The Merchant of Venice : Characters

Characters

Major Characters

• Antonio: Protagonist, The Merchant of Venice, a wealthy, generous, and melancholic Venetian merchant. He is the best friend of Bassanio and becomes the target of Shylock’s bond.
• Shylock: Antagonist, a Jewish moneylender in Venice. He is intelligent, vengeful, and a victim of prejudice. Shylock lends money to Antonio with a bond for a pound of flesh.
• Portia: Heroine, a wealthy, witty, and intelligent heiress of Belmont. Portia disguises herself as a male lawyer (“Balthazar”) to save Antonio and marries Bassanio.
• Bassanio: Antonio’s closest friend and Portia’s suitor. Young, reckless with money, but truly devoted to Portia. He borrows money from Antonio to seek Portia’s hand in marriage.

Minor Characters

• Gratiano: Friend of Bassanio and Antonio. Talkative, humorous, and often make inappropriate jokes. Later marries Nerissa.
• Nerissa: Portia’s maid and close friend. Loyal, wise, and witty. Marries Gratiano.
• Jessica: Shylock’s daughter. She elopes with Lorenzo, takes away her father’s money and jewels, and converts to Christianity.
• Lorenzo: Friend of Antonio and Bassanio. Lover (and then-husband) of Jessica. Romantic and loyal.
• The Duke of Venice: Ruler of Venice who presides over Antonio’s trial. Tries to show fairness and mercy.
• Launcelot Gobbo: A comic servant first to Shylock and then to Bassanio. Provides comic relief and is known for puns and wordplay.
• Old Gobbo: Launcelot’s blind father. Simple and comic character.
• Prince of Morocco: One of Portia’s suitors. Noble, confident, chooses the wrong casket in the lottery for Portia’s hand.
• Prince of Arragon: Another suitor of Portia. Also fails in the casket test.
• Salerio & Solanio: Friends of Antonio and Bassanio. They comment on events and help move the plot forward.
• Tubal: Friend of Shylock. Also, a Jewish moneylender, informs Shylock about Jessica’s actions.

Suitors of Portia

• Bassanio: Portia’s beloved Venetian suitor who chooses the correct (lead) casket and wins her hand in marriage.
• Prince of Morocco: A proud and wealthy African prince who selects the gold casket and fails.
• Prince of Arragon: An arrogant Spanish nobleman who chooses the silver casket and loses his chance to marry Portia.
• Other unnamed suitors: Noblemen from France, England, Saxony, and Scotland. They are only mentioned, not shown on stage. None of them wishes to take the risk of the casket challenge.

Couples and Love Connections in the Play

• Portia and Bassanio: The central romantic couple.
• Nerissa and Gratiano: Portia’s maid and Bassanio’s friend.
• Jessica and Lorenzo: Shylock’s daughter and her Christian lover.

Friends in the Play

• Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino & Solanio
• Poria & Nerissa