The Merchant of Venice summary in English. Bassanio makes the right choice

The Venetian merchant Antonio is sad for no reason. Close friends Salanio and Salarino suggest that it’s all about unrequited love or ordinary worry about ships with goods. Antonio rejects these options.

Bassanio's closest friend and relative asks Antonio for money to go to Belmont to see his beloved Portia. He is confident that the matchmaking will be successful. Antonio does not have money to give to a friend and he offers to take out a loan in his name.

And Portia says to the maid that she has no right to choose her groom. Anyone who can guess which casket contains her portrait will become a husband, such is the will of the father. There are three such caskets - silver, lead and gold. No matter what suitors the maid suggests, they are all venomously ridiculed by Portia, only Bassanio evokes tender memories in her.

Bassanio, meanwhile, takes three thousand ducats from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Antonio acts as guarantor. If Bassanio does not return the money after a month, then Shylock wants to receive a pound of the guarantor’s meat for the penalty. And Shylock hated Antonio because he despised him, and therefore he will offer such a deal. Antonio was confident that the ships would arrive on time, and he would give the money at the right time.

Jessica is ashamed of the profession of her father Shylock, and therefore conveys a secret letter to her beloved Lorenzo through the servant Launcelot. The letter contains an escape plan.

Jessica disguises herself as a page and escapes, taking her father's jewelry and money. Gratiano and Bassanio hastily sail to Belmote.

Meanwhile, suitors come to Portia to woo her, among them the Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Aragon. They take an oath that they will no longer woo any girl if they cannot give the correct answer, but none of them can guess which casket contains Portia’s portrait.

Shylock, having learned about his daughter's act, becomes furious, Salani and Salario do not lose the opportunity to make fun of him. And they say that even if Antonio’s ships do not arrive on time, the moneylender still will not take meat from him, what will it be good for him? But the enraged Shylock decided to go to the end and take revenge for his shame and the obstacle in his affairs. When the two friends leave, his servant Tubal comes to the moneylender. His news is not comforting - he could not find his runaway daughter. All he managed to find out was that Jessica was squandering her father’s property, even the ring that Shylock’s dying wife gave her was exchanged by her daughter for a monkey. Father curses Jessica. His only consolation is the opportunity to pour out his grief and anger on Antonio.

Bassanio arrived at Belmont and, like the other applicants, must pass the test. Portia worries that he will make a mistake with his choice, but the lover chooses a lead casket containing a portrait of the girl, and preparations for the wedding begin.

Portia's maid Nerissa and Gratiano also fell in love and got married. Two girls give their grooms rings as a sign of love.

Having learned that the ships were lost, and Shylock demands payment of a penalty, Gratiano and Bassanio return to Venice.

Portia and the maid draw up her plan; she takes a man’s dress and papers from her cousin, a doctor of law, and goes to Belmont.

Shylock enjoys triumph, the law is completely on his side, and he does not want to receive material compensation even in double the amount, he will be cruel to the end, and it will not be possible to soften him, he is already sharpening his knife.

At this time, it is announced that Dr. Balthazar from Rome will conduct the trial. Portia, disguised as a Doctor, tries to pity Shylock, but to no avail and admits that the law is on his side. At the same time, the judge reminds the moneylender that he must take only meat, not blood, and, moreover, exactly one pound. If he violates the terms of the agreement, then, as a violator, he himself will be punished by law. Shylock understands that he cannot fulfill these conditions, and therefore he must give Antonio half of his property. Noble Antonio did not take advantage of this right, but the condition was that Lorenzo would receive this part after the death of Shylock, and the moneylender himself should convert to Christianity. The poor guy had to agree to all the conditions.

Dressed girls trick their husbands into giving them rings as payment for their work. In the evening, the girls accuse their husbands of giving their rings to other women and do not want to accept any excuses. They joke that they will share the bed with the scribe and the judge in order to return their rings, and then they say that they have already done this and show the jewelry as proof. The husbands are horrified, but the girls admit to their prank.

Antonio receives a letter with information that his ships are intact, and Jessica and Lorenzo receive a deed for their father's inheritance.

Anything can happen in a person's life, but if he has true friends, he will cope with all difficulties.

Picture or drawing of the Merchant of Venice

"The Merchant of Venice"

The Venetian merchant Antonio is tormented by causeless sadness. His friends, Salarino and Salanio, try to explain it by concern for ships with goods or unhappy love. But Antonio rejects both explanations. Accompanied by Gratiano and Lorenzo, Antonio's relative and closest friend, Bassanio, appears. Salarino and Salanio leave. The jokester Gratiano tries to cheer Antonio up, but when this fails (“The world is a stage where everyone has a role,” says Antonio, “mine is sad”), Gratiano leaves with Lorenzo. Alone with his friend, Bassanio admits that, leading a carefree lifestyle, he was left completely without funds and is forced to again ask Antonio for money to go to Belmont, the estate of Portia, a wealthy heiress, with whose beauty and virtues he is passionately in love and with the success of his matchmaking with which I am sure of. Antonio has no cash, but he invites his friend to find a loan in his name, Antonio.

