard" or "The
Bard of Avon," Shakespeare was also an actor William Shakespeare
and the creator of the Globe Theatre, a historical
theatre, and company that is visited by hundreds
of thousands of tourists every year.
 ...CAREER…
William Shakespeare first made his appearance on
the London stage, where his plays would be written
and performed, around 1592, although the exact date
is unknown. He was, however, well known enough to
be attacked by critics in newspapers, and thus was
considered to be already an established playwright.
 ...PREFACE…
The Merchant of Venice has always been regarded as one of
Shakespeare's most interesting plays. The Merchant of Venice is a
16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant
in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish
moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written It tells the
story of a merchant called Antonio who owes some money to a spiteful
moneylender, Shylock. Antonio takes this money for his friend
Bassanio so that the latter can court a lady named Portia and marry
her..
 NOTABLE WORKS
PLAYS POEMS
❖ ROMEO AND JULIET ❖ THE RAPE OF LUCRECE

❖ THE MERCHANT OF VENICE ❖ VENUS AND ADONIS

❖ MACBETH ❖ SONNET 1

❖ JULIUS CAESAR ❖ SONNET 20

❖ THE TEMPEST ❖ SONNET 116

 PLOT
Bassanio wants to marry Portia but he can’t afford to pay
for his clothes and travel to Belmont to see her, so he
asked his friend Antonio if he can borrow some money

Antonio has no money to lend his friend so he asks

Shylock for a loan instead. Shylock agrees to give him the
money , but states that if Antonio doesn’t pay him back
on time he must give a ‘pound of his own flesh’
 PLOT
Portia’s father set up a ‘lottery’ in his will, that means anyone
who wants to marry his daughter has to pass a test first. Portia
watch as several suitors try to win her love, through picking one
of three caskets : gold, silver or lead-but they all fail

Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, escapes from his house so that she

can marry Lorenzo with help from Lancelet Gobbo. Lorenzo is
a Christain and a friend of Bassanio’s.
 PLOT
Bassanio’s arrives in Belmont, with his friend Gratiano,
and correctly chooses the lead casket, winning Portia’s
hand in marriage. Portia is delighted.

Antonio’s ships are lost at sea, meaning he has no way to

repay Shylock and will have to face him in court. He
writes to Bassanio, who leaves Belmont with Portia’s
money to try and help his friend.
 PLOT
Portia follows Bassanio to the court, in disguise as a male
lawyer. She asks Shylock to be merciful but he is determined
to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh and have his revenge.

In front of the Venetian court, Portia examines the original

contract between Shylock and Antonio. She tells the court
Shylock can only take a pound of flesh if he spills no blood
and Shylock admits this isn’t possible
 PLOT
Shylock is punished by the court for attempting to kill a
Venetian citizen. All of his wealth is seized and he is
forced to convert into Christianity.

Bassanio returns to Belmont, where Portia reveals that

she was the lawyer in disguise. They are reunited, along
with two other couples . Antonio receives the positive
news that three of his ships made it safely back to Venice.
 …THEME…

❖ Self-Interest Versus Love. ...

❖ The Divine Quality of Mercy. ...

❖ Hatred as a Cyclical Phenomenon...

❖ Friendship. ...

❖ Wealth. ...

❖ Prejudice. ...

❖ Revenge..
…THEME…
 …CHARACTERS…

ANTONIO :-
A PROMINENT MERCHANT
OF VENICE
 …CHARACTERS…

BASSANIO:-
• ANTONIO’S CLOSE
FRIEND
• SUITOR TO PORTIA
• HUSBAND OF PORTIA
 …CHARACTERS…

PORTIA :-
• RICH HEIRESS

• WIFE OF BASSANIO
 …CHARACTERS…

GRATIANO:-
• FRIEND OF ANTONIO

&BASSANIO

• HUSBAND OF NERRISA
 …CHARACTERS…

NERISSA:-
• PORTIA’S WAITING MAID

• WIFE OF GRATIANO

• DISGUISES HERSELF AS

PORTIA CLERK
 …CHARACTERS…

SHYLOCK:-
• A MISERLY JEWS

• MONEYLENDER

• FATHER OF JESSICA
 …CHARACTERS…

➢ LORENZO:- Friend of Antonio and Bassanio,

husband of Jessica

➢ JESSICA:- Daughter of Shylock, wife of Lorenzo

➢ BALTHAZAR:-Portia’s Servant

➢ STEPHANO:- Portia’s Servant

➢ TUBAL:- A Jew and friend of Shylock

 …CHARACTERS…

➢ LAUNCELOT GOBBO:- Servant of Shylock; Later a

servant of Bassanio; Son of Old Gobbo

➢ OLD GOBBO:- Blind Father of Launcelot

➢ LEONARDO:-Servant of Bassanio

➢ PRINCE OF MORROCO, PRINCE OF

ARRAGON:-Suitor to Portia
 …CHARACTERS…
➢ DUKE OF VENICE:- Authority who presides over the
case of Shylock’s Bond

➢ SALARINO, SOLANIO, SALERIO:-Friends of

Antonio, Bassanio and others

➢ JAILER, SERVANTS, MESSENGERS,MUSICIANS,

ATTENDENTS AND FOLLOWERS
 …SUMMARY...
ACT-1
➢ In Venice, a merchant named Antonio worries that his ships are
overdue. As his colleagues offer comfort, his young friends—
Bassanio, Graziano, and Lorenzo—arrive. Bassanio asks Antonio for a
loan, so that he can pursue the wealthy Portia, who lives in Belmont.
Antonio cannot afford the loan. Instead, he sends Bassanio to borrow
the money on the security of Antonio's expected shipments.

