2. Historical Context
So what was it like to be a Jew in Venice
in the 16th century?
What is a merchant and what does he do?
Did Shakespeare invent this story?
What did Shakespeare think of Jews?
3. Merchants
A merchant was a man (yes, a man) who
traded goods with other countries.
He bought and sold items of value and
hired ships to take them to far away lands
to be traded for exotic items such as silks
and spices.
He usually had lots of money.
4. The tale of the merchant
Shakespeare did not invent the story of the
vengeful Jew – this tale was one that was
told in a variety of ways to show how
horrible Jews were. (Christians didn’t like
them)
Shakespeare took the old tale and created a
comedy out of it, and wrote in many sub-
plots such as the marriage of Jessica and
Lorenzo and the dressing of Portia as a man
5. Jews in Venice
At this time in Europe, Jews were not to
be trusted.
Because they were not Christian, they
were not forbidden from lending money
for profit as the Christians were.
They dealt in usury – the concept of
lending money and charging interest.
6. Jews were not very popular because of this practise
however they were necessary as people needed to
borrow money.
Jews were often called ‘infidels’ as they were non-
believers in Christ.
Jews were treated very badly – people would shout at
them, spit on them and threaten them.
People were racist and prejudiced against them.
7. Who’s Who?
Antonio – the
merchant in the play
Bassanio – Antonio’s
friend who is in debt
8. Shylock – the Jewish
moneylender. His
daughter is Jessica.
He is known as a
wealthy moneylender
and lends to
Christians and Jews.
9. Jessica – Shylock’s
daughter who hates
her life with him.
Lorenzo – the
Christian that Jessica
runs away with and
loves. He is also a
friend of Bassanio.
10. Portia – Bassanio is
in love with her. She
is a rich heiress.
Nerissa – Portia’s
lady-in-waiting. She
marries Gratiano.
11. Duke of Venice – he
is the ruler of Venice
and acts as judge.
Doctor Bellario –
Portia’s relative and
an expert in law. We
never see him in the
play but he sends a
letter instead.
12. Quick Quiz!
1. Who is the merchant?
2. Who does Lorenzo marry?
3. What is the connection between Jessica
and Shylock?
4. Who does Bassanio love?
5. Who is Gratiano?
13. The Plot
Bassanio is in love with Portia but he is
not rich enough to marry her.
He asks his good friend Antonio for a lend
of money.
Antonio says he has no money at the
moment but is waiting for some ships to
come in and then he will have plenty of
money.
14. Antonio says they will borrow the money
from Shylock the Jew.
Shylock agrees to lend Bassanio the
money (3000 ducats) for three months, at
the end of which Antonio will pay the
money owed.
If the money is not paid, Shylock decides
that he will claim a pound of flesh from
Antonio.
15. He chooses this bond because he does not
like Antonio, who spat at him in the street
and called him names.
Part of Shylock wants Antonio to be unable
to pay so he can extract his revenge.
At the same time, Shylock’s daughter
Jessica has decided to run away and marry
a Christian, Lorenzo. She hates her father
and plans to steal from him.
16. When the debt is due, Antonio is unable to
pay as all his ships have been lost at sea.
Shylock is happy to claim the bond of
flesh instead and takes them to court.
The Duke acts as judge and asks for the
opinion of a famous lawyer (doctor of law)
as the case is unusual.
17. Shylock demands a
pound of flesh as
the bond if Antonio
cannot pay the
three thousand
ducats.
18. In the meantime, Bassanio has married
Portia and Antonio writes to him to tell
him of his troubles.
Portia instructs Bassanio to go to Antonio’s
side.
When he leaves, she gives instruction to a
messenger to write to her uncle (the
famous lawyer) and goes to Venice.
19. Portia and her lady-in-waiting Nerissa
head to Venice and dress up as men so
that they can act as lawyers in the case.
Portia tricks Shylock into giving up the
money owed to him and dares him to take
the flesh he says he is owed. However, if
he spills one drop of Christian blood as he
does it, he will be arrested and his riches
taken from him.
20. In the end:
Shylock is stripped of his wealth and must
become a Christian
Jessica gets half her father’s wealth
Bassanio and Portia live happily ever after
Antonio gets out of the debt and keeps his
pound of flesh
Antonio’s ships arrive back safely
21. Quick Quiz!
1. Who is the merchant in the play?
2. What religion is Shylock?
3. What is the name of Shylock’s daughter?
4. Who is Bassanio in love with?
5. Who acts as judge in the court case?
22. 6. How much does Bassanio need to borrow?
7. What bond does Shylock request if the money is
not paid?
8. Name Portia’s lady-in-waiting.
9. How does Portia help her husband’s friend in
court?
10. Who does Jessica marry?