Meanwhile, in Belmont, Portia complains to her maid Nerissa (“Little Black”) that, according to her father’s will, she cannot choose or reject a groom herself. Her husband will be the one who guesses, choosing from three caskets - gold, silver and lead, in which her portrait is located. Nerissa begins to list numerous suitors - Portia venomously ridicules each one. She remembers only Bassanio, the scientist and warrior who once visited her father, with tenderness.

In Venice, Bassanio asks the merchant Shylock to lend him three thousand ducats for three months under the guarantee of Antonio. Shylock knows that the entire fortune of the guarantor is entrusted to the sea. In a conversation with the appeared Antonio, whom he fiercely hates for his contempt for his people and for his occupation - usury, Shylock recalls the countless insults to which Antonio subjected him. But since Antonio himself lends without interest, Shylock, wanting to gain his friendship, will also give him a loan without interest, only on a comic collateral - a pound of Antonio’s meat, which Shylock can cut from any part of the merchant’s body as a penalty. Antonio is delighted by the pawnbroker's joke and kindness. Bassanio is full of forebodings and asks not to make a deal. Shylock assures that such a pledge will still not be of any use to him, and Antonio reminds him that his ships will arrive long before the due date.

The Prince of Morocco arrives at Portia's house to choose one of the caskets. He takes, as the conditions of the test require, an oath: if he fails, he will not marry any more women.

In Venice, Shylock's servant Launcelot Gobbo, constantly joking, convinces himself to run away from his master. Having met his blind father, he plays him for a long time, then initiates him into his intention to become a servant to Bassanio, known for his generosity. Bassanio agrees to accept Launcelot into his service. He also agrees to Gratiano’s request to take him with him to Belmont. At Shylock's house, Launcelot says goodbye to his former owner's daughter, Jessica. They exchange jokes. Jessica is ashamed of her father. Lancelot undertakes to secretly deliver a letter to Jessica's lover Lorenzo with a plan to escape from home. Dressed as a page and taking with her her father's money and jewelry, Jessica runs away with Lorenzo with the help of his friends Gratiano and Salarino. Bassanio and Gratiano hurry to sail with a fair wind to Belmont.

At Belmont, the Prince of Morocco chooses a gold box - a precious pearl, in his opinion, cannot be enclosed in another frame - with the inscription: “With me you will receive what many desire.” But it does not contain a portrait of a beloved, but a skull and edifying poems. The prince is forced to leave.

In Venice, Salarino and Salanio make fun of Shylock's rage after learning that his daughter robbed him and ran away with a Christian. “Oh my daughter! My ducats! Daughter / Ran away with a Christian! The Christian ducats have disappeared! Where is the court? - Shylock groans. At the same time, they discuss out loud that one of Antonio's ships sank in the English Channel.

A new contender appears in Belmont - the Prince of Aragon. He chooses a silver casket with the inscription: “With me you will get what you deserve.” It contains an image of a stupid face and mocking poetry. The prince leaves. The servant reports the arrival of a young Venetian and the rich gifts he has sent. Nerissa hopes that it is Bassanio.

Salarino and Salanio discuss the new losses of Antonio, whose nobility and kindness both admire. When Shylock appears, they first mock his losses, then express confidence that if Antonio defaults on the bill, the moneylender will not demand his meat: what is it good for? In response, Shylock says: “He has disgraced me,<…>hindered my affairs, cooled my friends, inflamed my enemies; and what was his reason for this? The one that I'm Jewish. Doesn't a Jew have eyes?<…>If you prick us, don't we bleed?<…>If we are poisoned, don’t we die? And if we are insulted, shouldn’t we take revenge?<…>You teach us vileness, I will fulfill it...”

Salarino and Salario leave. The Jew Tubal appears, whom Shylock sent in search of his daughter. But Tubal could not find her. He only retells rumors about Jessica's extravagance. Shylock is horrified by the losses. Having learned that his daughter exchanged the ring given to him by his late wife for a monkey, Shylock sends a curse to Jessica. The only thing that consoles him is the rumors about Antonio's losses, on whom he firmly intends to take out his anger and grief.

At Belmont, Portia persuades Bassanio to hesitate in making a choice, she is afraid of losing him if he makes a mistake. Bassanio wants to immediately try his luck. Exchanging witty remarks, young people confess their love to each other. They bring in the caskets. Bassanio rejects gold and silver - external shine is deceptive. He chooses a lead casket with the inscription: “With me you will give everything, risking everything you have” - it contains a portrait of Portia and a poetic congratulation. Portia and Bassanio are preparing for their wedding, as are Nerissa and Gratiano, who have fallen in love with each other. Portia gives the groom a ring and takes an oath from him to keep it as a pledge of mutual love. Nerissa gives the same gift to the betrothed. Lorenzo and Jessica appear and the messenger who brought a letter from Antonio appears. The merchant reports that all his ships were lost, he is ruined, the bill to the moneylender is overdue, Shylock demands payment of a monstrous penalty. Antonio asks his friend not to blame himself for his misfortunes, but to come see him before he dies. Portia insists that the groom immediately go to help the Friend, offering Shylock any money for his life. Bassanio and Gratiano go to Venice.

In Venice, Shylock revels in the thought of revenge - after all, the law is on his side. Antonio understands that the law cannot be broken, he is ready for inevitable death and only dreams of seeing Bassanio.

