Character Sketch of Antonio in Merchant of Venice

Character Sketch of Antonio in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

ANTONIO

Antonio Temperamental Melancholy

Antonio is a wealthy merchant in the city of Venice. He is a leading citizen, commanding great respect. When he is first introduced to us in the play, he is in a melancholy mood. His friends ask him if he is feeling melancholy because all his ships are at sea, facing all sorts of dangers from storms and from rocks, but he tells them that he is not at all feeling worried about the safety of his ships. He then tells them that his melancholy is something natural to him, something temperamental or inborn. He says that he looks upon this world as the stage of a theater on which every man has to play a part, his own part being that of a sad man. Thus melancholy may be regarded as one of the principal traits of his Character.

Character Sketch of Antonio in Merchant of Venice 1

Antonio Profound Affection for Bassanio

Another major trait of Antonio’s character is his capacity for friendship and his profound affection for Bassanio. Indeed, the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio is one of the romantic elements in the play because this friendship has been idealized and glorified by Shakespeare. Bassanio had once before taken a loan from Antonio but had not repaid it; and now again he needs money badly. This time he again asks Antonio for a loan. Antonio has no cash in hand at the moment, and yet he would not like to disappoint his friend. He therefore bids Bassanio approach some money-lender in the city and take a loan on his (Antonio’s) behalf. Bassanio approaches Shylock who is a Jew and a professional money ­lender, and asks for a loan of three thousand ducats in Antonio’s name. Antonio then signs a bond which seems to be potentially dangerous but which Antonio signs, regardless of the danger which it implies. There is in it a clause according to which Shylock would be entitled to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh from nearest his heart in case Antonio fails to repay the loan within a period of three months. Antonio willingly signs this bond to meet the needs of this friend Bassanio; and this act on his part shows how much he loves Bassanio. He is really a friend in need. He is willing to risk his life for the sake of his friend.

Antonio – A Kind-hearted and Accommodating Man

Antonio is a kind-hearted man who lends money to needy people without charging any interest from them. In this respect he offers a striking contrast to Shylock who is a usurer. (A usurer is a money lender who charges excessive rates of interest on the loans which he gives). It is true that Shylock is a professional money-lender and he must, therefore, charge interest on the loans which he gives.

Antonio, on the other hand, is not a money-lender by profession. But the point to note is that Shylock charges unreasonably high rates of interest; and Antonio lends money to people even though he is not a money-lender, and he lends money gratis (that is, without charging any interest). While Shylock is a greedy man, Antonio is not at all greedy. In fact, Antonio is almost indifferent to wealth.

Antonio Religious Intolerance, a Serious Defect in His Character

Although Antonio is a man who wins our respect and admiration because of his fine qualities, yet he also suffers from a serious defect. As a Christian he shows an intolerance towards the Jews. He hates Shylock because Shylock is a usurer but even more because Shylock is a Jew. This religious or racial intolerance on his part somewhat lowers him in our estimation. In fact, Antonio goes out of his way to insult and degrade Shylock. On many occasions he has abused Shylock, and even spat on his clothes. His reason for thus treating Shylock is that Shylock is a usurer and a Jew. And even when he is asking Shylock for a loan, he says that in future also he would abuse him and spit on him. He tells Shylock that he wants a loan from him not as a friend but as an enemy. There was certainly in those days a general prejudice against the Jews; but we would expect a nice man like Antonio to be free from a prejudice of that kind. Antonio is a perfect gentleman but his religious fanaticism is undoubtedly a flaw in his character.

A Deficiency in Antonio Character

Antonio also suffers from a deficiency. He does not have much of a sense of humour. As he is constitutionally a melancholy man, he is unable to laugh much. He cannot enjoy a joke; and he is  certainly incapable of making a joke. He does not approve of Gratiano’s flippant and light-hearted talk. Himself a man of few words, he does not approve of Gratiano’s glibness or garrulity (that is, excessive talkativeness). Being a serious-minded man, he is also unable to enjoy such merry-making as torch ­light, masked processions in which Lorenzo and others take great pleasure. And it also seems that he is  incapable of falling in love. When at the outset it is suggested that he may be feeling melancholy because he is in love, he promptly rejects the suggestion, saying; “Fie, fie!”

