3. Merchant Of Venice
• Merchant of Venice is a romantic comedy.
• Set in Venice, Italy
• Set in late 16th century
4. Plot Synopsis
• Merchant of Venice is a romantic
comedy, about two friends who get them
selves into money trouble. They rely on others
to bail them out of this situation.
5. Which of the 6 forms of conflict are in
the Merchant of Venice.
• Man to Man ( Shylock to Antonio ). When
Shylock faces of with Antonio in court.
• Man to Self ( Shylock ). When he discovers
that he has been defeated in court by Portia (
disguised as Balthazar the law clerk ).
6. Who is Portia
She is a rich, beautiful, and intelligent heirness.
She is bound by the lottery set fourth in her
fathers will, which gives potential suitors the
chance to choose between three
caskets, containing gold, silver and lead. If one
of them chooses the correct casket (containing
lead), they win Portia’s hand in marriage. But
she favours Bassanio
7. Portia is…..
Portia is a secondary character, even though she
plays a rather big role in getting Antonio free.
She has her own sub-plot of the three caskets.
8. Main source of Conflict
The main source of conflict is Man to Man. It
involves Shylock and Antonio, when Shylock
takes Antonio to court, and demands ‘a pound
of flesh’ from him, due to him not being able to
repay the debt.
9. Outline of the structure of Merchant
of Venice.
Beginning
Exposition: Bassanio asks his good friend Antonio ( a wealthy
Merchant ) for 3000 ducats to subsidies his expenditure as a
suitor of Portia. Antonio agrees, but since he is cash poor he
promises to cover a bond if he can find lender. He turns to
Shylock the Jewish money lender an he signs Antonio as the
guarantor of the loan.
Exciting Force: When Antonio discovers that he is unable to pay
off the loan to Shylock, due too his ships being lost at sea.
10. Outline of the structure of Merchant
of Venice.
Middle
Conflict/Rising action: When Shylock jumps at
the opportunity to be able to take the ‘pound of
flesh’ the Antonio now owes him.
Turning Point: When Shylock takes Antonio to
court and Portia dresses up as a lawyer, and
gives her famous ‘mercy’ speech.
11. Outline of the structure of Merchant
of Venice.
Middle
Catastrophe/Falling action: When Portia digs
Shylock into hole so big, he can not get out. She
does this by pointing out the flaws in the
contract. One example is when she says “ if the
scale do turn, but in the estimation of a hair,
thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate”. She
is referring to the ‘ pound of flesh ‘ that shylock
wants from Antonio.
12. Outline of the structure of Merchant
of Venice.
End
Resolution: Shylock, accepts defeat and then as a
punishment the judge forces him to turn to Christianity.
Then, the judge as well as Antonio, grant Jessica ( Shylock’s
daughter ) and her husband, Lorenzo, Shylock’s wealth and
estate.
Comic/Dramatic Relief: When Portia admits to Bassanio
that she tricked him into handing over his wedding ring to
save Antonio to ‘ The lawyer’ ( Portia dressed up ). This
proves to Portia that his loyalties lie with Antonio, not with
her, so she ends their marriage.
14. What relationships does Portia have
with other characters?
Portia had a very close relationship with
Bassanio, to the were the two get married. They
wanted their relationship to last, so they
promised each other that if they were to part
with their wedding ring, they should also part
their love.
15. What motivations drive your
character?
Portia’s husband, Bassanio’s, best friend,Antonio
finds himself in strife. When Shylock takes
Antonio to court and demands a pound of flesh.
So with Bassanio being very close with him,
Portia feels that she can at the least try and help
Antonio. This is when Portia gives her famous ‘
mercy’ speech.
16. How do they behave towards others?
Portia is an unselfish and generous person.
Her use of money reflects in Bassanio’s belief,
that money is to be used only in the sense of
helping loved ones. She also shows her
unselfishness when she helps Antonio escape
his punishment.
17. How do they change in the play?
Portia wanting Bassanio desperatly, is delighted
when he chooses the lead casket to win her hand in
marriage. When they get married, they make a
promise to each other, if they were to part with
their wedding ring, then they would have to part
their love. So when Portia saves Antonio’s life in
court, she asks Bassanio ( who is oblivious to Portia
being in disguise ) for his wedding ring, that he had
promised never to part with. So she changes from
being on cloud nine with being with Bassanio, to
where she questions his love for her.
18. The Three Caskets.
In Portia’s father’s will it said each of her suitors
must choose correctly from one of three caskets.
The three caskets contained Gold, Silver and Lead, if
they choose the right casket ( Lead ) they get Portia.
They also had quotes on them. The Prince of
Morocco chooses the Gold casket interpreting its
slogan "Who chooseth me will get what many men
desire" referring to Portia. The second suitor, the
conceited Prince of Arragon, chooses the silver
casket, which proclaims "Who chooseth me will get
what he deserves", imagining himself to be full of
merit.
19. The Three Caskets
Both suitors leave empty-handed, having
rejected the lead casket because of the
unworthiness, and the uninviting nature of its
slogan: "Who chooseth me must give and
hazard all he hath." The last suitor is Bassanio,
who Portia desperately wants to succeed. After
much pondering he falls on the Lead casket,
winning Portia’s hand.
20. Bibliography
http://www.wikipedia.org/
Learnt: Plot
http://www.shmoop.com/
Learnt: Character Info
http://www.sparknotes.com/
Learnt: Character Info
http://www.enotes.com/
Learnt: Quotes
The Essential Shakespeare Series
Editor: Tania Roxborogh
Learnt: Plot, Quotes
The Shakespeare Library
Authors: Wendy Greenhill, Paul Wignall
Learnt: Character Info