In Belmont, Portia entrusts her estate to Lorenzo, and she and her maid retire supposedly to a monastery to pray. In fact, she is going to Venice. She sends the servant to Padua to her cousin, Doctor of Law Bellario, who must provide her with papers and a man’s dress. Launcelot makes fun of Jessica and her adoption of Christianity. Lorenzo, Jessica and Launcelot exchange humorous remarks, trying to outdo each other in wit.

Shylock enjoys his triumph in court. The Doge's calls for mercy, Bassanio's offers to pay double the debt - nothing softens his cruelty. In response to reproaches, he refers to the law and, in turn, reproaches Christians for the fact that they have slavery. The Doge asks to introduce Doctor Bellario, with whom he wants to consult before making a decision. Bassanio and Antonio try to cheer each other up. Everyone is ready to sacrifice themselves. Shylock sharpens his knife. The scribe enters. This is Nerissa in disguise. In the letter she transmitted, Bellario, citing ill health, recommends to the Doge his young but unusually learned colleague, Doctor Balthasar from Rome, to conduct the trial. The Doctor is, of course, Portia in disguise. She first tries to appease Shylock, but, having been refused, admits that the law is on the side of the moneylender. Shylock extols the wisdom of the young judge. Antonio says goodbye to his friend. Bassanio is in despair. He is ready to sacrifice everything, even his beloved wife, if only it would save Antonio. Graziano is ready for the same. Shylock condemns the fragility of Christian marriages. He is ready to begin his disgusting business. At the last moment, the “judge” stops him, reminding him that he must take only the merchant’s meat, without shedding a drop of blood, and exactly a pound, no more, no less. If these conditions are violated, a cruel punishment awaits him according to the law, Shylock agrees to pay triple the amount of the debt - the judge refuses: there is not a word about this in the bill, the Jew has already refused the money before the court. Shylock agrees to pay only one debt - again a refusal. Moreover, according to Venetian laws, for an attempt on the life of a citizen of the republic, Shylock must give him half of his property, the second goes as a fine to the treasury, and the life of the criminal depends on the mercy of the Doge. Shylock refuses to ask for mercy. And yet his life is spared, and the requisition is replaced with a fine. The generous Antonio refuses his half on the condition that after Shylock's death it will be bequeathed to Lorenzo. However, Shylock must immediately convert to Christianity and bequeath all his property to his daughter and son-in-law. Shylock, in desperation, agrees to everything. As a reward, the supposed judges swindle rings out of their duped husbands.

On a moonlit night in Belmont, Lorenzo and Jessica, preparing for the return of their owners, order the musicians to play in the garden.

Portia, Nerissa, their husbands, Gratiano, Antonio converge in the night garden. After an exchange of pleasantries, it turns out that the young husbands have lost the rings they gave them. Wives insist that the pledges of their love were given to women, husbands swear that this is not so, make excuses with all their might - all in vain. Continuing the prank, the women promise to share the bed with the judge and his scribe in order to return their gifts. Then they report that this has already happened and show the rings. The husbands are terrified. Portia and Nerissa admit to the prank. Portia hands Antonio a letter that fell into her hands, informing her that all his ships are intact. Nerissa gives Lorenzo and Jessica the deed by which Shylock denies them all his wealth. Everyone goes to the house to find out the details of the adventures of Portia and Nerissa.

The Venetian merchant Antonio was enveloped in sadness. Salanio and Salarino, friends of the merchant, begin to list options that could upset their friend, but none of their options are suitable. They leave, but Antonio's friend Bassanio comes. He asks to borrow money so that he can go to Belmont to a rich heiress, with whom he is very much in love and intends to marry her. The merchant does not have any cash on him, and he invites his friend to take a cash loan from his Antonio - the amount he needs for travel and matchmaking.

In Belmont, Portia's maid Nerisse listens to her mistress's complaints about the suitors. The father bequeathed that Portia had no right to reject or choose a groom. If a person comes to woo and guesses in which of the three caskets her photograph is hidden, then according to her father’s will he will become her husband. Only one Bassanio attracted the girl's heart, whom she saw with her father when Bassanio came to visit him. The Prince of Morocco nails it to try his luck with the caskets. He is informed that, according to the condition, if he does not find the portrait, he loses the right to woo women. Having weighed everything, he, based on his opinion about values, chooses a gold box. But he doesn’t find Portia’s portrait in her when he dug it up, and is forced to hoot, disappointed, with the lady.

Meanwhile, in Venice, Launcelot Gobbo, serving the moneylender Shylock, decides to leave his master and serve, as far as the rumors are true, the good Bassanio. He takes Launcelot into his service and agrees to take him with him to Belmont. Shylock's daughter Jessica, who does not like her father's business, runs away from home with her beloved Lorenzo, taking with her some money and her father's jewelry.

