Summary of the merchant of Venice in 500
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#here is ur answer
#The Merchant of Venice opens on a street in Venice (there are streets and not just canals in Venice—who knew?) where Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains of a sadness he can't quite explain. His friends suggest they'd be sad too if they had as much merchandise to worry about as Antonio. Apparently all of his money is tied up in various sea ventures to exotic locales. But Antonio is certain it's not money that's bothering him.
Antonio's friend Bassanio enters the scene, and we learn that Bassanio has been at the forefront of Antonio's mind. Apparently Bassanio just got back from a secret trip to see an heiress named Portia in Belmont. Bassanio financed his trip (and in fact, his entire lifestyle) by borrowing tons of money from Antonio. Portia is beautiful, intelligent, and, most important, rich. If Bassanio could only get together the appearance of some wealth, he would be in a good position to compete with all the other guys vying for Portia's attention. If they marry, he's all set financially. Antonio would be happy to lend Bassanio the money he needs to woo Portia, except, as we know, all of Antonio's money is at sea. The two friends part ways, agreeing that they'll try to raise the funds on Antonio's credit around town.
Meanwhile, even rich heiresses have their troubles. Portia is plagued by suitors from the four corners of the earth but isn't allowed to choose the one she wants. Instead, her father, before his death, devised an unusual test. Three caskets—one gold, one silver, and one lead—are laid out before each suitor, and whoever picks the right one gets the girl. (It sounds like a twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.) Portia complains about all of the important men who come to see her, as there's something wrong with each of them.
As Portia is trying to figure out how to avoid marrying, Bassanio is trying to figure out how to marry her. He negotiates with the Jewish moneylender, Shylock, asking for 3,000 gold coins (ducats). Bassanio borrows the money on his friend Antonio's credit. Trouble is, Antonio is an anti-Semite (he is prejudiced against Jewish people) and is offensive to Shylock whenever he has the chance.
Slyly, Shylock says he'll try out Antonio's method of business by lending him the money interest-free. But, this is on the condition that Antonio signs a bond promising that if the debt goes unpaid, Antonio will give Shylock a pound of his own flesh. This seems like a good idea at the time (um, it does?) as Antonio is sure he'll have earned the money from his ships before Shylock's due date.
Answer:
Summary of Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare's, Merchant of Venice presents Shylock, the Jewish money lender as the villain of the play. Shylock cunningly coaxed Antonio to add the words "a pound of flesh" in the bond as one of the conditions if Antonio failed to repay the loan in time.
Antonio was a business rival to Shylock. Antonio charged minimum interest on the capital and this was harming the money lending business of Shylock. He, therefore wanted to ruin Antonio.
Launcelot Gobbo, a servant of Shylock, too struggled with the decision whether or not he should run away from his master, a kind of devil. We also see Jessica, the daughter of Shylock, living a miserable life under a domineering father. She knew all about her father and was ashamed of him.
Shylock was unpopular with other characters who accused him of practising of lending money with outrageously high rates of interest. His way of making money was immoral.
Shylock demanded the right to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. The duke appeals to Shylock's sense of compassion but to no avail. Shylock refuses to show Antonio any mercy despite the countless efforts from the Christian characters to try to persuade him. The audience could see his hatred in his answer that his desire for the pound of flesh is purely for his pleasure.
But he was determined to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. His eagerness to take the life of Antonio showed how deep seated his hatred for Antonio was. He was a cruel man. Shylock even brought his knife to the court, further proving how merciless he was.
Shylock is unpopular with other characters who accuse him of practising lending money with outrageously high rates of interest. The merchants, such as Antonio, too cannot stand Shylock because they believe his way of making money is immoral.
In the climactic court scene Shylock and Antonio confront one another. Portia will determine Antonio's fate. During the trial, Portia explained the value of mercy. She said that when mercy is unreservedly dispensed, it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown, it is an attribute of God himself. But it make no difference to Shylock. Portia used her logic and clever wit. She agreed with Shylock that the bond is binding. But she pointed out that though the bond allows for a pound of flesh, it did not allow for the shedding of blood. Shylock cannot cut a pound of flesh without shedding blood. He lost the case. According to the law, his property will be confesticated and divided equally between the city of Venice and Antonio. The Duke spared his life, an act of mercy Shylock refused to give to Antonio. The play ended in a happy note with the ship's of Antonio arriving safely and Bassanio marrying Portia.