William Shakespeares Play The Merchant of Venice Biographical

William Shakespeare’s Play The Merchant of Venice

Biographical Information Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon on April 23, 1564 and died there on April 23, 1616 l Married to Anne Hathaway in 1582 l l Three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith Wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets l Began acting in London in 1592 l Acted with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men l Eventually shared in theater’s profits, meaning that he no longer had to depend on the sale of his plays l In 1610 he retired to New Place, the second largest house in Stratford-Upon-Avon l The first collection of his plays was published after his death in 1623 l

Shakespeare’s England l Shakespeare’s time l English Renaissance l Mostly rural l Majority of the people made their living through agriculture l London was the largest city in Europe with 200, 000 inhabitants l Houses were small and crowded; streets were narrow and filthy; open ditches carried sewage out of the city

Shakespeare’s England l Theaters Primarily built outside of the city on the South bank of the Thames River in order to avoid the city’s strict regulations. l At times theaters were closed due to the plague l Performances were held during the day because they had no means to light an entire theater at night. l There was some concern that theater lured laborers away from their jobs so that they could attend performances. l

The Merchant of Venice l Type of Work l l Genre l l Drama (play) Comedy Setting 16 th Century l Venice and Belmont, Italy l l Conflicts Man v. Man l Man v. Society l Man v. Himself l

Basic Plot Element Chart Climax Falling Action Rising Action l Exposition Resolution

The Merchant of Venice: Plot Four Plot Lines Bond Plot (Acts I, III, IV) l Antonio borrows money from Shylock for Bassanio. l Casket Plot (Acts I, III) l 3 caskets (gold, silver, lead). The suitor who chooses the correct casket wins Portia’s hand in marriage. l Ring Plot (Act V) l Portia & Nerissa entrust Bassanio & Gratiano with rings that the men promise never to part with. l Elopement Plot (Act II) l l Jessica and Lorenzo plan to run away and get married.

The Merchant of Venice Plot Element Chart Act III Climax Rising Action Falling Action Exposition ACT IV ACT V Resolution Bond Plot Casket Plot ACT I Elopement Plot ACT II Ring Plot

The Merchant of Venice: Characters Main Characters l Shylock Jewish moneylender in Venice l Lends money to Bassanio based on Antonio’s guarantee of repayment l Mistreated by Venice’s Christians l

The Merchant of Venice: Characters l Antonio Wealthy merchant of Venice l Signs the bond with Shylock for his friend Bassanio l Loyal, merciful l In the beginning of the play, he is melancholy but isn’t sure why. l

The Merchant of Venice: Characters l Portia l Wealthy heiress from Belmont l Very beautiful and intelligent l Her father’s will forces her to marry the man who chooses correctly from among 3 caskets (treasure chests) l Loves Bassanio

The Merchant of Venice: Characters l Bassanio Gentleman of Venice l Dear friend of Antonio l He loves Portia and wants to marry her l He needs to borrow money in order to travel (by sea) to Belmont to try and win Portia’s hand in marriage l

The Merchant of Venice: Characters l Gratiano Friend of Bassanio’s l Travels to Belmont with Bassanio l Boisterous, loud l Falls in love with Portia’s lady-in-waiting, Nerissa l l Jessica Shylock’s daughter l Hates life in her father’s house l Loves Lorenzo l

The Merchant of Venice: Characters l Lorenzo Friend of Bassanio and Antonio l Loves Shylock’s daughter, Jessica l Schemes to help Jessica escape her father’s house l l Nerissa Portia’s lady-in-waiting, friend, and confidante l Falls in love with Gratiano l l Launcelot Gobbo Bassanio’s servant l Especially adept at making puns l Comic relief throughout the play l