Another groom comes to Portia in Belmont - the Prince of Aragon, but he also fails. Here the servant informs the mistress that a ship from Venice has arrived at the port, on board which is Bassanio, who wants to woo the princess. Portia is very afraid that her betrothed will not be able to choose the right casket, and tries to dissuade him or at least wait. A very serious and cordial conversation breaks out between them, at the end of which they confess their love to each other. Unable to bear it any longer, Basanio asks to bring in the caskets. They are made of three types: gold, silver and lead. Thinking that one needs to put aside the external shine in feelings, Bassanio opens the lead one and takes out a portrait of Portia from it. The girl is immensely happy that her beloved has completed the task and the newlyweds are announcing their engagement. Jessica and Lorenzo come to Bassanio, who brought a message from Antonio that all his ships sank, not one reached the shore, he became a beggar, was late in paying his debt to Shylock, for which he demands a huge penalty. Portia insists that if it were not for Antonio, she would not have met her beloved, and insists that Bassanio return to his friend and pay off all his debts to Shylock. Everything ends well and Antonio becomes free. They travel to Belmonte, where their arrival is already awaited. Portia provides Antonio with a letter saying that all his merchant ships are intact, and Jessica with a deed in which her father transfers his entire fortune to her.

The Venetian merchant Antonio is tormented by causeless sadness. His friends, Salarino and Salanio, try to explain it by concern for ships with goods or unhappy love. But Antonio rejects both explanations. Accompanied by Gratiano and Lorenzo, Antonio's relative and closest friend, Bassanio, appears. Salarino and Salanio leave. The jokester Gratiano tries to cheer up Antonio, but when this fails (“The world is a stage where everyone has a role,” says Antonio, “mine is sad”), Gratiano leaves with Lorenzo. Alone with his friend, Bassanio admits that, leading a carefree lifestyle, he was left completely without funds and is forced to again ask Antonio for money to go to Belmont, the estate of Portia, a wealthy heiress, with whose beauty and virtues he is passionately in love and with the success of his matchmaking with which I am sure of. Antonio has no cash, but he invites his friend to find a loan in his name, Antonio.

In Venice, Bassanio asks the merchant Shylock to lend him three thousand ducats for three months under the guarantee of Antonio. Shylock knows that the entire fortune of the guarantor is entrusted to the sea. In a conversation with the appeared Antonio, whom he fiercely hates for his contempt for his people and for his occupation - usury, Shylock recalls the countless insults to which Antonio subjected him. But since Antonio himself lends without interest, Shylock, wanting to gain his friendship, will also give him a loan without interest, only on a comic collateral - a pound of Antonio's meat, which Shylock can cut from any part of the merchant's body as a penalty. Antonio is delighted by the pawnbroker's joke and kindness. Bassanio is full of forebodings and asks not to make a deal. Shylock assures that such a pledge will still not be of any use to him, and Antonio reminds him that his ships will arrive long before the due date.

The Prince of Morocco arrives at Portia's house to choose one of the caskets. He gives, as the conditions of the test require, an oath: if he fails, he will not marry any more women.

In Venice, Shylock's servant Launcelot Gobbo, constantly joking, convinces himself to run away from his master. Having met his blind father, he plays him for a long time, then initiates him into his intention to become a servant to Bassanio, known for his generosity. Bassanio agrees to accept Launcelot into his service. He also agrees to Gratiano’s request to take him with him to Belmont. At Shylock's house, Launcelot says goodbye to the former owner's daughter, Jessica. They exchange jokes. Jessica is ashamed of her father. Lancelot undertakes to secretly deliver a letter to Jessica's lover Lorenzo with a plan to escape from home.

