character sketch of antonio in 500 words
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Character Sketch of Antonio in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English. Antonio is a wealthy merchant in the city of Venice. He is a leading citizen, commanding great respect. When he is first introduced to us in the play, he is in a melancholy mood. Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. An influential, powerful and wealthy nobleman of Venice, he is a middle-aged man and a merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. Free-write about your character for 10-15 minutes to get started. ...
Confirm the basic physical description of the character. ...
Think about your character's overall emotions and feelings. ...
Come up with a name for your character. ...
Determine the character's relationship to the story, world, or main character.
Explanation:
Answer:
Antonio is the merchant of Venice, the titular protagonist of the play. He is about forty years of age and has lived his life to the fullest. He is a successful businessman, owning a fleet of trade ships. Surprisingly, Antonio appears in relatively few scenes of the play, but he is the driving force behind much of the action.
Antonio is the model Christian, as defined by Elizabethan society. He represents, among other things, the ideal of nobility in friendship. He is also kind and generous, both to his friends and to the poor of Venice. Although he is now more philosophical, gentle, and quiet, he can still appreciate the frivolous nature of youth, as portrayed by his beloved friend, Bassanio. Aside from his love for Bassanio, he is unattached. Perhaps his lack of love is the reason for his melancholy.
Antonio's principles are against the borrowing or lending of money for profit. He reflects the medieval attitude that money should be lent for Christian charity. His noble generosity for his friend, however, leads him to cast aside these principles and to take a loan from the merchant, Shylock. He borrows money and pledges his flesh as the bond. When his ships are lost at sea, he cannot repay the loan and accepts the fact that he must pay Shylock with a pound of his flesh.