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Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Modern English Translation Meaning Annotations – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

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Original Text
Act III Scene V

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 1

Modern English Reading
Act III Scene V

LAUNCELOT : Yes, honestly ; because, look, the sins of the father are tobe laid on the children; so, I promise you, I’m afraid you. I was always honest with you, and so now, I speak my annoyance over the matter; so be cheerful, because I honestly think you are dammed. There is only one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is only a kind of bastard hope.

JESSICA : And what hope is that, please?

LAUNCELOT : Damn it, you may partly hope that your father had not fathered you, that you are not the Jew’s daughter.

Word Meaning With Annotation

The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children : this is a reference to one of the teachings of the Christian religion, which says that “the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the children.” Punishment for a man’s sins may fall upon his family, fear you : I fear on your behalf, be of good chee; for, truly, I think you are damned : it seems a strange combination of ideas to tell Jessica to be cheerful because she is condemned to the punishment of Hell because of her sins. But we can never analyse Launcelot’s remarks as if they were the words of an ordinary person; it may be an attempt at grim humour, or he may only mean be careful! What he says is so very often different from what he intends to say.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 2

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 3

Modern English Reading

JESSICA : That’s a kind of bastard hope indeed; so the sins of my mother should be laid on me.

LAUNCELOT : Honestly, then I’m afraid you are dammed both by father and mother; when I keep away from the Sea Monster, your father, I fall into an equal evil, your mother; well, you are gone both ways.

JESSICA : I shall be saved by my husband; he has made me a Christian.

LAUNCELOT : Honestly, he’s all the more to blame; we were Christians enough before, even as many as could well live one by another. This making of Christians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we won’t shortly have a slice of bacon on the coals for money.
[Enter Lorenzo.]

JESSICA : I’ll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say; here he comes.

LORENZO : I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into comers.

JESSICA : No, you don’t need to fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are arguing; he tells me flatly there’s no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew’s daughter; and he says you are no good member of the community, because in converting Jews to Christians, youraise the price of pork.

LORENZO : I shall answer that better to the community than you can explain the swelling of the negro’s belly; the Moor is pregnant by you, Launcelot.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Rasher : the name applied to a slice of bacon or pork, on the coals : placed on the fire to cook. Launcelot and I are out : “Launcelot and I have quarrelled.” flatly : plainly; without; any softening of the news.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 4

Modern English Reading

LAUNCELOT : It is important that the Moor should be more than reason; but if she is less than an honest woman, she is indeed more than I took her for.

LORENZO : How every fool can play on the word! I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and conversation grow commendable in no one except parrots. Go in, servant; bid them prepare for dinner.

LAUNCELOT : That is done, sir; they have all stomachs.

LORENZO : Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you! Then bid them prepare dinner.

LAUNCELOT : That is done too, sir, only ‘cover’ is the word.

LORENZO : Will you cover, then, sir?

LAUNCELOT : Not so, sir, neither; I know my duty.

LORENZO : Yet more quarrelling with purpose! Will you show the whole wealth of your wit al at once? Please understand a plain man in his plain meaning: let your fellows come on, bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we’ll come in to dinner.

Word Meaning With Annotation

How every fool can play upon the word : Lorenzo alludes to Launcelot’s habit of quibbling upon double meanings of words, the best grace of wit : “The most dignified wit will soon be to etc.” They have all stomachs : they are all ready for their dinner. This is Launcelot’s idea of humour, that a man prepares for dinner when he is ready to eat it. Lorenzo had meant that the servants should prepare dinner for himself .and Jessica. Bid them prepare dinner : Lorenzo says, “What a witty man you are! Well, tell them to prepare our dinner.” But Launcelot again takes a different sense for the word “prepare.” Lorenzo had meant “Place it ready on the table”, but Launcelot takes it to mean “cook,” and says, “The dinner has been cooked; what you mean now is ‘cover the table’. But when Launcelot says, “All right, you may cover”, Launcelot at once flies off to another meaning of cover, to remain with the head covered, and says, “No sir, I know my duty to my master too well to remain covered (wearing my hat) in his presence.” quarrelling with occasion : “disputing as to whether the word is exactly suitable to the particular occasion.”