CHARACTERS Doge of Venice. Prince of Morocco) Suitors of Portia Prince of Aragon Antonio, Venetian merchant. Bassanio, his friend. Salanio | Salarino | friends Antonio Graziano) and Bassanio. Salerio | Lorenzo, in love with Jessica. Shylock, a rich Jew. Tubal, a Jew, is his friend. Launcelot Gobbo, jester, servant of Shylock. Old Gobbo, Launcelot's father. Leonardo, servant of Bassanio. Balthasar) servant of Portia. Stefano Portia, wealthy heiress. Nerissa, her servant. Jessica, daughter of Shylock. Venetian senators, members of the court, the jailer, Portia's servants and others. The action takes place partly in Venice, partly in Belmont, Portia's estate on the mainland. ACT I SCENE 1 Venice. Street. Enter Antonio, Salarino and Salanio. ANTONIO I don't know why I'm so sad. This is a burden to me; I hear you too. But where I caught sadness, found it or got it. What constitutes what will give birth to her - I would like to know! My senseless sadness is my fault, That it is difficult for me to recognize myself. Salarino You rush in spirit across the ocean, Where your majestic ships, Like the rich and nobles of the waters, Or the magnificent procession of the sea, Look with contempt at the small merchants, Who bow low to them with respect, When they fly on woven wings. Salanio Believe me, if I took such a risk, Almost all the feelings would be mine - With my hope. I would constantly Pluck grass to know where the wind is coming from, Look for harbors and bays on maps; Any object that could foreshadow my failure would undoubtedly make me sad. Salarino Cooling my soup with my breath, I would tremble with a fever at the thought of what a hurricane can do in the sea; I could not see the hourglass without remembering the shoals and reefs; I would imagine the ship stuck in the sand, its head bowed lower than its sides, to kiss its grave! In the church, Looking at the stones of the saint’s building, How could I not remember the dangerous rocks, That, barely pushing my fragile ship, All the spices would be scattered into the water And the waves would clothe me in my silks - Well, in a word, that my wealth became Nothing ? And could I think about this, without thinking that if this happened, I would have to be sad? Don't say, I know: Antonio is sad, worried about his goods. ANTONIO No, believe me: I thank fate - I entrusted my risk to more than one ship, Not to one place; My fortune is not measured by the current year: I am not sad because of my goods. Salarino Then you are in love. ANTONIO Empty! Salarino Not in love? So let's say: you are sad. Because you are sad, that’s all! You could laugh, repeating: “I’m cheerful, Because I’m not sad!” Two-faced Janus! I swear to you, nature will give birth to strange People: some stare and laugh, Like a parrot hearing bagpipes; Others look like vinegar, sour, so they won’t show their teeth in a smile, swear by Nestor himself that the joke is funny! Enter Bassanio, Lorenzo and Gratiano. Salanio Here is your noble kinsman Bassanio; Gratiano and Lorenzo are with him. Farewell! We will leave you in better company. Salarino I would stay to cheer you up, But now I see those who are dearer to you. ANTONIO Your price is dear in my eyes. It seems to me that business is calling you And you are glad to have an excuse to leave. Salarino Hello, gentlemen. Bassanio Signori, but when will we laugh? When? You have somehow become unsociable! Salarino We are ready to share your leisure time with you. Salarino and Salanio leave. Lorenzo (to Bassanio) Signor, since you have found Antonio, We will leave you; but please, by dinnertime, don’t forget where we should meet. Bassanio I'll probably come. Graziano Signor Antonio, you look bad; You are too concerned about the blessings of the world. Whoever buys them with excessive labor loses them. How you have changed! Antonio I consider the world what it is, Gratiano: The world is a stage where everyone has a role; Mine is sad. Gratiano Give me the role of the jester! Let me be covered in wrinkles from laughter; It is better to let your liver burn from wine than to let your heart freeze from heavy sighs. Why should a person with warm blood sit like a marble ancestor? To sleep in reality or to suffer from jaundice From irritation? Listen, Antonio: I love you; Love speaks in me. There are people whose faces are covered with a film, like the surface of a swamp: They keep deliberately still, so that the general rumor ascribes to them Seriousness, wisdom and deep intelligence. And it’s as if they are telling us: “I am an oracle, When I speak, let the dog not bark!” Oh my Antonio! I know people who are considered wise only because they don’t say anything, whereas, having spoken, they would torment the ears of those who, hearing them, would call their neighbors fools, right. - Yes, more about that later. But don’t use the bait of sadness to catch such glory as a pathetic little fish! - Let's go, Lorenzo. - Well, goodbye for now! I’ll finish the sermon after having lunch. Lorenzo So, we'll leave you until lunch. I’ll have to be such a Silent sage: Gratiano won’t let me speak! Gratiano Yes, live with me for two years - You will forget the sound of your voice. ANTONIO Well, for you I'll become a talker! Gratiano Excellent: after all, silence is good In smoked tongues and in pure virgins. Gratiano and Lorenzo leave. ANTONIO Where is the meaning in his words? Bassanio Gratiano says an infinite amount of nonsense, more than anyone in Venice; his reasoning is two grains of wheat hidden in two measures of chaff. To find them, you have to search all day, but when you find them, you will see that it was not worth looking for. ANTONIO Well, okay. Tell me - who is the lady to whom you made a vow to go to worship? You promised me. Bassanio It is well known to you, Antonio, how much I have upset my affairs, leading a much more luxurious lifestyle than the modesty of my means allowed. I don’t complain that I have to reduce my luxurious lifestyle: my only concern is how to honorably get out of the big debts into which extravagance has gotten me into. I, Antonio, owe you more than anyone else - Both money and friendship. This friendship guarantees me that I can boldly reveal to you my intentions and plans, how to completely clear myself of debts. ANTONIO Tell me everything, my good Bassanio; And if your plans, like yourself, Agree with honor, - I assure you, My wallet, myself, my all means - Everything is open to help you. Bassanio Even in my school days, having lost an arrow, I immediately followed it with another, - And at the same target, watching only more diligently, - To find the first; Having risked two, I often found both. I take an example from childhood - so my plan is innocent. I owe you a lot; like a reckless boy, I lost it all. But if you decide to send a second arrow after the first, I have no doubt that, aiming accurately, I will either find both, or return the second, grateful for the first while remaining in debt. ANTONIO You know me; Don't waste your time Looking for a roundabout way to my love. You upset me more by doubting my strongest feeling than if you ruined me into dust. Just tell me what needs to be done and what you think I can do, - and I’m ready for anything. So say it! Bassanio The rich heiress lives at Belmont; beauty - twice as beautiful with high virtue; sometimes Her eyes silently sent greetings to me. Her