The Merchant Of Venice

For my home school co-op (a 1 day a week classes ), I am in a Shakespeare class. We are reading “The Merchant Of Venice” as a class! So here is a summary of the play!

The Merchant of Venice was a great book/play! The amazing comedy had religious arguments, love, and loans. The whole book is based on a conflict between Jews and Christians.

It all starts with a Christian man named Bassanio who asks for a loan from a Jewish merchant named Shylock. Shylock agrees to him give him the loan but, Bassanio must give him 1 pound of flesh from Antonio (Bassanio’s friend). They make the deal and Bassanio got his money. Bassanio was using this money to travel to Belmont to marry Portia.

Portia is a very beautiful and wealthy woman who is looking for a husband. But her father knew that men would try to marry her for her money or her beauty, so before her father died he made 3 boxes, a box made from gold, a box made from lead, and a box made from silver. In order to marry her, you had to choose the right box.

Bassanio chooses the led box and that was the right box. Bassanio then had the pleasure of marrying Portia. Around the same time, Bassanio’s Christian friend Lorenzo has fallen in love with a jew named Jessica.

Jessica is Shylock’s daughter. Jessica sneaks out to marry Lorenzo in Belmont. Before she leaves she helps herself to some treasured family heirlooms and some money.

A couple of months after Bassanio and Portia get married Bassanio gets word that Antonio is going to have a pound of flesh taken off of his chest. Bassanio tells Portia and he rushes back to Venice to try to help his friend! Little does he know Portia and her maid Nerissa dress up as boys and pretend to be lawyers to save Antonio. After Antonio was let free they thanked the lawyers and asked what they could do to repay them and Portia asked for Bassanio ring. He said no and then Antonio made Bassanio give Portia his wedding ring. Portia and Nerissa get home then Antonio and Bassanio get home and the girls make a big deal about the ring being gone. Bassanio confesses and explains what happened. Then Portia explains that they dressed up as the lawyers and then took the ring as a test!

I hope you enjoyed! please like!  Have you watched or read any Shakespeare? If you have shared what play and which of Shakespeare plays is your favorite!