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Antonio and Bassanio's friendship is a very close one. Bassanio consider Antonio his best friend. I also think that Bassanio is also Antonio's best friend because Antonio lent money to Bassanio so he can pay his debts while living the high and fun life. Antonio even sacrifice his own life to Shylock so that Bassanio can have three thousands ducats to woo Portia, a rich heiress from Belmont. I think this part really says that Antonio does care about Bassanio and in a possible way he loves him like a brother. Antonio also Bassanio that all the money that he needed to pay Antonio that Bassanio did not need to pay him the money that he borrows a long time ago. Antonio is really a nice and kind friend and Bassanio is really lucky to have him. This part shows that Antonio is really kind and would sacrifice everything so his friend's happiness would be fulfilled. Bassanio on the other hand sometimes takes Antonio for granted. Bassanio even told Portia that Antonio is his best friend and he is the kindest and nicest man in Venice. Portia replied that she would like to meet him. But there is a scene where Bassanio wasn't gold - digger always that he also cares about Antonio too. Bassanio told Portia that he needed to save Antonio's life from the Jewish moneylender, Shylock. He said that he needed to save his friend's life first before marrying Portia. This part also shows that he is truthful to his friend. When Bassanio gave the ring, that Portia made him swear never to give it away, lose it or anything, to the lawyer who was actually Portia to reward the lawyer for helping to save Antonio's life. He was even willing to give the ring that his future wife gave it to him to show that he belongs to Portia and her wealth.Bassanio also felt worried when Portia told him that she had to sleep with the lawyer to get the ring back. This was the part that Bassanio showed that he was in love with Portia and not only with her wealth. But Portia eventually told Bassanio that she was the lawyer and Nerissa was the lawyer's clerk. Bassanio felt relieved and fooled by his wife. This part also shows that Portia's beauty also matches her brains. Bassanio also told the lawyer that he love Antonio more than his wife and the lawyer replied that you and your wife will argue if she were to hear this. This shows that Bassanio could not control his mouth and can not keep secrets. Antonio on the other hand also showed that he was easily gullible to think that Bassanio care for him but in fact Bassanio only wanted money. Although Antonio is kind, I also think he is too trustworthy. He trusts so must on his ship. He was very confident that his ships will return safely to land. But later rumors spread that Antonio's ship sank and it turned out to be true. I also thought that Antonio is a lonely man and have no self confident. But this part shows that he has a small spark of it in him. Antonio also told shylock that he was a dog, a non- believer, critic on his Jew clothes and more horrible things. This shows that Antonio can be a mean and unkind person to the Jews. I believe that through out the trial, Antonio and Bassanio characters have many sides. Bassanio turned out to be a nice man after all and Antonio can also be a horrible man after all. Their friendship had revealed some new characters about them.

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14y ago
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14y ago

It is bad..

Antonio borrows money from Shylock. Shylock tries to make Antonio the scapegoat for all the prejudice he has suffered by demanding the penalty when Antonio fails to pay on time.

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11y ago

Shylocks relationship with Jessica was very distant, when shylocks wife died they were both distraught but Jessica was not as upset as shylock, she had found the love of her life. Shylock was very angry at this though because this man she had fallen in love with was a Christian, which was the religion which hated the Jews and the Jews hated them back. so it was not good for Shylock and he had no chance of changing her mind as she ran off with him and was going to become a Christian herself!

I am just studying the merchant of Venice at school so I am not a professional.

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8y ago

They are friends. Antonio is older and richer than Bassanio, and is almost like a patron to him, although Bassanio doesn't really have a talent for anything except spending money. Some have speculated that Antonio has a homosexual attraction to Bassanio, but this reading creates other difficult issues, first among which is comprehending why Antonio goes out of his way to find Bassanio a wife. It is possible to imagine that Bassanio is not interested in Portia for herself but only for her money, and if this were played out, the result would be quite interesting (it would find a parallel in Lorenzo's pursuit of the wealthy Jessica, for example) but would make Portia's behaviour in going the extra mile for Antonio difficult to explain. There is no doubt, however, that Bassanio is easily swayed by Antonio--at the end of Act IV Scene 1 it is Antonio and only Antonio that can persuade Bassanio to use his wedding ring to pay his legal bill.

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11y ago

Antonio is the merchant. Shylock is the money-lender that Antonio borrows from.

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Q: What is the relationship between antonio and Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice?
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Is antonio in merchant gay?

He could be played that way. You must understand that in cultures where homosexuality is severely repressed, men often form strong affectionate bonds for each other which stop short of a sexual relationship, because they can display affection without it being assumed that their affection has a sexual subtext. This was the case in Shakespeare's day: you can see it in operation in the ending of The Two Gentlemen of Verona which to modern eyes seems implausible. In Merchant, Antonio does seem to be extremely affectionate towards Bassanio. His melancholy when the play starts ("In sooth I know not why I am so sad") could be connected with his sexual attraction for Bassanio, who does not reciprocate. He also presses Bassanio to give away his wedding ring, which of course was calculated to make his wife angry, and which might have caused a rift between them, sending Bassanio back to the company of Antonio. Of course when he finds that his life has been saved by Portia, he has to accept it with good grace. It's a plausible scenario. But Antonio plays just as plausibly as an extremely affectionate friend without any sexual overtones at all.