name is Portia; she is not inferior to the Wife of Brutus, daughter of Cato. Everyone knows her value: from different countries the Four Winds bring Seekers to her. And the sunny curls glow like golden fleece; They are turning Belmont into Colchis, and Jason is not the only one striving there. Oh, if I had the opportunity, Antonio, To compete with any of them with dignity, - My soul predicts to me That I will undoubtedly win. ANTONIO You know, my whole destiny is at sea: I have neither money nor goods to obtain capital; Go and find out what my credit can do in Venice. I will squeeze it out to the limit, so that I can send you to Portia in Belmont. Go, we will both find out where the money is: we will find it, without a doubt, on my credit or in the form of a favor. They leave. SCENE 2 Belmont. A room in Portia's house. Portia and Nerissa enter. PORTIA To tell the truth, Nerissa, my little person is tired of this big world. Nerissa This would be the case, my dear lady, if you had as many misfortunes as happiness. But, apparently, the one who eats too much gets sick in the same way as the one who suffers from hunger. Therefore, happiness lies in the golden mean: excess is more likely to lead to gray hair than moderation, which leads to longevity. PORTIA Excellent moral teachings, and beautifully spoken. Nerissa They would be even better if they were performed as they should. PORTIA If things were so easy as knowing what to do, chapels would become temples, and poor huts royal palaces. A good priest is one who acts according to his own teachings. It is easier for me to teach twenty people how to act than to be one of these twenty and follow my own instructions. Reason can prescribe the laws of blood; but an ardent temperament leaps over all cold rules. Youth is a crazy hare that jumps over the trap of crippled prudence. But all these arguments will not help me choose a husband! Poor me! "Choose"! I dare not choose the one I want, nor refuse the one I don’t like: the will of the living daughter is enslaved by the will of the deceased father! Isn’t it cruel, Nerissa, that I neither choose nor reject a leg? Nerissa Your father has always been a virtuous man, and people with pure souls sometimes have a good epiphany in their dying moments: since he came up with a lottery for your mouth - three caskets, gold, silver and lead, and the one who guesses his thought will get you - so believe me , the one who truly loves will probably guess. But tell me: do you have any inclination towards at least one of the royal suitors who arrived? PORTIA Please call them by name; As you name them, I will describe them to you, and from my descriptions you will be able to judge the degree of my inclination. Nerissa First, the Prince of Naples. PORTIA Oh, he's a real colt: he talks only about his horse and considers his main talent to be that he can shoe it himself. I’m afraid that his most serene mother may have sinned with some blacksmith. Nerissa Then the Count Palatine. PORTIA This one only knows that he frowns and wants to say: “If you don’t want me, it’s your choice.” He listens to the funniest stories without smiling. Since he is so indecently gloomy in his youth, I am afraid that in his old age he will turn into a crying philosopher. Yes, I would sooner marry a dead head with a bone in its teeth than one of them. Lord, save me from both! Nerissa What can you say about the French nobleman, Monsieur Le Bon? PORTIA Since God made him, let him be considered a man. Really, I know that mocking is a sin. But this one! Yes, he has a better horse than the Neapolitan; he knows how to frown disgustingly better than the Count Palatine; he is everything and no one. As soon as the blackbird sings, he is ready to jump... He is happy to fence with his own shadow. If I had married him, I would have married twenty husbands at once. If he had despised me, I would have forgiven him for it, because if he had loved me madly, I would never have loved him back. Nerissa Well, what can you say about Fauconbridge, the young English baron? PORTIA You know, I can't say anything about him or him, because neither he understands me, nor I him. He speaks neither Latin, nor French, nor Italian, and you can safely swear in court that I don’t know a penny of English. He is the epitome of a decent man; but, alas, who can talk to a mute figure? And how strangely he dresses! I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his wide trousers in France, his hat in Germany, and his manners in all the countries of the world. Nerissa What do you think about the Scottish lord, his neighbor? PORTIA That he has a neighborly charity in him: he received a loan of a slap from an Englishman, and swore that he would give it back at the first opportunity. It seems that the Frenchman was his guarantor and signed for him. Nerissa How do you like the young German, nephew of the Duke of Saxony? PORTIA He is disgusting in the morning when he is sober, and even more disgusting in the afternoon when he is drunk. In his best moments he is a little worse than a man, and in his worst moments he is a little better than an animal. In the worst case scenario, I will try to get rid of him. Nerissa However, if he wishes to take part in the choice and guesses the casket correctly, you will have to agree to marry him, or you will violate the will of your father. Portion To avoid this, please place a large glass of Rhine wine on the non-winning box; and then - even if the devil himself is inside, and this temptation is outside - I know the German will choose him. I will do anything, Nerissa, just not to marry a sponge. Nerissa Don't be afraid, signora: you won't get any of all these gentlemen. They informed me of their decision: they intend to go home and no longer bother you with their advances, if it is impossible to win your hand in any other way than the one chosen by your father - with the help of these caskets. PORTIA If I live to see Sibyl's old age, I will die chaste like Diana, if no one can have me as my father wanted. But I am very glad that this batch of suitors turned out to be so prudent, because among them there is no one whom I would sincerely regret; and I ask the creator to grant them a happy path. Nerissa Do you remember, signora, when your father was still alive, one Venetian: he was a scientist and a warrior - he came to us with the Marquis of Montferrat? PORTIA Oh, yes. It was Bassanio. I think that was his name? Nerissa That's right, signora. Of all the people my stupid eyes have looked at, he is more worthy than the beautiful signora. PORTIA I remember him well; and I remember that he is fully worthy of your praise. A servant enters. What is there? What's the news? Servant Four foreigners are looking for you, signora, to say goodbye to you. And, in addition, a messenger arrived from the fifth - the Prince of Morocco; he reports that the prince, his master, will be here this evening. PORTIA If I could say “hello” to this fifth as readily as I say “farewell” to those four, I would be glad of his arrival. If he had the temperament of a saint and the face of a devil, it would be better if he took me as his spiritual daughter than as his wife! Let's go, Nerissa. - You go forward. We’ll lock up only one, the other is already at the gate! They leave. SCENE 3 Venice. Square. Enter Bassanio and Shylock. Shylock Three thousand ducats? Fine. Bassanio