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One of Shakespeare's most well known plays, The Merchant of Venice introduces us to some of his most famous characters. A comedy as well as a serious consideration of racism, sexism, and the morals of it's cast, A Merchant of Venice presents timeless themes of unrequited love, deception, mans treatment of fellow man, and the success of intellect over all else.

Shylock

Certainly possessed with one of Shakespeare's most quoted monologues, Shylock is a challenging character who we feel sorry for one minute, and in judgment of the next. A Jewish moneylender, Shylock single-mindedly pursues his literal pound of flesh from the Antonio, his Christian enemy. We learn that he is a product of circumstance, and his character leads each of us to question whether his cruel and spiteful actions are sufficiently excused by the repeated abuse and discrimination he has experienced from the other players, on account of his faith. There is no consensus reached regarding whether Shylock should be seen as pitiful, maligned and twisted by those around him, or judged as evil for his actions. Perhaps that decision is up to each reader to make for himself.

Portia

Beautiful, wealthy and indulged, every woman might dream of being in Portia's position. However, it becomes clear that she is not to be envied as for all her blessings; she is tied by obedience to her father to abide by his rules in deciding her future husband. Portia is eminently likeable, and shows herself to have a great humanity and compassion in her soul. The most striking of her characteristics is her intelligence. Throughout the course of the story we see that while she may be bound by a society that dictates the course of a woman's life, her great intellect enables her to rise above it all, and the men around her are, unknowingly, under her control. Everything that happens in the play happens to her design, and her hand crafts the results for all. She is a wonderfully feminist character, using her brains to advance her cause beyond the knowledge of the men surrounding her.

Antonio

He is the "Merchant" referred to in the title, yet his character is less central to the proceedings than Portia or Shylock. A wealthy business man, he is hinted to be in love with Bassanio, and as a result of his unrequited passion agrees to act as guarantor on the loan which his friend obtains from Shylock. This proves to be a dangerous decision as the terms of loan require payment of a pound of flesh should the loan remain unpaid at the end of

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