The Merchant of Venice. (2016). In CliffsNotes. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from https://www.cliffsnotes.

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merchant-of-venice/play-summary

SUMMARY OF “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE”

Antonio, a leading merchant of Venice, is a wealthy, respected, and popular man. Among his
many friends is a young man named Bassanio, who owes Antonio a good deal of money. Bassanio would
like to repay his friend, but so far he has been unable to do so. However, he now feels that he may have
found a way — but he will again need a loan from Antonio. In Belmont, Bassanio tells Antonio, there lives a
beautiful and young and wealthy heiress. Bassanio feels sure that he can win her hand in marriage, but he
cannot go courting "hands-hanging." If he is to make a good impression, he has to appear at least as well
off as her other wealthy suitors. Antonio tells his young friend that he would gladly lend him whatever
amount of money he needs, but at the present time he himself is short of cash. All of his money is tied up in
his merchant ships, which are still at sea. However, Antonio will not disappoint Bassanio. He knows of a
moneylender who will probably lend him the necessary amount, and Bassanio can use Antonio's good
name as security for the loan.

At Belmont, Portia speaks to Nerissa, her confidante, telling her how tired she is of the constant
stream of suitors, and how she wishes to be free of the perverse obligation of her father's will: Portia cannot
choose her own husband; she can marry only the man who chooses the correct one of three caskets —
one gold, one silver, and one lead; one contains her portrait and that one is the lucky casket. So far, none
of her suitors has decided to risk choosing one of the caskets, which is all for the good, because Portia has
no liking for any of them. However, when Nerissa mentions the name of Bassanio, a possible suitor, Portia's
mood brightens. He was once a visitor at Belmont, and Portia was impressed with him.
Meanwhile in Venice, Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender who harbors a secret hatred for Antonio, has
agreed to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats for three months, on Antonio's bond. Foregoing his usual
high interest rate, Shylock demands instead that if the day for payment falls due and the money is not
returned, he may cut off one pound of flesh from Antonio's body. Antonio agrees because all of his ships
are due back in Venice a full month before the bond falls due.

A romantic subplot develops when Lorenzo, a close friend of Antonio and Bassanio, falls in love
with Shylock's daughter, Jessica. He manages to elope with her by disguising her as a boy, and she
manages to take with her a goodly amount of her father's ducats. Of course, this infuriates Shylock, and he
vows revenge. Shortly thereafter, Bassanio and Gratiano leave for Belmont, where the "fair Portia" has just
sent away the Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Arragon, two more disappointed, unsuccessful suitors.
When Bassanio asks to choose one of the caskets, Portia falls immediately in love with him, and she begs
him to wait a few days before choosing one of the caskets. He has fallen in love with Portia and insists on
taking his chances. He rejects the gold one, then the silver one; he chooses, finally, the lead casket, and on
opening it, he finds a portrait of Portia. Both he and Portia are overjoyed, and they make plans to be
married at once, along with Nerissa and Gratiano, who have also fallen in love. Happiness reigns in Belmont
until Bassanio is brought a letter from Antonio bidding him farewell since his ships have been lost at sea and
since it is impossible that he will live after Shylock collects his pound of flesh. Horrified, Bassanio leaves
instantly for Venice with money which Portia gives him to pay the bond.

In Venice, Shylock is no longer interested in the mere payment of the money due him. He wants
revenge. A Christian stole his daughter (and she took his money), and nothing will satisfy Shylock except the
legal fulfillment of the bond. In the court of justice, presided over by the Duke of Venice, Shylock faces his
enemy, Antonio. Antonio is surrounded by his friends and is quietly resigned to death. On all sides, Shylock is
surrounded by enemies. Bassanio pleads with Shylock to accept double the money due him, but Shylock
refuses.
 At this point, Portia, disguised as a lawyer, and Nerissa, dressed as her law clerk, enter the court
and tell the Duke that they have been sent from Padua by a learned attorney, Doctor Bellario, to plead the
defendant's case. Portia entreats Shylock to be merciful, but he will not listen. She offers the moneylender
triple the amount owed him, but again Shylock will have none of it. She then solemnly informs the court that
Shylock is entirely within his lawful rights. She then informs Shylock that he must be very careful. He must
cutoff exactly one pound of flesh, and he must not spill one drop of Antonio's blood. If he fails, all of
Shylock's lands and goods will be confiscated. Shylock hastily decides that he will accept the triple
payment of the bond, but Portia says no; Shylock then offers to take only the original three thousand
ducats, but again Portia refuses, reminding him that it was he himself who demanded the strict
interpretation of the law. Furthermore, she says, the law has another hold on him. Since he is an alien in
Venice and since he tried to "seek the life" of a Venetian citizen, all his wealth can be divided between the
citizen whom he attempted to destroy and the public treasury; in addition, Shylock's own life is in peril
because of what he attempted to do.

The Duke decides to spare Shylock's life, but he does give half of Shylock's money to Antonio, and
he gives the rest of it to the state. Antonio says that he will not accept the money if Shylock will agree to
become a Christian and if, in his will, he will agree to leave his money to his daughter, Jessica, and her new
husband, Lorenzo. Shylock, broken and defeated, agrees to all these conditions and leaves the court.
Overjoyed, Antonio and his friends offer to pay the young lawyer whatever they can, but, oddly enough,
the lawyer wishes only a certain ring which Bassanio is wearing. Bassanio is embarrassed because his wife
gave this ring to him and asked him to wear it always. But the lawyer insists and, finally, Bassanio reluctantly
gives away Portia's ring. Nerissa likewise cleverly manages to get from Gratiano a ring she gave him. The
two ladies then hasten back to Belmont to tease their husbands about the rings.
When Bassanio and Gratiano, along with Antonio, return to Belmont, their wives inquire about the missing
rings. Portia and Nerissa insist that the men no doubt gave the rings away to two other women. The
husbands swear that it is not true, and it is not until Portia and Nerissa have put their husbands through some
long, comically agonizing moments of discomfort that they confess that they themselves were the "learned
doctor" and the "clerk" to whom the rings were given. Thus all ends happily, as Portia gives Antonio a letter
informing him that three of his ships have arrived safely in port.