Write a short summary of The merchant of venice.
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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 only daughter of Shylock, living a miserable life under a domineering father. She knew all about her father and was ashamed of him. Jessica confessed that she is his daughter by blood, and not by actions. She hoped to escape her relationship with her father by marrying Lorenzo.
Bassanio was in love with Portia the heiress of Belmont but she has other richer suitors. He needed money to try to compete with them in order to win the hand of Portia. Antonio told him that all his money was tied up in his business but that he will act as a guarantor for any loan that he can get.
Shylock was unpopular with other characters who accused him of practising of lending money with outrageously high rates of interest. His greedy way of making money was immoral.
Shylock demanded the right to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body for not repaying the loan in the fixed time. The duke appealed to Shylock to show compassion to Antonio but to no avail. Shylock refused to show Antonio any mercy despite the countless efforts of various 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.
Shylock 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 was unpopular with other people who accused him of practising his money lending business with outrageously high rates of interest. The merchants, such as Antonio, too cannot stand Shylock because they believed his way of making money was unacceptable.
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 and cannot be broken. But she pointed out that though the bond allowed for a pound of flesh, it did not allow for the shedding of blood. Shylock cannot cut a pound of flesh without shedding a single drop of blood. He lost the case because it is impossible to cut a pound of flesh without shedding blood. According to the law, his property would be confiscated 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 ends in a happy note with the ship's of Antonio arriving safely and Bassanio marrying Portia.