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 5

Modern English Reading

LAUNCELOT : For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for the meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, sir, why, let it be as sense and meaning shall determine.
Exit Clown.

LORENZO : Oh, dear judgment, how his words are suited! The fool has planted in his memory an army of good words; and I know many fools that stand in a better place, dressed like him, except that a tricky word defies definition. How are you, Jessica? And now, good sweetheart, tell me your opinion, how do you like Lord Bassanio’s wife?

Word Meaning With Annotation

For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for the meat, sir, it shall be covered : Launcelot becomes mixed in expression, and changes the words “served” and “covered”. He means to say “The table shall be covered and the meat served etc.” humours and conceits : the word “humour” was applied by writers of the time to characteristic temperaments or moods of men, mostly odd and uncommon, o dear discretion, how his words are suited : O, Spirit of discretion, how strangely unsuitable his words are! a many : it was customary at one time to use this expression, stand in better place : are of higher social rank, garnish’d like him : supplied as he is, with words, tricksy word : a word which enables a trick to be played with meaning; a word capable of double meaning, defy the matter : “ignore what is the obvious and intended meaning.” Or pretend to think a word means something different from the speaker’s obvious sense, how cheer’st thou : “How are you?” Literally, “Of what face or mood are you?”

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 6

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 5 Translation Meaning Annotations 7

Modern English Reading

JESSICA : So much I can’t express it. It is very proper the Lord Bassanio live an upright life, because, having such a blessing in his lady, he finds the joys of heaven here on earth; and if he doesn’t merit it on earth, it stands to reason he should never enter heaven. Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match, and place a bet on two earthly women, and Portia is one of them, there must be something else to bet on with the other, because the poor rude world does not have her equal.

LORENZO : You have such a husband in me as she is for a wife.

JESSICA : No, but ask my opinion too about that.

LORENZO : I’ll ask later; first let’s go in to dinner.

JESSICA : No, let me praise you while I want to.

LORENZO : No, please, let it serve for dinner conversation; then, no matter what you say, I shall digest it with the other things I’m eating up.

JESSICA : Well, I’ll point you in the right direction.
Exeunt.

Word Meaning With Annotation

And, if on earth he do not mean it, then : this depends on the sense given to the word “mean.” If we take it as “intend” then we must understand, “if Bassanio is really sincere in his upright life.” Then we might take the sense to be, “If on earth, he does not follow the mean or middle-way in conduct,” taking the sense of “mean” as “the average.” Again the sense of “mean” might be “to demean himself or keep himself humble,” and this gives us, “If he does not humble himself on this earth, he need never expect heaven, if he has already enjoyed, heavenly happiness on earth.” heavenly match : a competition between heavenly or divine beings, pawn’d : put up as a stake; wagered by the other of the two competitors, fellow : equal or match. Anon : in a moment; at once, while I have a stomach : again a double meaning, (i) while I have the desire to do so, and (ii) while I have an appetite for dinner, table-talk : talk over the dinner table, then, howso’er thou speak’st, ‘mong other things, I shall digest it : then, no matter how you speak, I shall be able to digest your words along with dinner, set you forth : set forth your praises.

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The Merchant of Venice Introduction to William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice Introduction to William Shakespeare – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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Synopsis

William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of theatrical players. Written records give little indication of the way in which Shakespeare’s professional life molded his artistry. All that can be deduced is that over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict.

Mysterious Origins

Known throughout the world, the works of William Shakespeare have been performed in countless hamlets, villages, cities and metropolises for more than 400 years. And yet, the personal history of William Shakespeare is somewhat a mystery. There are two primary sources that provide historians with a basic outline of his life. One source is his work—the plays, poems and sonnets—and the other is official documentation such as church and court records. However, these only provide brief sketches of specific events in his life and provide little on the person who experienced those events.

Early Life

Though no birth records exist, church records indicate that a William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed he was bom on April 23, 1564.