➢ Bassanio approaches Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, about the

loan. Shylock holds a grudge against Antonio for his lending practices
and apparent antisemitism. Still he offers Bassanio the loan. Instead
of charging interest, seemingly as a kind of joke, he asks for a pound
of Antonio's flesh if the loan isn't repaid within three months. The
bond is agreed to (who wouldn't agree to that?) and Bassanio
prepares to leave for Belmont with his friend Graziano. shipments.
 …SUMMARY…
ACT-2
❖ Meanwhile, one of Shylock's servants, Launcelot, wishes to change
masters and persuades Bassanio to employ him. Shylock's daughter, Jessica,
also longs to leave home. She wants to become a Christian and marry
Antonio's friend Lorenzo. Before he departs to serve his new master,
Launcelot takes a letter to Lorenzo that contains plans for Lorenzo and
Jessica to elope that night. When Shylock goes out, Jessica escapes to
elope, taking gold and jewels with her. The following day, Bassanio sets sail
for Belmont, while Shylock rages over the loss of his daughter and the
treasures she has stolen.

❖ In Belmont, one of Portia’s suitors (the Prince of Morocco) chooses the

golden casket, while another (the Prince of Aragon) selects silver. Both
chose the wrong casket and are unsuccessful. As Aragon leaves, Bassanio is
announced. Portia eagerly goes to greet him.
 …SUMMARY…
ACT-3

❖ After a few days, Shylock hears that his daughter Jessica is

squandering her stolen wealth in Genoa. He begins to rail bitterly against
Christians. He reminds Antonio's friends that if the loan is not repaid on
time, he will insist on the original agreement of one pound of flesh.
❖ Merchant of Venice in Hindi, 1888Back in Belmont, Bassanio chooses
the lead casket, and in so doing, he wins Portia. His friend Graziano asks
for Portia's maid Nerissa to be his wife. Portia gives her ring to Bassanio,
making him promise never to give it to another. As Lorenzo and Jessica
come to Belmont, news arrives that Antonio's ships have been lost at sea,
and he is now bankrupt. They are also told Shylock insists on the
fulfilment of his bond and has had Antonio arrested. Bassanio and
Graziano leave in haste to help Antonio. Portia and Nerissa resolve to
follow afterwards, disguised as lawyers.
 …SUMMARY…
ACT-4
In the court in Venice, Shylock demands his pound of flesh. The Duke,
presiding over the court, seeks legal advice from the lawyer "Balthazar,"
who is Portia in disguise. Portia pleads for Shylock to have mercy on Antonio.
Bassanio offers his wife's money, which would more than pay the debt, but
Shylock refuses to accept. Antonio's death is only prevented as Balthazar
explains the bond is for flesh but not for a single drop of blood. So Shylock
cannot collect the pound of flesh.

Royal Shakespeare Company, 2008For threatening the life of a Venetian,

Shylock forfeits his goods to Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio refuses his
share of compensation and asks for it to be put in a trust for Lorenzo and
Jessica. He also demands that Shylock becomes a Christian. Broken and in
submission, Shylock leaves the court. Bassanio and Graziano thank the
lawyers, who ask for their rings as legal fees. Bassanio and Graziano refuse
until Antonio intervenes and makes them give the rings to the lawyers.
 …SUMMARY…
ACT-5

❖ Undisguised, Portia and Nerissa return home at night to find Lorenzo

and Jessica enjoying the tranquillity of Belmont. When their husbands
arrive, Portia and Nerissa scold them for giving away their rings,
pretending they had been given away to other women. Before long, they
reveal themselves as the lawyers from the trial. Antonio receives news
that his ships have returned safely after all (looks like we didn't need to
go through all this mess in the first place!). The play ends as the three
couples prepare to celebrate their marriages.
 …RELEVANCE IN TODAY’S ERA…

Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice teaches us 4 Moral life

lessons:
1.Debts may be harmful.

2.You need more effective management of your money.

3.You need emergency preparedness.

4.Money Isn`t everything.

 …CONCLUSION…
“The Merchant of Venice has been written by famous dramatist
"William Shakespeare" and the Conclusion of merchant of
Venice is that if you are a good person and always ready to help
the needy person then you are loved by everyone and everyone
will help you in your need even god will do all his best to help
you to make a safe passage for you. And the merchant of venice
teaches us that we need financial means to support our family
and live a comfortable lifestyle.”
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

YouTube :
https://youtu.be/QfLlng_vHGg
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of
_Venice
The Book: The Merchant of Venice