| Portia | A courageous, young, wealthy, and charming heiress. She does not want to obey her dead father’s commands. |
| Antonio | A wealthy and generous merchant. He is good friends with Bassanio, and agrees to get a loan for him. |
| Bassanio | A broke young man, who must borrow money from a good friend to go and claim his love, a young heiress of Belmont… |
| Shylock | A rich moneylender, and a Jew. Lends money to Antonio free of interest, but with and outrageous bond off a pound of Antonio’s flesh. He is greedy and merciless |
| Gratiano | A troublemaking friend of Bassanio, who comes with him on his adventure to eventually marry Portia’s maid. |
| Nerissa | Portia’s lady in waiting and dear friend, marries Gratiano, Bassanio’s friend. |
| Lancelot | The clown, who was originally Shylock’s servant, but later Bassanio’s. |
| Jessica | Shylock’s daughter, who hates her father. She elopes with Lorenzo, a Christian on the night of Bassanio’s departure. |
| Lorenzo | A friend of Bassanio, who is in love with Shylock’s daughter. He helps her to escape from her house. He is to inherit Shylock’s fortune. |
| Solanio, Salerio, | Town gossips and friends of Antonio and Bassanio. |
Merchant of Venice Characters
July 27, 2019