Located 103 miles west of London, during Shakespeare’s time Stratford -upon-Avon was a market town bisected with a country road and the River Avon. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. Before William’s birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. However, records indicate John’s fortunes declined sometime in the late 1570s.

Scant records exist of William’s childhood, and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. Being a public official’s child, William would have undoubtedly qualified for free tuition. But this uncertainty regarding his education has led some to raise questions about the authorship of his work and even about whether or not William Shakespeare ever existed.

Married Life

William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. Hathaway was from Shottery. a small village a mile west of Stratford. William was 18 and Anne was 26, and, as it turns out, pregnant. Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet later died Of unknown causes at age 11.

After the birth of the twins, there are seven years of William Shakespeare’s life where no records exist.
Scholars call this period the “lost years,” and there is”wide speculation on what he was doing during this period. One theory is that he might have gone into hiding for poaching game from the local landlord, Sir Thomas Lucy. Another possibility is that he might have been working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire. It is generally believed he arrived in London in the mid- to late 1580s and may have found work as a horse attendant at some of London’s finer theaters, a scenario updated centuries later by the countless aspiring actors and playwrights in Hollywood and Broadway.

Theatrical Beginnings

By 1592, there is evidence William Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had several plays produced. The September 20, 1592 edition of the Stationers’ Register (a guild publication) includes an article by London playwright Robert Greene that takes a few jabs at William Shakespeare: “…There is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger’s heart wrapped in a Player’s hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country,” Greene wrote of Shakespeare.

Scholars differ on the interpretation of this criticism, but most agree that it was Greene’s way of saying Shakespeare was reaching above his rank, trying to match better known and educated playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe or Greene himself.

By the early 1590s, documents show William Shakespeare was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting company in London. After the crowning of King James I, in 1603, the company changed its name to the King’s Men. From all accounts, the King’s Men company was very popular, and records show that Shakespeare had works published and sold as popular literature. The theater culture in 16th century England was not highly admired by people of high rank. However, many of the nobility were good patrons of the performing arts and friends of the actors. Early in his career, Shakespeare was able to attract the attention of Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his first- and second-published poems: “Venus and Adonis” (1593) and “The Rape of Lucrece” (1594).

Establishing Himself

By 1597, William Shakespeare had published 15 of the 37 plays attributed to him. Civil records show that at this time he purchased the second largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his family. It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London, so it is believed that Shakespeare spent most of his time in the city writing and acting and came home once a year during the 40-day Lenten period, when the theaters were closed.

By 1599, William Shakespeare and his business partners built their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River, which they called the Globe. In 1605, Shakespeare purchased leases of real estate near Stratford for 440 pounds, which doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds a year.

This made him an entrepreneur as well as an artist, and scholars believe these investments gave him the time to write his plays uninterrupted.

Writing Style

William Shakespeare’s early plays were written in the conventional style of the day, with elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases that didn’t always align naturally with the story’s plot or characters. However. Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the traditional style to his own purposes and creating a freer flow of words. With only small degrees of variation, Shakespeare primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter, or blank verse, to compose his plays. At the same time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from this and use forms of poetry or simple prose.

Early Works: Histories and Comedies

With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s first plays were mostly histories written in the early 1590s. Richard II, Henry VI (parts 1, 2 and 3) and Henry V dramatize the destructive results of weak or corrupt rulers, and have been interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare’s way of justifying the origins of the Tudor Dynasty.

Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period: The witty romance A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the romantic Merchant of Venice, the wit and wordplay of Much Ado About Nothing, the charming As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Other plays, possibly written before 1600, include Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Later Works: Tragedies and Tragicomedies

It was in William Shakespeare’s later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth. In these, Shakespeare’s characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal. Possibly the best known of these plays is Hamlet, which explores betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare’s plots, destroying the hero and those he loves.

In William Shakespeare’s final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.

Death

Tradition has it that William Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23, 1616, though many scholars believe this is a myth. Church records show he was interred at Trinity Church on April 5, 1616.

