character sketch of antonio, bassanio, shylock and portia
Answers
Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor and merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind, generous, honest and confident, and is loved and revered by all the Christians who know him. Even Portia, who sees Antonio as a rival for her husband’s affections, reveres his character and appreciates his willingness to die for Bassanio.
BASSANIO
Bassanio is the romantic hero of the play around whom the plot of Romantic love revolves.He is an attractive young man who is very fond of splendid living and in the process does not hesitate to borrow from his friends.He has earlier borrowed from Antonio and as the play begins he is again asking Antonio for another loan so that he can visit Belmont to marry Portia.
SHYLOCK
Shylock is one of them. He is called a complete character. He is the villain of 'The Merchant Of Venice'. Shylock is a prominent character who dominates the entire play. He is a Jew to the core. He is a true lover of his religion. But at the same time he is a very cruel man. He lends money to the needy fellow and charges heavy interest. To earn money is the chief motto of his life. He worships only the goddesses of wealth. Thus he is a peculiar man who loves nothing but money. Shylock is not a respected man at all. Nobody has sympathy with him due to his behaviour. He is hated by the Christians and he has also great hatred for them. For Antonio his hatred is at climax. He wants to take revenge upon Antonio. Thus revengefulness is a striking trait of his character.
PORTIA
Portia has been called by critics one of the most perfectly developed female characters of Shakespeare. S. A. Brooke has called her, “the queen of beauty”. Jessica calls her beautiful “past all expressing”. She possesses physical as well as the beauty of character. She is so beautiful that suitors come to woe her from distant lands like so many Jasons in search of Golden Fleece.
Explanation:
ANTONIO
Antonio is considered as an important man, the first citizen in Venice because of his good qualities like kindness, generosity and thoughtful consideration for others, but the most attractive feature of his character is his friendship and love for Bassanio. He only loves the world for Bassanio and he is always at Bassanio's disposal.
Shakespeare portrayed Antonio as a typical picture as a martyr to generous friendship. Such a nobility of self sacrifice is very rare in the commercial world, which is usually associated with gross materialism and selfishness.
Antonio has many virtues for which he is justly held high in the estimation of all except Shylock. He is the royal merchant devoted to commercial enterprise and yet he is actuated by an unselfish
SHYLOCK
Shylock is a money-lender who tries to enrich himself and to accumulate wealth by exploiting the financial needs of others. One reason why he hates Antonio is that Antonio lends money to needy persons without charging any interest at all, and Antonio thus brings down the rate of interest in Venice. Shylock has already hoarded a lot of wealth by his usury, but his craving for more money is not satisfied. This makes him a contemptible person in the play. In this respect he is a typical Jew because the Jews have traditionally been regarded as usurers.