Character of merchant of venice
Answers
Answer:
Character List
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.
Antonio - 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.
Jessica - Although she is Shylock’s daughter, Jessica hates life in her father’s house, and elopes with the young Christian gentleman, Lorenzo. The fate of her soul is often in doubt: the play’s characters wonder if her marriage can overcome the fact that she was born a Jew, and we wonder if her sale of a ring given to her father by her mother is excessively callous.
Lorenzo - A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, Lorenzo is in love with Shylock’s daughter, Jessica. He schemes to help Jessica escape from her father’s house, and he eventually elopes with her to Belmont.
Explanation:
Answer:
Antonio: Merchant of Venice, Close friend of Bassanio, enemy of Shylock
Bassanio: best friend of Antonio, Husband of Portia, a man who loves lavish lifestyle
Portia: wife of Bassanio, cousin of Dr. Bellario, A rich, intelligent and beautiful princess of Belmont
Nerissa: Maid of Portia, wife of Gratiano
Gratiano: talkative friend of Antonio, Bassanio, Salanio and Salarino, husband of Nerissa
Shylock: a miser money lender who hate Antonio for his business transaction and moreover for Antonio insulted him in public, father of Jessica
Jessica: daughter of Shylock, a pure hearted girl, wife of Lorenzo
Lorenzo: Friend of Antonio Bassanio Gratiano Salanio and Salarino, husband of Jessica
Salanio: friend of Antonio Bassanio Gratiano and Salarino
Salarino: friend of Antonio Bassanio Gratiano and Salarino
Dr. Bellario: a lawyer
Prince of Morroco: suitor of Portia
Prince of Arragon: suitor of Portia