In hfis will, he left the bulk of his possessions to his eldest daughter, Susanna. Though entitled to a third of his estate, little seems to have gone to his wife, Anne, whom he bequeathed his “second-best bed.” This has drawn speculation that she had fallen out of favour, or that the couple was not close. However, there is very little evidence the two had a difficult marriage.

Other scholars note that the term “second-best bed” often refers to the bed belonging to the household’s master and mistres—the marital bed—and the “first-best bed” was reserved for guests.

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The Merchant of Venice Character List

The Merchant of Venice Character List – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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Antonio A :wealthy Venetian merchant who occasionally lends money, but never charges interest. Since his main source of income is from his merchant ships, he is the “merchant” of the play’s title.

Bassanio: He is a typical Elizabethan lover and nobleman who is careless with his money; hence, he has to borrow from Antonio so that he can woo Portia in style.

Portia: As one of Shakespeare’s most intelligent and witty heroines, she is famous for her beauty and for her wealth, and she is deeply anguished that she must marry only the man who chooses the single casket of three which contains her portrait.

Shylock: Shylock is an intelligent businessman who believes that, since he is a moneylender, charging interest is his right; to him, it makes good business sense.

The Duke of Venice: He presides as judge over the court proceedings in Shylock’s claim on Antonio.

The Prince of Morocco: One of Portia’s suitors; he loses the opportunity to marry her when he chooses the golden casket.

The Prince of Arragon: He chooses the silver casket; he is another disappointed suitor for Portia’s hand in marriage.

Gratiano: He is the light-hearted, talkative friend of Bassanio, who accompanies him to Belmont; there, he falls in love with Portia’s confidante, Nerissa.

Lorenzo: He is a friend of Antonio and Bassanio; he woos and wins the love of Shylock’s daughter, Jessica.

Jessica: She is the young daughter of Shylock; she falls in love with Lorenzo and, disguised as a boy, she elopes with him.

Nerissa: Portia’s merry,and sympathetic lady-in-waiting.

Salarino: He is a friend who believes that Antonio is sad because he is worried about his ships at sea.

Salanio: He is another friend of Antonio; he thinks Antonio’s melancholy may be caused because Antonio is in love.

Saierio: A messenger from Venice.

Launcelot Gobbo: He is a “clown,” a jester, the young servant of Shylock; he is about to run away because he thinks Shylock is the devil; eventually, he leaves Shylock’s service and becomes Bassanio’s jester.

Old Gobbo: The father of Launcelot, he has come to Venice to seek news of his son.

Tubal: He is a friend of Shylock’s; he tells him that one of Antonio’s ships has been wrecked. Leonardo Bassanio’s servant.

Balthasar: The servant whom Portia sends to her cousin, Dr. Bellario.

Dr. Bellario:A lawyer of Padua.

Stephano: One of Portia’s servants.

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The Merchant of Venice Major Symbols, Motifs and Critical Essays

The Merchant of Venice Major Symbols, Motifs and Critical Essays – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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Major Symbols, Motifs and Critical Essays

Explore the different symbols within William Shakespeare’s comedic play, The Merchant of Venice.Symbols are central to understanding The Merchant of Venice as a play and identifying Shakespeare’s social and political commentary.

Portia is the only character whom it is difficult to criticize, and Shakespeare appears to use her as a symbol of mercy and forgiveness. The symbolism of Portia becomes most apparent when she travels to Venice, disguised as a lawyer. Because Venice can be thought of as symbolizing the real world, whereas Belmont is the world of idealism, when Portia travels to Venice, she is a character from the fantasy world entering the dangerous city. Her idealistic beliefs must come face to face with reality.

Three Caskets

Portia’s suitors must choose one of three caskets; gold, silver, or lead. One of the caskets contains a portrait of Portia; the others do not. If the suitor chooses the casket containing Portia’s picture, he has won the right to marry her. But none has succeeded so far. Attached to the caskets are inscriptions. The inscription on the leaden casket does not sound as enticing as the others, because it requires the chooser to risk everything he has. The inscriptions on the gold and silver caskets are different; they tell the chooser that he will gain something by choosing them. But the inscriptions have double meanings.

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