List of characters: Shylock A Jewish moneylender in Venice.

Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice s Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by ruthlessly demanding as payment a pound of Antonio s flesh. Portia- A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portia s beauty is matched only by her intelligence. Antonio- The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock s contract and almost lose his life. Antonio is something of a mercurial figure, often inexplicably melancholy and, as Shylock points out, possessed of an incorrigible dislike of Jews. Bassanio- A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and dear friend to Antonio. Bassanio s love for the wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. Gratiano - A friend of Bassanio s who accompanies him to Belmont. A coarse and garrulous young man, Gratiano is Shylock s most vocal and insulting critic during the trial. Jessica - Although she is Shylock s daughter, Jessica hates life in her father s house, and elopes with the young Christian gentleman, Lorenzo. Lorenzo - A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, Lorenzo is in love with Shylock s daughter, Jessica. Nerissa - Portia s lady-in-waiting and confidante. She marries Gratiano and escorts Portia on Portia s trip to Venice by disguising herself as her law clerk. Launcelot Gobbo - Bassanio s servant. The prince of Morocco -A Moorish prince who seeks Portia s hand in marriage. The prince of Arragon - An arrogant Spanish nobleman who also attempts to win Portia s hand by picking a casket. Salarino -A Venetian gentleman and friend to Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo. Salarino escorts the newlyweds Jessica and Lorenzo to Belmont, and returns with Bassanio and Gratiano for Antonio s trial. He is often almost indistinguishable from his companion Solanio. Solanio -a Venetian gentleman and frequent counterpart to Salarino. The duke of Venice - The ruler of Venice, who presides over Antonio s trial. Although a powerful man, the duke s state is built on respect for the law, and he is unable to help Antonio. Old Gobbo - Launcelot s father, also a servant in Venice. Tubal - A Jew in Venice, and one of Shylock s friends. Doctor Bellario - A wealthy Paduan lawyer and Portia s cousin. Doctor Bellario never appears in the play, but he gives Portia s servant the letters of introduction needed for her to make her appearance in court.

Balthasar - Portia s servant, whom she dispatches to get the appropriate materials from Doctor Bellario.

Five words in the book that I have learnt 1) Fulsome- fat 2) Knave- servant 3) Anon- at once 4) Fraught- laden 5) Tarry- stay What kind of book is this? It is a fictional play. First, it is not real. Second, the book consists of acts and not chapters. Tell in your own words the beginning of the book. Bassanio has has fallen in love with Portia, a rich heiressfrom Belmont, and hopes to win her heart by holding his own with her otherwealthy and powerful suitors. In order to woo Portia, however, Bassanio says heneeds to borrow more money from Antonio. Antonio replies that he cannot giveBassanio another loan, as all his money is tied up in his present businessventures, but offers to guarantee any loan Bassanio can round up. What has the title got to do with the book? The title of this book is Merchant of Venice . In the book, Antonio is the merchant of Venice; he was the one who lent money to Bassanio. What changes would have been made to the book 200 years ago? In the book, there are many instances of trade. gold , exports are some words of modern day. So, 200 years ago, instead of dealing with money, it would be dealing with primitive stuff such as the lending of animals etc. What lesson did I learn from the story? I learnt not to lend money to others at will even if you are rich. Also, never be the guarantor of anyone s debt, even if it is your own kin, as it will bring about major consequences. For example, in the book, the consequence is a pound of flesh being removed from Antonio s body.

Did the book remind anything that has happened to you before? This book reminded me of an incident that has happened a few years back. One of my friends striked a deal with me that if he gave me all his cash in Maplestory, I would have to lend me homework for one year. However, he was fooled by me. I did not lend him in the end; with my reason being that the year in which I lent him my homework is not stated specifically. He got really pissed and angry. Draw a shape representing one of the characters

Generous Sad Loyal

This shape represents Antonio. The curve represents that he is open and generous to his friends. Adding on, the two lines moving downwards represent a crestfallen face, which fits his feelings of sadness at the start of the book. Find one word that describes a character in your book very well. I choose the word vengeful. Shylock shows a strong thirst for revenge toAntonio for treating him like a dog due to him being a Jew. His desire for revengegoes to the extent of wanting to damage his body under the bond that they make. ShouldAntonio fail to return three thousand ducats to Shylock, he would be able to takea pound of flesh from him. Even asked to show mercy, he stills to carry on and trys to harm Antonio. Tell five ways the main character is like me The main character in here is Bassanio. 1) I am somewhat a spendthrift when it comes to food. 2) I borrow stuff from my friends if I need them. 3) I am easy-going.

4) I am tolerant. 5) I am a mercenary. Which part of the story would you change? I would change the part where Gratiano and Nerissa confess their love for eachother and decide to marry. I feel there are too little lines allocated to that part and is fast happening and too boring. More romance elements could be added in. This would make the book more appealing. Organise this book into three or more sections. Give a subtitle for each section. First section- Bassanio begs Antonio for cash. Subtitle Friends exist to help one another Second section- Antonio negotiates with Shylock. Subtitle The hatred between the two men Third section- Different men pursuing Portia. Subtitle: The wooing of the princess is a tricky one Fourth section- The trial. Subtitle It is getting hot and steamy! The climax of any book or story is the exciting or interesting part. Tell what you think is the climax of the book and why. The climax is trial sceneEven though Shylock is legally allowed to kill Antonio,everybody expects him to show mercy, however, Shylock is very determined tokill Antonio as a form of revenge for all the discrimination that Antonio inflictedon Shylock for him being a Jew. Shylock is on the verge of cutting into Antonio when Portia suddenly reminds him that the bond stipulates a poundof flesh only, and makes no allowances for blood. She urges Shylock to continuecollecting his pound of flesh, but reminds him that if a drop of blood is spilled,then he will be guilty of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen and all hislands and goods will be confiscated by the state. In the end, Shylock loseseverything and converts to Christianity. This Act and Scene is the climax becauseit shows how Shylock refuses to show mercy, a main theme of the book and alsohow Portia intelligently turns the tables on Shylock and saves Antonio. Is the title a good one or a poor one and why? Yes, it fits the story because Antonio is the Merchant of Venice and the book mainly focuses on him. Did you like the way the story ended? Why or why not? Yes I do. It is a happy ending as both couples are reunited and Antonio s boatsreturned safely. Antonio has not suffered any physical damage too.Jessica and Lorenzo also get Shylocks property and in the end,everybody is happy. Which character in the book would you choose for a friend? Why? I would choose Portia. She is quick-witted, and wealthy and pretty. Portia embodies the virtues that are typical of Shakespeare s heroines. She is also smart enough to think of effective solution to counter Shylock s malice. She is also filial because she respects her father s wishesfor her suitors to choose the right casket before marrying her.