Antonio is a kind-hearted man who lends money to needy people without charging any interest from them. In this respect he offers a striking contrast to Shylock who is a usurer.
Character sketch of Shylock:
Shylock is portrayed as a dynamic and clever character. He is cruel malicious and revengeful. He is a strong and independent character. He is a greedy moneylender but he does not reflect the Jewish character in general.
Character sketch of Bassanio:
Bassanio serves as a kind of catalyst throughout The Merchant of Venice, provoking much of the play's action. At the beginning, Bassanio is a good-natured but irresponsible young man who has gotten himself into debt by living beyond his means.
Character sketch of Portia:
Portia is one of the dynamic female characters of Shakespeare. She plays a very significant role in The Merchant of Venice. She is the connecting link between the Bond-story and the Casket-story. She rounds off the complication of the Bond-story by her legal quibble. She is the most attractive figure in the Bond-story. Her intellectual capacity, her wit, her loveliness and her maidenly virtues make her the most interesting character in the play.
Character sketch of Nerissa:
Nerissa has a strong sense of humour and is capable of making witty remarks just as she is capable of making wise ones. She fully gets into the spirit of Portia's witty comments on the four suitors who come to Belmont to win her but who go away without venturing to make a choice of the caskets.
Character sketch of Lorenzo:
Lorenzo is a Christian young man who is able somehow to capture the heart of Jessica, the daughter of Shylock the Jew. He seems to be a smart and dashing young man with a handsome appearance and an active mind. He must, of course, have taken the initiative in making Jessica’s acquaintance and then’ winning her heart. Indeed, for a Christian to win the heart of a Jewish girl in those days was like , conquering a fort or a citadel because of the bitter antagonism which existed between the two races. Lorenzo may be regarded as a romantic hero, though on a much smaller scale than Bassanio.
Character sketch of Jessica:
Jessica is Shylock's daughter. She does not have the happiest of home-lives with her father, finding it only relieved by Lancelot's jesting. She feels wrong that she does not actually like her father, but she cannot agree with his ways. Falling in love with Lorenzo, she plots with him to run away together.
Character sketch of Launcelot:
Launcelot Gobbo is a quick-witted young fellow who is originally Shylock's servant. Badly-fed in that household, he switches his allegiance to Bassanio. He is friendly with Jessica, whom he teases remorselessly about her Jewishness.
Character sketch of Gratiano:
Gratiano is a very talkative and witty man. Indeed, his garrulity is his most striking trait; and this trait would have repelled us if his talk had not been witty. He has a keen sense of humour, an infinite capacity for talk, and a fertile wit.
Answers & Comments
Antonio is a kind-hearted man who lends money to needy people without charging any interest from them. In this respect he offers a striking contrast to Shylock who is a usurer.
Character sketch of Shylock:
Shylock is portrayed as a dynamic and clever character. He is cruel malicious and revengeful. He is a strong and independent character. He is a greedy moneylender but he does not reflect the Jewish character in general.
Character sketch of Bassanio:
Bassanio serves as a kind of catalyst throughout The Merchant of Venice, provoking much of the play's action. At the beginning, Bassanio is a good-natured but irresponsible young man who has gotten himself into debt by living beyond his means.
Character sketch of Portia:
Portia is one of the dynamic female characters of Shakespeare. She plays a very significant role in The Merchant of Venice. She is the connecting link between the Bond-story and the Casket-story. She rounds off the complication of the Bond-story by her legal quibble. She is the most attractive figure in the Bond-story. Her intellectual capacity, her wit, her loveliness and her maidenly virtues make her the most interesting character in the play.
Character sketch of Nerissa:
Nerissa has a strong sense of humour and is capable of making witty remarks just as she is capable of making wise ones. She fully gets into the spirit of Portia's witty comments on the four suitors who come to Belmont to win her but who go away without venturing to make a choice of the caskets.
Character sketch of Lorenzo:
Lorenzo is a Christian young man who is able somehow to capture the heart of Jessica, the daughter of Shylock the Jew. He seems to be a smart and dashing young man with a handsome appearance and an active mind. He must, of course, have taken the initiative in making Jessica’s acquaintance and then’ winning her heart. Indeed, for a Christian to win the heart of a Jewish girl in those days was like , conquering a fort or a citadel because of the bitter antagonism which existed between the two races. Lorenzo may be regarded as a romantic hero, though on a much smaller scale than Bassanio.
Character sketch of Jessica:
Jessica is Shylock's daughter. She does not have the happiest of home-lives with her father, finding it only relieved by Lancelot's jesting. She feels wrong that she does not actually like her father, but she cannot agree with his ways. Falling in love with Lorenzo, she plots with him to run away together.
Character sketch of Launcelot:
Launcelot Gobbo is a quick-witted young fellow who is originally Shylock's servant. Badly-fed in that household, he switches his allegiance to Bassanio. He is friendly with Jessica, whom he teases remorselessly about her Jewishness.
Character sketch of Gratiano:
Gratiano is a very talkative and witty man. Indeed, his garrulity is his most striking trait; and this trait would have repelled us if his talk had not been witty. He has a keen sense of humour, an infinite capacity for talk, and a fertile wit.
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