in the beginning of the case shylock wanted one pound of flesh from antonio's body .portia requested him to take thrice the sum of money antonia had taken from him.suddenly a idea struck portia's mind, she said that shylock can have pound of flesh but while doing this he should make sure that antonia doesnt shed a drop of blood and while cutting a pound of flesh it should be excactly one pound not more nor less or else all his good and property will be given to states treasury.
this is how portia turned tables against shylock
In Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, Bassanio wants to marry a woman called Portia who is a wealthy orphan living at a place called Belmont. In order to get to Belmont and make the right impression the penniless Bassanio borrows money from his friend Antonio. Antonio is worth the money but is in a bit of a cash flow crunch so he borrows money from the moneylender Shylock on condition that if he doesn't pay by a certain day, Shylock can kill him. Antonio figures it's a good risk.
It works out OK for Bassanio who gets to marry the wealthy Portia.
It doesn't work out so well for Antonio, who finds that he cannot repay Shylock and is taken to court where Shylock is seeking a court order for Antonio's death, as stipulated in their contract.
Portia disguises herself as a male lawyer called Balthazar and persuades the court not only to refuse Shylock but to ruin him financially for seeking the order in the first place.
In Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, Antonio has borrowed money from Shylock on the condition that if he does not repay as of a certain date, Shylock can cut a pound of flesh from anywhere on Antonio's body. When Antonio is unable to repay on the date stipulated, Shylock seizes on the opportunity to revenge himself on Antonio for being the brunt of Venetian anti-Semitism and also for uncutting his business by lending money interest-free. Portia, at the behest of her new husband Bassanio, disguises herself as a lawyer and, when she is unable to persuade Shylock to give up his claim even by accepting late payment with two or three hundred percent interest, argues that although the agreement allows Shylock to take a pound of flesh, it does not allow him to take or even shed any blood. The Duke, who is acting as judge, and who has scant sympathy for Shylock, seizes upon the opportunity this argument offers and agrees.
Shylock want a pound of flesh from Antonio's body because he fails to return 3000 pounds to Shylock on a fixed day and Portia permit him to take a pounds flesh from his body but she also said that a drop of blood should not be wated from Antonio's body as this is not mentioned in the paper which he signed. But its not possible to take a pounds flesh from anyones body without the wastage of blood.In this way Portia was able to save Antonio from the clutches of Shylock.
She's just been married to Bassanio and finds that Bassanio is disturbed and worried because of the danger which Antonio faces as a result of helping Bassanio. She helps Antonio because of her love for Bassanio.
Portia
She finds a legal loophole which prevents Shylock from collecting on Antonio's promise.
Shylock called Portia a Daniel because he was pleased with her judgment. He was very confident and eager about getting his forfeiture from Antonio. He also wanted to continue to tease and disrespect Antonio and his friends because he knew Daniel was written about in the Bible.
It has a rich multiple plot, driven by the questions, "Will Bassanio get to marry Portia?", "Will Shylock be allowed to legally kill Antonio?", "Will Bassanio's failure of Portia's wedding ring test wreck their marriage?" We are interested in seeing how these issues turn out. There are some very interesting characters, especially Shylock, but also to a lesser extent Antonio and Portia. There are some wonderful speeches, especially Portia's "The quality of mercy . . ." and Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" There are a number of interesting diversions from the main plotlines--Lorenzo's elopement with Jessica, the failed suitors for Portia, Portia and Nerissa discussing the men who have come to woo Portia, and Launcelot Gobbo (a part surely designed for Will Kempe, the Chamberlain's Men's house comic.)
Bassanio needed the money to travel off to Belmont where Portia was, and also presumably to give himself the air of a man with much money by buying new clothes for himself and so on. This looks to me to be somewhat of a con job but Portia does not seem to mind when she presumably finds out that this guy with no credit rating at all got his friend to put himself in debt in the hope that he could ultimately pay it off with Portia's money. However, all the Christians in the play are stupid with money--just look at Lorenzo, who blew most of the money Jessica stole from Shylock.
Portia
She finds a legal loophole which prevents Shylock from collecting on Antonio's promise.
She finds a legal loophole which prevents Shylock from collecting on Antonio's promise.
Portia and Nerissa's relationship is one of equals, with mutual respect and understanding. They support each other and share a deep bond. In contrast, Antonio and Bassanio's relationship is more hierarchical, with Antonio providing support and Bassanio receiving it. Their dynamic is one of mentorship and reliance.
Shylock called Portia a Daniel because he was pleased with her judgment. He was very confident and eager about getting his forfeiture from Antonio. He also wanted to continue to tease and disrespect Antonio and his friends because he knew Daniel was written about in the Bible.
It has a rich multiple plot, driven by the questions, "Will Bassanio get to marry Portia?", "Will Shylock be allowed to legally kill Antonio?", "Will Bassanio's failure of Portia's wedding ring test wreck their marriage?" We are interested in seeing how these issues turn out. There are some very interesting characters, especially Shylock, but also to a lesser extent Antonio and Portia. There are some wonderful speeches, especially Portia's "The quality of mercy . . ." and Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" There are a number of interesting diversions from the main plotlines--Lorenzo's elopement with Jessica, the failed suitors for Portia, Portia and Nerissa discussing the men who have come to woo Portia, and Launcelot Gobbo (a part surely designed for Will Kempe, the Chamberlain's Men's house comic.)
In Portia's speech she admits that Shylock has a good case in Law against her client Antonio but asks Shylock to forgive Antonio, saying that mercy is the most noble thing and that to be merciful is the most noble and Godlike thing he could do.
It's a bit awkward, because there are two plots in the play. In the first, Bassanio would be the protagonist in his quest for Portia's hand, but there is no antagonist. In the second, Shylock is a kind of antagonist to Antonio's protagonist, but one does not feel that Antonio is a character of that kind of significance. This may be one reason that many modern interpreters recast the play as the Tragedy of Shylock, with Shylock as a protagonist and Portia as an antagonist.
Antonio is presented as a loyal and caring friend in Act 1, Scene 1. He is worried about his friend Bassanio's well-being and is willing to lend him money to help him pursue Portia. Antonio is also shown to be melancholic and consumed by sadness, which hints at a deeper layer to his character.
Bassanio tells his friend Antonio that he wants to court Portia, but has no money. Antonio has, so to speak, maxed his credit cards but agrees to see if he can get a loan from the moneylender Shylock.
Bassanio needed the money to travel off to Belmont where Portia was, and also presumably to give himself the air of a man with much money by buying new clothes for himself and so on. This looks to me to be somewhat of a con job but Portia does not seem to mind when she presumably finds out that this guy with no credit rating at all got his friend to put himself in debt in the hope that he could ultimately pay it off with Portia's money. However, all the Christians in the play are stupid with money--just look at Lorenzo, who blew most of the money Jessica stole from Shylock.
Antonio borrowed the money from Shylock rather than lend it himself because his ships had not yet arrived therefore he had no money. He borrowed it for Bassanio, because Bassanio wanted to woo Portia.