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At the beginning, Bassanio is a good-natured but irresponsible young man who has gotten himself into debt by living beyond his means. He hopes to get out of debt by marrying a wealthy heiress, but he first needs to court Portia in the fashion she will expect.
- Bassanio Quotes
Bassanio thinks aloud as he chooses among the boxes,...
- Portia
When Bassanio arrives, however, Portia proves herself to be...
- Antonio
Further evidence of the nature of Antonio’s feelings for...
- Bassanio Quotes
Bassanio is Antonio's best pal and the lucky guy who lands Portia, the richest and cutest girl in Belmont. The thing to know about Bassanio is that he loves his lavish lifestyle, but he's really bad with money, which is why he ends up borrowing from Shylock.
- Plot Summary of The Merchant of Venice
- Context of The Merchant of Venice
- Themes & Quotes from The Merchant of Venice
- Connection to Texts and Human Experiences
- Analyse The Merchant of Venice in 4 Steps
- Sample Band 6 Paragraph and Tee Tables
The Merchant of Venice follows Bassanio, who is too poor to attempt to win the hand of his true love, Portia. In order to travel to Portia’s estate, he asks his best friend, Antonio, for a loan. Because Antonio’s money is invested in a number of trade ships, the two friends ask to borrow money from Shylock, the Jew. Shylock tells the men that if th...
The Merchant of Venice was written when antisemitism(hostility against Jews) was prevalent in Europe. A fresh wave of this antisemitism erupted after the trial and execution of Roderigo Lopez,a doctor of Jewish ancestry who served and was accused of poisoning Queen Elizabeth I. Jewish people were stereotyped as ‘greedy’ and ‘cruel money lenders’. T...
1. Value of money over human life
Throughout the play, Shakespearecontrasts the value of human life and monetary value — we’re prompted to consider whether characters favour commodities or human life. This quote conveys this idea in particular: In this speech, Shylock is so enraged that his daughter ran away and stole all his money and jewels that he wishes his daughter was dead. Though, there’s more than one way this quote can be interpreted: Does it suggest that he desires all the jewels and ducats back, and his daughter de...
2. Commodification of love
From the start of the play, Bassanio evidently shows that he cares a lot about Portia’s money, even just in the way he talks about her, stating: In this quote, Bassanio alludes to the Greek myth of Jason and the argonauts, where a team of heroes go on a quest in search of a golden fleece. By suggesting that Portia is a prize, like the golden fleece, what can be said about the way Bassanio views Portia?
3. Marginalisation of oppressed groups
Another The Merchant of Venice theme is the marginalisation of not only Jewish people in 16th Century Venetian society, but women too. This quote illustrates Gratiano insulting Shylock by suggesting he was reincarnated from a wolf. He also calls Shylock’s mother an “unhallow’d dam”, playing on the word “dam”, referring both to a female parent of an animal but also suggesting she is “damned”. Interestingly, his language is Christian, but this idea of reincarnation is starkly non-Christian. Is...
Before analysing The Merchant of Venice, it’s important to get familiar with the Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences so you know how to relate to the module in your assessment. Let’s take a look at the syllabus! In short, this module is about deepening your understanding of how texts represent the individual and collective human experience.T...
Students will often try to start writing their essay with a thesis when trying to answer an essay question. But you should without a doubt start with your analysis! You need to equip yourself with the knowledge of your text before you can answer anything about it. We’re going to walk you through how to prove a topic sentence using literary analysis...
We’ve analysed another two examples using TEE tables for The Merchant of Venice that you can access for FREE below! Plus, we’ve also written a sample Band 6 paragraph for you to read over. Download it below! And that wraps up our guide to analysing The Merchant of Venice for HSC English Texts and Human Experiences. You’ve now got everything you nee...
Bassanio is a young man from a respectable Venetian family, with a lifestyle of leisure and pleasure-seeking with a group of friends of the same class. Consequently, he lives from hand to mouth and languishes in debt. That doesn’t bother him until the need for cash becomes a burning issue.
Bassanio is Antonio 's friend. In some production interpretations, it is suggested that Antonio harbors romantic feelings towards Antonio. Bassanio falls in love with Portia, who decides to...
Bassanio is the merchant Antonio’s “intimate friend” and the wealthy heiress Portia’s favored suitor. A young nobleman of Venice, Bassanio admits to living beyond his means. This has...
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Who is Bassanio in the Merchant of Venice?
Why does Bassanio ask for a loan in the Merchant of Venice?
Who is Antonio in the Merchant of Venice?
Who is Bassanio & what does he do?
Is Bassanio in love?
Why does Bassanio ask Antonio to lend him money?
Dec 3, 2004 · Shylock. Jeremy Irons. Antonio. Joseph Fiennes. Bassanio. Rate Now. Leave a Review. The Merchant of Venice is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play set in 1596. Bassanio seeks financial assistance from Antonio, who enlists the help of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, to secure a loan.
