The Merchant of Venice door William Shakespeare

Practical information. Titel The Merchant of Venice Auteur William Shakespeare Aantal blz. 115 Uitgever Spark Publishing Information from the author William Shakespeare Baptized 26 April 1564 (date of birth unknown) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories and these works remain regarded as some of the best work produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare, published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's. It was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as "not of an age, but for all time". In the 20th and 21st century, his work has been repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world. Genre It’s classified as a romantic comedy however I would say it’s more like a dramatic/romantic comedy, The play contains a lot of dramatic scenes. Story The story is known by its tragic scenes. The play is about a young nobleman Bassanio, who works himself in trouble with his kinsman and friend, Antonio, by lending money to obtain the heart from the woman of his dreams. Perspective The story is told in the teller perspective. They talked once at a time since it was a play. They also showed whoever was talking. Time and place Title characters Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments, he borrowed three thousand ducats of the Jew Sherlock who made him sign a contract which gave Sherlock the rights to collect one pound of Antonio’s flesh if he does not pay his debts bag before a specific date. Antonio is kind, generous, honest and confident, and is loved by all the Christians who know him. His willingness to die for Bassanio is a manifestation of his character. Sherlock is a wealthy Jew, father of Jessica who doesn’t like Christians, he rather takes a pound of Antonio’s flesh than three thousands ducats. His daughter Jessica hates living with her father Sherlock, one day she decided to run away with her belonging husband Lorenzo. Sherlock is the plays most famous character mostly known for his speech; "Hath Not a Jew eyes?" (Act III, scene I) Bassanio is a good friend of Antonio, is also a suitor to Portia. He’s is the only man Portia is in love with. He travels to Belmont, where his beloved Portia lives, to try to pick the right casket. He chose the bronze casket, in which Portia’s picture was. I wondered why her picture wasn’t in the golden casket for she was of royal blood. However I wasn’t surprised of the fact that he choose the right casket since you could have told that from the moment you started reading the book. Portia a rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead. If they choose the right casket the casket containing Portia's portrait they win Portia's hand in marriage. If they choose the wrong casket, they must leave and never seek another woman in marriage. Portia is glad when two suitors, one driven by greed and another by vanity, fail to choose correctly. She favors Bassanio, a young Venetian noble, but is not allowed to give him any clues to assist in his choice. Later in the play, she disguises herself as a man, then assumes the role of a lawyer's apprentice (named Balthazar) whereby she saves the life of Bassanio's friend, Antonio, in court. Portia is a famous character mainly because her speech "The quality of mercy" (Act IV, Scene 1) Side characters. Gratiano, Solanio, Salerio – friends of Antonio and Bassanio Lorenzo – friend of Antonio and Bassanio, in love with Jessica Nerissa – Portia's waiting maid - in love with Gratiano Balthazar – Portia's servant, who Portia later disguises herself as Stephano – Nerissa's disguise as Balthazar's law clerk. Jessica – daughter of Shylock, Lorenzo's girlfriend Tubal – a Jew; Shylock's friend Launcelot Gobbo – a servant to Shylock Old Gobbo – father of Launcelot Leonardo – slave to Bassanio Duke of Venice – Venetian authority who presides over the case of Shylock's bond Prince of Morocco – suitor to Portia Prince of Arragon – suitor to Portia Magnificoes of Venice, officers of the Court of Justice, Gaoler, servants to Portia, and other Attendants Duration of the story The story only takes place throughout a few days. Time The book is written in chronological order, The play only takes place throughout a few days. Even though it is written in chronological order there are multiple story lines at the same time (this can make the book difficult to understand). Place The story took place in the streets of Venice, in front of Sherlock’s house, Portia’s house and the Courthouse of Venice. Summary Bassanio, a young Venetian of noble rank, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia of Belmont. Having squandered his estate, he needs 3,000 ducats to subsidize his expenditures as a suitor. Bassanio approaches his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice who has previously and repeatedly bailed him out. Antonio agrees, but since he is cash-poor – his ships and merchandise are busy at sea – he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender, so Bassanio turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock and names Antonio as the loan's guarantor. Antonio has already made an enemy of Shylock through his outspoken anti-Semitism, and also because Antonio's habit of lending money without interest forces Shylock to charge lower rates. Shylock is at first reluctant to grant the loan, citing abuse he has suffered at Antonio's hand, but finally agrees to lend the sum to Antonio without interest upon one condition: if Antonio is unable to repay it at the specified date, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio's flesh. Bassanio does not want Antonio to accept such a risky condition; Antonio is surprised by what he sees as the moneylender's generosity, and he signs the contract. With money at