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Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice, Gaoler, Servants to Portia, and other Attendants. See characters in Shakespeare’s other plays >>. Shylock character in Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice.
Dramatic personae: a list of characters in The Merchant of Venice.
- Shylock
- Portia
- Antonio
- Jessica
- Bassanio
- Gratiano
- Lorenzo
- Nerissa
- Launcelot Gobbo
- The Prince of Morocco
A Jewish moneylender in Venice. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice’s Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by ruthlessly demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Although seen by the rest of the play’s characters as an inhuman monster, Shylock at times diverges from stereotype and reveals h...
A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portia’s beauty is matched only by her intelligence. Bound by a clause in her father’s will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. Far and away the most clever of the play’s characters, it is Portia, in the disguise...
The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock’s contract and almost lose his life. Antonio is something of a mercurial figure, often inexplicably melancholy and, as Shylock points out, possessed of an incorrigible dislike of Jews. Nonetheless, Antonio is beloved of his friends and proves merciful to Shylock, albeit wit...
Although she is Shylock’s daughter, Jessica hates life in her father’s house, and elopes with the young Christian gentleman, Lorenzo. The fate of her soul is often in doubt: the play’s characters wonder if her marriage can overcome the fact that she was born a Jew, and we wonder if her sale of a ring given to her father by her mother is excessively...
A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and dear friend to Antonio. Bassanio’s love for the wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. An ineffectual businessman, Bassanio proves himself a worthy suitor, correctly identifying the casket that contains Portia’s portrait. Read an in-depth analysis of Bassanio.
A friend of Bassanio’s who accompanies him to Belmont. A coarse and garrulous young man, Gratiano is Shylock’s most vocal and insulting critic during the trial. While Bassanio courts Portia, Gratiano falls in love with and eventually weds Portia’s lady-in-waiting, Nerissa. Read an in-depth analysis of Gratiano.
A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, Lorenzo is in love with Shylock’s daughter, Jessica. He schemes to help Jessica escape from her father’s house, and he eventually elopes with her to Belmont. Read an in-depth analysis of Lorenzo.
Portia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante. She marries Gratiano and escorts Portia on Portia’s trip to Venice by disguising herself as her law clerk.
Bassanio’s servant. A comical, clownish figure who is especially adept at making puns, Launcelot leaves Shylock’s service in order to work for Bassanio.
A Moorish prince who seeks Portia’s hand in marriage. The prince of Morocco asks Portia to ignore his dark countenance and seeks to win her by picking one of the three caskets. Certain that the caskets reflect Portia’s beauty and stature, the prince of Morocco picks the gold chest, which proves to be incorrect.
Character List. AntonioA 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. BassanioHe is a typical Elizabethan lover and nobleman who is careless with his money; hence, he has to borrow from Antonio so that he ...
The main characters in The Merchant of Venice are Antonio, Shylock, Portia, and Bassanio. Antonio is a merchant who helps his friend Bassanio win Portia’s hand in marriage by borrowing money from...
Characters Map for William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Learn the roles and relationships of the characters in The Merchant of Venice, and how they contribute to the plot.
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Characters in The Merchant of Venice. Back to All Characters. A; B; C; D; E F G; H I J; K L
