| Antonio | a merchant of Venice in a melancholic mood |
| Bassanio | Antonio’s friend; suitor to Portia; later the husband of Portia |
| Gratiano | friend of Antonio and Bassanio; in love with Nerissa; later the husband of Nerissa |
| Lorenzo | friend of Antonio and Bassanio; in love with Jessica; later the husband of Jessica |
| Portia | a rich heiress; later the wife of Bassanio |
| Nerissa | Portia’s waiting maid – in love with Gratiano; later the wife of Gratiano; disguises herself as Stephano |
| Balthazar | Portia’s servant, who Portia later disguises herself as |
| Shylock | a miserly Jew; moneylender; father of Jessica |
| Jessica | daughter of Shylock, later the wife of Lorenzo |
| Tubal | a Jew; friend of Shylock |
| Launcelot Gobbo | servant of Shylock; later a servant of Bassanio; son of Old Gobbo |
| Old Gobbo | blind father of Launcelot |
| Leonardo | slave to Bassanio |
| Duke of Venice | authority who presides over the case of Shylock’s bond |
| Prince of Morocco | suitor to Portia |
| Prince of Arragon | suitor to Portia |
| Salarino and Solanio | friends of Antonio and Bassanio |
| Salerio | a messenger from Venice |
| Magnificoes of Venice, officers of the Court of Justice, gaoler, servants to Portia, and other attendants | … |
| Bellario | Portia’s cousin, a lawyer, lives in Padua, never seen in the play |
Merchant of Venice
July 31, 2019