"The Merchant of Venice" (Story Summary)

The Merchant of Venice (Story Summary)?:

Portia, a young and beautiful rich woman, received three boxes of gold, silver and lead according to her father's will. One of the boxes contains her portrait, and if the gentleman chooses the correct box, she will marry that man. So suitors came from all over the world, including a young man named Bassanio, who was determined to win Portia.

However, if you want to realize this wish, you have to prepare a considerable expense. So he asked Antonio, a wealthy Venetian businessman, for help, hoping that his friend could lend him 3,000 yuan. Unfortunately, Antonio's money was invested in maritime trade, and he could not afford so much money at the moment. But Antonio is a Christian who values ??friendship very much.

He was determined to fulfill his friend's good wishes, and used his own credit as a guarantee to borrow money for his friend. Therefore, the loan shark Shylock becomes Antonio's creditor. ? When borrowing the debt, the two parties agreed: "If the debt is not repaid within three months, the creditor will cut a pound of flesh from the debtor as a penalty." As a result, Antonio's maritime trade was hindered and he failed to repay the loan on time.

So Shylock asked the court to allow him to cut off a pound of Antonio's flesh as agreed in the contract. ? Shylock, a loan shark, believes that contracts made must be abided by and no one can violate or change them. Therefore, Shylock must cut off a pound of flesh as agreed. He told the judge in court: "My request is reasonable. If you refuse me, then to hell with your laws!"

In this regard, Antonio, the Venetian merchant as the defendant, also felt that Clearly, a judge cannot change the law. Shylock's request is very excessive, but everyone present must also admit: "No one in Venice has the power to change the established law." The contract must be kept, and Antonio must fulfill his promise.

Although the contract is cruel, in Venice, where commerce is very developed, members of society act according to the contract and do not consider other non-legal and non-contractual means. Faced with the fact of this pound of flesh, sticking to the contract seems to be a violation of human feelings, and respecting human feelings seems to be contempt of the contract. Between favor and contract, the court still chose the contract.

At the last moment, Sherlock put down his butcher knife. What made him change his mind was not anyone's pleading, nor a remorse of conscience, it was still the contract. When Antonio and Shylock signed the contract, they only stipulated one pound of flesh and made no mention of the blood shed from the cutting of the flesh.

The judge seized on this oversight and asked Shylock not to let Antonio shed a drop of sacred blood when cutting the flesh, otherwise it would be a breach of contract. If he breaks the contract, he will commit murder, and his property, according to Venetian law, will be confiscated. In order to express his gratitude and respect, Bassanio gave the ring to the lawyer as a last resort, and the secretary also took it from Gratiano's hand. Here comes the ring.

Bassanio and others returned to Belmont and happily reunited with Portia and others; however, they were teased by Portia and Nerissa about the ring, causing a "noisy".

It wasn’t until Portia and Nerissa took out their rings respectively that the truth came to light. It turned out that they were the lawyers and clerks in the court. At this moment, news came: Antonio's merchant ship was fully loaded and arrived safely in port. Antonio, Bassanio and Portia, Gratiano and Nerissa: Lorenzo and Jessica are all immersed in an atmosphere of joy.

Extended information:

In this play, which is playful, full of wit and full of life, several main clues intersect to form a tortuous storyline and diverse plots. Dramatic conflict. The main clue is the contract dispute surrounding the "cutting of a pound of flesh".

Antonio the Merchant of Venice complained like this at the beginning: "I don't know why I am so depressed, it really bores me; you said you also feel bored when you see me like this; but how can I make it so?" "Sorrow has taken over. What kind of sadness is this?" It sets the tone for the conflict and exaggerates the atmosphere.

Then, the author Shakespeare used the Duke's words to highlight Shylock's cruelty, making readers feel the tense atmosphere and the fact that a conflict is about to break out. Sure enough, Shylock, a wealthy Jewish businessman, argued hard as soon as he came on stage. The arguments between the two sides became more and more fierce, and the conflicts rose to an irreconcilable level.

Shylock refused everyone's persuasion and was so imposing that he gained the upper hand in the confrontation. Just when the conflict seems irreconcilable and the reader is in despair, Portia enters the scene.

She proposed that "a pound of flesh can be cut", but not "a drop of blood" or "a slight difference", which suddenly put Shylock into a difficult situation, thus ruthlessly imposing the punishment of the law on Sherlock. Shylock ended up losing both his life and money, and was completely defeated. A war of words finally ended with the victory of kindness over cruelty. ?

In addition to the clue of "borrowing money to cut flesh", "marrying in a box" and the love story of Jessea and Lorenzo are all arranged by Shakespeare to make them exciting and exciting. These tense and relaxed storylines are in line with the ancient Chinese poem - "There is no way out after mountains and rivers, and there is another village with dark flowers and bright flowers."

The ups and downs of the plot arrangement can not only capture readers' interest, but also more fully demonstrate the multiple personalities of different characters, making the plot fuller and the story more interesting.

Baidu Encyclopedia-The Merchant of Venice