The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

This is my first assignment of book report. You know what? I got 80 for this first assignment :D

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The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

Theme:

o   Miserliness

o   Revenge

Characters:

·         Mayor characters:

o   Antonio: he was a wealthy merchant. He was well known for his generosity. He was always ready to help others and to do good by any means within his power.

o   Shylock: a Jew man who hated Antonio. He was known to be a hard man, hard-hearted, crafty, and covetous.

·         Minor characters:

o   Bassanio: he was Antonio’s dearest friend. He was falling in love with Lady Portia.

o   Lady Portia aka Doctor Balthasar: a smart beautiful rich woman from Belmont. Bassanio loved her and wanted to marry her.

o   Jessica: she was Shylock’s daughter. She was sweet and charming. She loved Lorenzo but shylock did not agree with it.

o   Lorenzo: he was a Christian man whom Jessica loved.

o   Bellario: he was a learned doctor from Padua. He was Portia’s cousin.

§  Protagonist characters:

o   Antonio

o   Bassanio

o   Lady Portia aka Doctor Balthasar

o   Jessica

o   Lorenzo

§  Antagonist character:

o   Shylock

Setting:

·         Setting of Place:

o   Venice

o   Shylock’s house

o   Belmont

o   Venetian Court of Justice

·         Setting of Time:

o   At the time when the city of Venice was at the height of her fame and prosperity.

                                                             

Plot:

·         Exposition:

There was a wealthy merchant called Antonio. He was well known for his kindness and generosity. He owned a fleet of expensive ships.

A Jew man called Shylock was his rival. Shylock was a moneylender that always takes a high interest. He was a hard man, crafty, and covetous. He hated Antonio very much because Antonio often lent money without interest and that spoilt Shylock’s business.

Antonio had a dearest friend named Bassanio. Antonio always helped him with money whenever he was in need of it.

·         Rising Action:

Bassanio fell in love with a woman from Belmont named Lady Portia. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to borrow money three thousand ducats from Antonio in order to propose marriage to Lady Portia. However, at that moment Antonio did not have enough money. Antonio asked Bassanio to borrow some money to Shylock. Finally, Shylock decided a bond with Antonio. If in three months he could not repay, Shylock would take a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

·         Climax:

Three months passed by. Antonio’s ship that full of merchandise wrecked upon the Goodwins. He could not pay that bond. Shylock sent him into prison. It was the time that Shylock waiting for his revenge to Antonio. He wanted to take Antonio’s flesh.

·         Falling Action:

Bassanio married to Lady Portia. Bassanio tried to help Antonio by offering Shylock money more than three thousands ducats. Shylock refused it. Lady Portia in camouflage of Doctor Balthasar came and solved it well. Shylock even got trap with his own bond. He wanted to take his revenge to Antonio and got his money back, but he did not get it at all.

·         Resolution:

Antonio was free and he received the good news that several of his ships had come home safely. Bassanio and Lady Portia lived happily. All ended in happiness.

Point of View:

          The third person point of view

Moral lessons:

·         Kindness will be repaid

·         Crime will get suffer a financial lost

·         Thinking well before doing something

Personal Review:

          This book held my interest well. It has good story. I enjoyed Shakespeare’s writing style very much at this book. It was easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to translate. It was written in big size fonts and completed by some pictures so it would not be so boring. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a short story that is full of moral lessons.