hand, Bassanio leaves for Belmont with his friend Gratiano, who has asked to accompany him. Gratiano is a likeable young man, but is often flippant, overly talkative, and tactless. Bassanio warns his companion to exercise self-control, and the two leave for Belmont and Portia. Meanwhile in Belmont, Portia is awash with suitors. Her father left a will stipulating each of her suitors must choose correctly from one of three caskets – one each of gold, silver and lead. If he picks the right casket, he gets Portia. The first suitor, the luxurious Prince of Morocco, chooses the gold casket, interpreting its slogan "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire" as referring to Portia. The second suitor, the conceited Prince of Arragon, chooses the silver casket, which proclaims "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves", imagining himself to be full of merit. Both suitors leave empty-handed, having rejected the lead casket because of the baseness of its material and the uninviting nature of its slogan: "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath." The last suitor is Bassanio, whom Portia wishes to succeed, having met him before. As Bassanio ponders his choice and choose the lead casket, winning Portia's hand. At Venice, Antonio's ships are reported lost at sea. This leaves him unable to satisfy the bond. Shylock is even more determined to exact revenge from Christians after his daughter Jessica had fled home and eloped with the Christian Lorenzo, taking a substantial amount of Shylock's wealth with her, as well as a turquoise ring which was a gift to Shylock from his late wife, Leah. Shylock has Antonio brought before court. At Belmont, Bassanio receives a letter telling him that Antonio has been unable to return the loan taken from Shylock. Portia and Bassanio marry, as do Gratiano and Portia's handmaid Nerissa. Bassanio and Gratiano then leave for Venice, with money from Portia, to save Antonio's life by offering the money to Shylock. Unknown to Bassanio and Gratiano, Portia sent her servant, Balthazar, to seek the counsel of Portia's cousin, Bellario, a lawyer, at Padua. The climax of the play comes in the court of the Duke of Venice. Shylock refuses Bassanio's offer of 6,000 ducats, twice the amount of the loan. He demands his pound of flesh from Antonio. The Duke, wishing to save Antonio but unable to nullify a contract, refers the case to a visitor who introduces himself as Balthazar, a young male doctor of the law, bearing a letter of recommendation to the Duke from the learned lawyer Bellario. The doctor is actually Portia in disguise, and the law clerk who accompanies her is actually Nerissa, also in disguise. As Balthazar, Portia repeatedly asks Shylock to show mercy in a famous speech, advising him that mercy "is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes" (IV, blz 185). However, Shylock refuses any compensations and insists on the pound of flesh. As the court grants Shylock his bond and Antonio prepares for Shylock's knife, Portia deftly appropriates Shylock's argument for 'specific performance', and points out that the contract only allows Shylock to remove the flesh, not the blood, of Antonio. Thus, if Shylock were to shed any drop of Antonio's blood, his lands and goods would be forfeited under Venetian laws. Further damning Shylock's case, she tells him that he must cut precisely one pound of flesh, no more, no less; she advises him that “if the scale do turn, But in the estimation of a hair, Thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate”. Defeated, Shylock concedes to accepting Bassanio's offer of money for the defaulted bond, first his offer to pay "the bond thrice", which Portia rebuffs, telling him to take his bond, and then merely the principal, which Portia also prevents him from doing on the ground that he has already refused it "in the open court." She then cites a law under which Shylock, as a Jew and therefore an "alien", having attempted to take the life of a citizen, has forfeited his property, half to the government and half to Antonio, leaving his life at the mercy of the Duke. The Duke immediately pardons Shylock's life. Antonio asks for his share "in use" until Shylock's death, when the principal will be given to Lorenzo and Jessica. At Antonio's request, the Duke grants remission of the state's half of forfeiture, but on the condition of Shylock converting to Christianity and bequeathing his entire estate to Lorenzo and Jessica. Bassanio does not recognize his disguised wife, but offers to give a present to the supposed lawyer. First she declines, but after he insists, Portia requests his ring and Antonio's gloves. Antonio parts with his gloves without a second thought, but Bassanio gives the ring only after much persuasion from Antonio, as earlier in the play he promised his wife never to lose, sell or give it. Nerissa, as the lawyer's clerk, also succeeds in likewise retrieving her ring from Gratiano, who does not see through her disguise. At Belmont, Portia and Nerissa taunt and pretend to accuse their husbands before revealing they were really the lawyer and his clerk in disguise. After all the other characters make amends, Antonio hears from Portia that three of his ships were not stranded and have returned safely after all. My reading experience My reading experience was rather great, when I heard about this book I instantly bought it and had to read it, the book is pretty difficult to read since the book is written in old English and Shakespeare has a way of writing things you will have to get used to. When you start reading the book you really just want to finish reading it, the book was very amusing and interesting and I would definitely recommend it to people who are willing to read it multiple times or whoever outstands in English.