The Merchant of Venice : Characters
The Merchant of Venice is a notable literary work by William Shakespeare. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Merchant of Venice.
Characters
Shylock: He is a Venetian usurer who takes a sign in a bond from Antonio as collateral so that he can cut a pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body.
Antonio: He is an exceptional Shakespearean hero without any heroin.
Portia: She is the creative genius of Shakespeare and the heroine of the play. She takes a camouflage of a scholar to defend Antonio from the thumb of the Venetian usurer Shylock like many other Shakespearean heroines. Portia gets married to Bassanio.
Bassanio: He is also one of the central characters of the play. He solves the casket puzzle left by Portia’s father.
Gratiano: He is a friend of Bassanio and Antonio. He marries Portia’s servant Nerissa.
Nerissa: She is the intelligent servant and friend of Portia. She also takes disguise as the assistant of Portia who disguises in the name of Doctor Balthazar.
Jessica: She is the beautiful daughter of Shylock who loves a Christian namely Lorenzo. Jessica has wisdom, fairness, and loyalty.
Suitors of Portia
Prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket and remarks “All that glitters is not gold”.
Prince of Aragon chooses the silver casket which signifies egoism and entitlement.
The scholar and soldier of Venice, Bassanio chooses the lead casket and he wins Portia.