Yes, sir, for three months. Shylock For three months? Fine. BASSANIO Antonio, as I have already said, will vouch for me. Will Shylock Antonio guarantee the bill? Fine. Bassanio Can you help me? Do you want to oblige me? May I know your answer? Shylock Three thousand ducats for three months and with the guarantee of Antonio? Bassanio What is your answer? Shylock Antonio is a good man. Bassanio Have you ever heard of him that this is not so? Shylock Oh, no, no, no, no! By the words “he is a good person,” I want to say that he, you know, is a wealthy person. However, his capital is all about hope. He has one ship sailing to Tripoli, another to India; In addition, on Rialto I heard that he now has a third in Mexico, a fourth in England, and the rest of the ships are also scattered all over the world. But ships are only planks, and sailors are only people; but there are also earth rats and water rats, and land thieves and water thieves, that is, pirates; and in addition - dangers from water, wind and rocks. Despite this, he is a wealthy man... Three thousand chervonets... Perhaps his bill can be taken. Bassanio Be sure that it is possible. Shylock I want to be sure that it is possible; and to be sure, I need to think it over. Can I talk to Antonio? Bassanio Would you like to dine with us? Shylock Yes? To smell pork? Is there a vessel into which your Nazarene prophet drove demons with spells? I will buy from you, sell to you, walk with you, talk with you, etc., but I will not eat, drink, or pray with you. - What's new at Rialto? Who's coming? Antonio enters. Bassanio Here comes Signor Antonio. Shylock (aside) What a truly sweet-looking publican! I hate him as a Christian, but more so because in pitiful simplicity he lends money without interest and reduces the rate of growth in Venice. Oh, if only I could grab him in the side! I will satiate the ancient enmity. He hates our sacred people And in the gatherings of merchants he reviles Me, my deeds, my honest profit Calls usury. Damn my whole family if I forgive him! Bassanio Well, what then, Shylock? Shylock I'm discussing my cash supply; Having estimated from memory, I see that I cannot immediately collect the entire amount of three thousand chervonets. What is it? Tubal, a Jew, my rich kinsman, will help me. But wait! What time period suits you? (To Antonio.) Hello, good sir; We were just talking about you. ANTONIO I, Shylock, do not give or take in order to pay or collect interest, - But in order to help a special need of a Friend, I will break the rule. (To Bassanio.) Does he know how much you need? Shylock Yes, three thousand ducats. ANTONIO And for three months. Shylock Forgot! Three months: you said so. And the bill is yours. Let's think... But here's what: You said that you don't take loans and don't give on interest? ANTONIO Yes, never. Shylock When Jacob was tending Laban's sheep (this Jacob to Saint Abraham - So his mother arranged it wisely - He was the third successor... So... yes, the third...). ANTONIO What does this have to do with it? Did he take interest? Shylock No, not interest... That is, not interest In the literal meaning of the word; but notice what he did: he agreed with Laban that he would receive all the mottled lambs. When the sheep, full of desire, sometimes went to the rams in the autumn And the work of conception began Between this lush-haired breed, - The cunning man peeled off the branches with a pattern And at the very moment of conception He placed them in front of the conceiving womb; Having conceived in this way, they bore offspring entirely variegated; Jacob got everything. This is the path to profit - it is blessed... Blessed is the profit if it is not stolen! Antonio Jacob was helped by a lucky chance; The outcome did not depend on him at all: It was planned and accomplished by heaven. Was your story to justify the interest? Or is your money sheep and rams? Shylock I don't know; I'll put them down just as quickly. But listen, sir... Antonio Note, Bassanio: The sacred text leads to need and the devil. A vicious soul, if it refers to a shrine, looks like a villain With a smile on his lips, or like a beautiful, ruddy fruit with a rotten core. Oh, how beautiful lies can be to look at! Shylock Three thousand ducats! The jackpot is considerable... Three months... And how many per annum? ANTONIO Well, Shylock, do you want to oblige us? Shylock Signor Antonio, many times and often in Rialto you reviled me Because of my money and interest. I bore everything with a resigned shrug of the shoulders: Patience is our kind of sign. You called me an evil dog, an infidel, You spat on my Jewish caftan Because I was only using my own. So; but now, as you can see, you need me. Well! You come to me, say: “We need money, Shylock”... Is it you, you asking, who spat in my face, kicked me like a dog, from your porch? You need money! What should I tell you? Shouldn't I tell you; “Where are the dogs’ money? How can a dog lend three thousand ducats?” Or, bowing low, in a slavish tone, Barely breathing and with trembling humility, Say: “Sir, you spat on me on Wednesday, On such and such a day you gave me a kick, after that You called me a dog; and now, for these caresses I will lend you money ". ANTONIO I'm ready to call you that again, And spit on you, and kick you. If you want to give us money, then give it not as friends. When does friendship seek offspring from barren metal? Rather, lend them to an enemy, so that if you go bankrupt, you can calmly collect from him. Shylock Look how you flared up! I want to be your friend, to gain affection, to forget the shame with which I was branded, to help you and not take a penny from you. Interest - you don’t want to listen. I speak out of the kindness of my heart. Bassanio By kindness? Shylock I will prove it: Go with me to the notary and write a bill of exchange; in the form of a joke, - When you do not pay me exactly on such and such a day and there the amount of debt indicated, we will assign a penalty: A pound of your most beautiful meat, So that I can choose any part of the body And cut the meat wherever I wish. ANTONIO Very well, I will sign this bill; Moreover, I will say that the Jew was very kind. Bassanio No, you won’t give such a bill for me; no, I’d rather remain in need! ANTONIO Don't be afraid, dear friend, I won't be late. In the next two months - a month before the deadline, that means - I should receive ten times more than this amount. Shylock O Father Abraham! This is what all these Christians are like: their cruelty teaches them to suspect others too! Judge for yourself: if he is late, what good will this penalty do to me? A pound of human meat - from a person! - Not worth as much and not as useful as from a bull, ram or goat. I want to help so that I can earn mercy; He agrees - if you please; no - goodbye; Don't pay me with insults for friendship. ANTONIO Yes, Shylock, I will sign your bill. Shylock Let's meet at the notary. Prepare the playful bill from him, and I will go and collect the ducats; I will enter my house, left to the will of a careless servant, and very soon I will come to you. ANTONIO Go, good Jew. Shylock leaves. The Jew will come to Christ. He has become kinder! Bassanio I am afraid of sweet words from evil people. ANTONIO Let's go. All danger is far away: The ships will arrive thirty days before the deadline. They leave.