What is a summary of Merchant of Venice?

Bassanio wants to court the wealthy Portia but needs money. He gets his friend Antonio to borrow the money for him from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Shylock hates Antonio because he is an Anti-Semite and adds a clause in the contract that says that if Antonio doesn't pay on time, Shylock can take a pound of flesh from anywhere on Antonio's body. Antonio agrees to this, thinking it is a joke. Bassanio goes to Portia's house and passes the test Portia's father has set for all suitors, and marries her. But then news comes that Antonio has had a business crisis and cannot pay Shylock. Shylock takes Antonio to court. Portia disguises herself as a lawyer and advises the Duke, who is the judge, that Shylock has a good case, just to see if he will go through with it and kill Antonio. When it is apparent that Shylock really means it, Portia raises the point that the contract does not allow Shylock to shed blood, and through a number of other pieces of legal trickery, deprives Shylock of all his money and forces him to change religion. For this service, she demands that Bassanio give her for her fee his wedding ring, which he does, only to get a talking-to from his wife when he gets home.


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Related questions

What is the conflict of merchant Venice?

The conflict is between Antonio and Shylock but Shylock is hated by everyone in Venice because he was a Jew, so that's Bassanio, Portia and all the other people in the play


Is antonio in merchant gay?

He could be played that way. You must understand that in cultures where homosexuality is severely repressed, men often form strong affectionate bonds for each other which stop short of a sexual relationship, because they can display affection without it being assumed that their affection has a sexual subtext. This was the case in Shakespeare's day: you can see it in operation in the ending of The Two Gentlemen of Verona which to modern eyes seems implausible. In Merchant, Antonio does seem to be extremely affectionate towards Bassanio. His melancholy when the play starts ("In sooth I know not why I am so sad") could be connected with his sexual attraction for Bassanio, who does not reciprocate. He also presses Bassanio to give away his wedding ring, which of course was calculated to make his wife angry, and which might have caused a rift between them, sending Bassanio back to the company of Antonio. Of course when he finds that his life has been saved by Portia, he has to accept it with good grace. It's a plausible scenario. But Antonio plays just as plausibly as an extremely affectionate friend without any sexual overtones at all.


In the merchant of Venice Who settled the quarrel between portia and bassanio?

The only quarrel they had was because Bassanio used his wedding ring to pay the legal bill for the defence of Antonio from Shylock's suit. Since it was Portia, supported by Antonio, who had insisted that he give the ring in the first place, she wasn't really that mad at him. He apologises for giving away the ring ("Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear I never will break an oath with thee."), and she accepts it. No other person was necessary to settle their quarrel.


How bond story and the casket story are independent in merchant of Venice?

The link between the two stories arises as a result of the relationship that Bassanio has with characters in the two plot streams. The association is created when Bassanio, who is out of pocket, approaches his friend and confidante, Antonio, a wealthy Christian merchant, for financial assistance so that he may woo the beautiful Portia, a wealthy heiress from Belmont. Bassanio wishes to stand an equal chance against a number of other suitors, who come from privileged backgrounds and the money will give him such an opportunity. Antonio does not have the ready cash that Bassanio needs but asks him to seek a loan in Venice by using his name as guarantee. He is a person of good standing and assures Bassanio that he will also seek a loan. Bassanio soon encounters Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, who is prepared to extend him a loan of 3 000 ducats should Antonio sign as surety to the bond. Antonio agrees to Shylock's harsh terms which state that the loan should be settled in three months without any interest charged. If he should forfeit, Antonio has to allow Shylock to cut out a pound of his flesh. Bassanio asks his friend not to agree to these terms but Antonio, confident that he will be able to settle the debt comfortably, signs the agreement. Bassanio takes the money and goes off to try his luck in winning Portia's hand in a lottery, in which a suitor should choose the right casket from three, that her deceased father had concocted. It is through these actions that an association between the two stories is created. It is important to note that Antonio and Shylock despise each other. Antonio believes that Shylock is committing a grave sin by lending out money and profiting from the interest he charges. Shylock hates Antonio for having severely criticized him openly and humiliating him by spitting on his gaberdine, kicking him and calling him a dog. He seeks revenge against the Christian. Bassanio is successful in choosing the right casket and wins Portia's hand. He does, however, receive an unsettling message from Antonio in which he states that he has been imprisoned for forfeiting on the bond. He had suffered a number of mishaps with his ships and could not settle the debt. The vengeful Shylock has been insistent that he should have his pound of flesh. Bassanio is utterly distraught. Portia notices his distress and after discovering the reason for this, offers to help. She urges Bassanio to rush to his friend's aid immediately after their marriage and offers to repay the debt many times over. She formulates a plan to further assist the traumatized Antonio by going to Venice disguised as a doctor of law with Nerissa as her assistant. It is in this manner that the two plots achieve a confluence.


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What is the relationship between law justice mercy in Merchant of Venice?

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What is a summary of Merchant of Venice?

Bassanio wants to court the wealthy Portia but needs money. He gets his friend Antonio to borrow the money for him from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Shylock hates Antonio because he is an Anti-Semite and adds a clause in the contract that says that if Antonio doesn't pay on time, Shylock can take a pound of flesh from anywhere on Antonio's body. Antonio agrees to this, thinking it is a joke. Bassanio goes to Portia's house and passes the test Portia's father has set for all suitors, and marries her. But then news comes that Antonio has had a business crisis and cannot pay Shylock. Shylock takes Antonio to court. Portia disguises herself as a lawyer and advises the Duke, who is the judge, that Shylock has a good case, just to see if he will go through with it and kill Antonio. When it is apparent that Shylock really means it, Portia raises the point that the contract does not allow Shylock to shed blood, and through a number of other pieces of legal trickery, deprives Shylock of all his money and forces him to change religion. For this service, she demands that Bassanio give her for her fee his wedding ring, which he does, only to get a talking-to from his wife when he gets home.


What is the conflect of the play Merchant of Venice?

The conflict is between Antonio and Shylock but Shylock is hated by everyone in Venice because he was a Jew, so that's Bassanio, Portia and all the other people in the play


What does shylock say will happen if the duke does not uphold the contract between between shylock and antonio?

this will threaten the security of all foreign merchants in venice. (source: merchant of india :)


Who is the hero of The Merchant of Venice?

Originally, Bassanio was conceived of as the hero, because he was the romantic lead. However, the character of Shylock is much more interesting and the heavy-duty actors started within a couple of centuries to want to play Shylock rather than Bassanio. Over time this has resulted in productions of the play focussing more on the Shylock subplot than the romantic main plot between Bassanio and Portia. Nowadays most people would consider Shylock to be a tragic hero and the most significant character in the play as a result.


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The author might have used an informal style to make the relationship between Felix and Antonio feel more relatable and authentic to readers. This can help create a sense of intimacy and closeness between the characters that might not have been as effectively conveyed with a more formal tone.


Who are the main characters in merchant of Venice?

Antonio: A Venetian merchant of considerable wealth, he makes his money from "ventures", or mercantile enterprises using his fleet of ships. Much liked by his friends, Salanio, Gratiano and Salarino, Antonio is owed money by his friend Bassanio. The title of this play is considered to be derived from this character as well as the character of Shylock.Bassanio: The romantic lead of this play. He aims to successfully court the fair Portia. Her marriage will give him the money he needs to pay off his large debts to friend Antonio and so his courtship of Portia is also an attempt to pay off his debts.Shylock: A successful Jewish moneylender who is much maligned over his religion and the practice of moneylenders such as himself of charging interest. He lends the 3000 ducats Bassanio needs to court Portia and hopefully, pay off his debts to Antonio. There is however a catch; if the debt is not repaid, Antonio as security will forfeit one pound of his flesh. It is Shylock who is responsible for the immortal lines, "If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" (Act III, Scene I, Lines 63-72).Tubul: Friend of Shylock. Dispatched by Shylock to find his daughter, he tells Shylock of the loss of Antonio's ships. This lets Shylock realize that Antonio has now forfeited his debt.Portia: The heroine of this play, Portia is a wealthy and beautiful women who is desired by many, so much so that her father has devised an ingenious test all suitors must perform to win her hand in marriage. This consists of a suitor choosing one of three chests in which her portrait lies. Far from being merely beautiful, Portia also possesses a sharp mind, one, which saves Antonio from doom at the hands of Shylock.Nerissa: As Portia's waiting-maid, she tends to Portia and also helps Portia save Antonio's life. She later marries Bassanio's friend Gratiano.Gratiano: A good friend of Bassanio, he marries Nerissa after falling in love with her at Portia's palace. Bassanio describes him as talkative, saying; "Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice" (Act I, Scene I, Lines 114).The Prince of Morocco: This suitor is responsible for the expression "All that glitters is not gold; / Often have you heard that told:" (Act II, Scene VII, Lines 65-73). As one of Portia's suitors, he reads this upon choosing the gold casket, which is the wrong one and loses the right to marry Portia.The Prince of Arragon: This suitor also fails to win the fair Portia's hand in marriage when he incorrectly chooses the silver casket.Lorenzo: A close friend of both Bassanio and Antonio, his eloping with Shylock's daughter Jessica, results in part on Shylock's merciless insistence on his pound of flesh when Antonio forfeits Bassanio's debt.Jessica: The daughter of Shylock, her eloping with the "Christian" Lorenzo and her stealing of his property, angers Shylock greatly.Salarino and Salanio: Friends of Antonio who attempt to cheer him up in Act I, Scene I.The Duke of Venice: As judge over the court case between Shylock and Antonio, he has the power to pardon a death sentence. In the play, he is put in a difficult position by Shylock; he doesn't want Antonio to die, but to ignore Shylock's legal rights would be to place all of Venice in disrepute as a place to conduct business.Launcelot Gobbo: A clown and servant to Shylock, he later aids in the escape of Jessica from Shylock and works for Bassanio.Old Gobbo: Launcelot's father, who is blind.Balthazar and Stephano: Servants of Portia.Leonardo: Servant of Bassanio.