His name is “The Merchant of Venice”, the English name of which is “The Merchant of Venice”. Shakespeare scholars believe that the playwright wrote his masterpiece in 1596. The author defines the play as a comedy, but the tragedy of one of the main characters classifies the play as a drama. Presumably, the first production of the play was shown to a mass audience in 1598, and its first edition in print was published in 1600 under the title “The Most Excellent Story of the Merchant of Venice,” and then there was a decoding of the contents. It was also announced who wrote the play.

If we talk about its creation, when writing it, the author used the first short story from the collection “Pecorone”, the author of the short story is anonymous, and it dates back to the second half of the 14th century. The author's play seems to contain several hints at the sensational trials that took place with the court physician, who was one of the contenders for the Portuguese throne, but he lived in London. It was Rodrigo Lopez and Antonio Perez who, at one time, were accused of attempting to poison Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth's Chancellor, Lord Burley, receives two letters from them, which clearly indicate their acquaintance with the “Merchant of Venice,” which is what the enemy of the Essex monarchy was called.

Speaking about the play itself, the action in it takes place in both Venice and Belmont. The young rake Bassanio, who is constantly in debt, decides to marry the beautiful Portia. The girl is not only beautiful, but she is also rich. To make his dream come true, the scoundrel asks for help from his friend Antonio, who is a Venetian merchant. Antonio does not refuse his friend’s request and borrows money from a Jewish moneylender for this. The terms of the agreement between the parties were such that if the merchant did not return the money he borrowed on time, then Shylock, in order to repay the debt, received the right to cut a pound of meat from the merchant’s body.

Having received the required amount, Bassanio goes to the girl, where he has to guess the casket. According to the will of the girl’s father, her husband will be the one who correctly guesses the casket, and the rake copes with the task completely. Young people are getting married. Lorenzo also goes to the wedding, and Jessica, the daughter of a moneylender who escaped from the tyranny of her father, becomes his companion. Anthony's ships are wrecked, and the deadline for repaying the debt is inexorably approaching. Having learned the story of how the money was received, Bassanio rushes to the aid of his friend.

In order to resolve the dispute, the moneylender goes to court, which recognizes his claims for a penalty as legal. Representatives of Themis suggest that the moneylender be prudent and humane, however, due to the fact that he hated the young man, his decision remains unchanged. Portia and the maid, who secretly left their estate, under the guise of an expert on the laws and his secretary, come to the court hearing. And at this time, Portia turns the matter so that the moneylender turns from a plaintiff into an accused in the case of an attempt on the life of a Christian. The Jew, by the grace of the court, receives life, but he will be forced to give half of his fortune to Antonio. In addition, by court decision, Shylock must convert to Christianity.

In addition to the main characters of the play, it is represented by secondary characters of which there are about seventeen.

The play has been repeatedly staged by leading theaters and directors in the world since 1701. Among the directors, it should be noted John Granville and Charles Maclean, in his original interpretation of the play. The Weimar National Theater, the Japanese troupe Kawakami, the Dublin and Paris National Theaters, as well as many world-famous troupes turned to the great work of genius. Russia also did not stand aside. The first production of the merchant was staged at the Alexandrinsky Theater in 1860, and the Maly Theater first turned to staging the creation of a genius in 1877. The play was performed on many stages of the former Soviet Union. Famous Russian actors have been involved in the play over the years, among whom I would like to mention I. S. Platon, O. L. Knipper, M. F. Lenin, A. I. Peltzer.

Also, over the years, film adaptations of the play were carried out, the first of which took place in 1911 in Italy. The play “The Merchant of Venice” is still relevant today and attracts true connoisseurs of performing arts.

The Merchant of Venice summary in English. Bassanio makes the right choice

Picture or drawing of the Merchant of Venice

Other retellings for the reader's diary

"The Merchant of Venice"