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INDEX
Page No Topic
1 Cover Page

2 Index

3 Historical Background of the Play

4 A brief biographical sketch of Shakespeare

5 Discuss how the first scene strikes the keynote of the play

6 Discuss how the first scene strikes the keynote of the play

7 Discuss how the first scene strikes the keynote of the play

8 Bibliography

9 Back Cover

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 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE PLAY
In 1290, King Edward expelled anyone of the Jewish faith from England. While some converted
to Christianity to stay, most of the Jewish population moved out of the country. This means
that by the time Shakespeare wrote this play in 1596, there were few to no Jews living in
London. Due to lack of exposure, irrational fear of religious difference, and the general
prevalence of racist ideology, anti-Semitism was rampant in early modern England. Around
this time, the Protestant Movement was also gaining followers rapidly. As the corruption of
the church was brought out,
the anti-Semitism increased
as well. Martin Luther, a
well-known leader, was a
devout anti-Semite.
Hopefully, Shakespeare
wrote this play to present a
differing image of Jewish
people from the socio-
political image prevalent in
his time, portraying Jews as
fellow human beings who
deserve respect.
It also allowed him to
combine two old folk tales
into one comedy. The first
tale concerned a greedy
creditor who was intent on
getting everything owed to him. The second tale revolved around a young man who wanted to
marry his love but had to choose between three chests before he could gain her hand. These
two tales were traditional and popular in his time, engaging his audience on common ground.

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 A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely
regarded as the greatest writer in the
English language and the world's pre-
eminent dramatist. Shakespeare was
born and raised in Stratford-upon-
Avon. Scholars believe that he died on
his fifty-second birthday, coinciding
with St George’s Day.
Shakespeare was the third child of
John Shakespeare, a leather merchant,
and Mary Arden, a local landed
heiress. Shakespeare had two older
sisters, Joan and Judith, and three
Shakespeare and his family
younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and
Edmund.
At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children: Susanna, and twins
Hamnet and Judith. Sadly, Hamnet died at the age of 11. Between 1585 and 1592 he began a
successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of the playing company the
Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were
mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by
the end of the sixteenth century. Next he wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608. In his last
phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other
playwrights. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's
plays are exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of
actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about
half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication
after Shakespeare died, and they were brought together in
what is known as the First Folio.
Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his
own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present
heights until the nineteenth century. His plays remain
highly popular today and are consistently performed and
reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts
throughout the world.

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 DISCUSS HOW THE FIRST SCENE STRIKES THE
KEYNOTE OF THE PLAY

The first task confronting any playwright in his opening scene is his "exposition" of that play —
that is, he must introduce the characters and explain their situation to the audience.
Shakespeare manages to do this brilliantly, introducing the audience to characters,
relationships, future conflicts, and financial situations.

In this scene, Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains to his friends, Salarino and Salanio, of
his weariness of this world. His friends try to come up with various probable causes, but
conclude that his moodiness must be due simply to the fact that Antonio is of a naturally
melancholy disposition. The three men encounter Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano. Salarino
and Salanio bid Antonio farewell and depart. When Gratiano notices Antonio’s unhappiness
and suggests that the merchant worries too much, Antonio responds that he is but a player on
a stage, destined to play a sad part. Gratiano warns Antonio against becoming the type of man
acts solemn only to gain a wise reputation, and takes his leave with Lorenzo. Once they have
left, Antonio asks Bassanio to tell him about the clandestine love that Bassanio is harboring. In
reply, Bassanio admits that although he already owes Antonio a lot of money from his earlier,
more extravagant days, he has fallen in love with Portia, a rich heiress from Belmont, and
hopes to win her heart by competing against her other suitors. To woo Portia, however,
Bassanio says that he needs to borrow more money from Antonio. Antonio replies that he
cannot give Bassanio another loan, as all his money is out at sea, but offers to guarantee any
loan Bassanio finds.

Many characters are introduced and we see how they interact with each other. Antonio seems
to be a melancholic character, in stark
contrast to his friend Gratiano's happy
demeanour. His sad, brooding nature
makes him a weak and passive
character, whereas Gratiano is a jovial
man who provides the atmosphere
with mirth and gaiety. Antonio and
Bassanio are close-knit friends, where
Antonio would do anything for
Bassanio and would forgive any fault
of his. This sets the tone for the rest of Antonio and Bassanio
the play, where he readily agrees to
sacrifice his own flesh to help Bassanio. He's used to taking financial risks that could go quite
badly. We've already seen him take a risk on the ships, so taking a risk on Bassanio and Shylock
is nothing new. Shakespeare foreshadows Antonio’s grim future in the first scene, when it

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becomes clear that he has invested all of his money in a single fleet of merchant ships. He lies
to Salanio and Salarino but openly admits this to Bassanio.

Bassanio is shown as a spendthrift reckless young gallant who depends on and takes
advantage of Antonio's love and generosity. He shows gross profligacy and tactlessness, and
he is about to ask Antonio to lend him money which Antonio himself does not have; revealing
to us his selfishness. In Antonio's eyes though, Bassanio has done no wrong. The well-intended
advice from Shakespeare's Hamlet: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses
both itself and friend," clearly does not apply here. The absolute and unconditional friendship
between Antonio and Bassanio is one of the main pillars of the play.

Salarino and Salanio here are talkative characters but we know that they are not as close to
Antonio as Gratiano, Lorenzo, or Bassanio. They simply act as bystanders that provide
narration and comic relief. Salarino and Salanio are involved in the drama, but not in the
action.

The opening scene of this play lays the foundations for the two plots- the Bond story and the
Caskets story. The Bond Story comes to light when Bassanio borrows three thousand ducats
from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Shylock hates Antonio, and as revenge on him, agrees to
give Bassanio a loan, on the
condition that if Antonio fails to
repay his debt within three
months, Shylock will be entitled
to a pound of Antonio's flesh.
The Caskets Story revolves
around Portia. Her dead father
has willed that she marry the
man who chooses correctly from
three caskets of gold, silver, and
lead, one of which contains her
picture. Bassanio acts as the
main connecting link between
the stories. He needs money, The choosing of the casket to win Portia's hand
and though Antonio cannot
supply him, he can act as a guarantor. Bassanio needs money to travel to Belmont to woo
Portia, but knows that he would have to compete with many other suitors from around the
world. This also sets up one of the central conflicts in the play: between Belmont and Venice.
This conflict is between two worlds and two sets of values: between Belmont (with its fairy-
tale landscape and indolent atmosphere) and Venice (with its everyday reality, its bustling
atmosphere of commerce and trade).

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 Portia is indirectly introduced by Bassanio, who enthusiastically
praises her matchless beauty and virtue. He compares her to many
prominent historical and mythological figures, showing us how
eagerly he wants to pursue her. He describes her as "fair, and fairer
than that word", and says by marrying her, all his debts would be
paid off. He appears to be influenced by her riches.

The expository scene accomplishes the task of providing a basic

foundation of the play. It introduces the important characters,
prominent elements of the plot, and the general atmosphere of the
play. It dwells on the themes of friendship ( Antonio's affection for
Portia of Belmont
Bassanio), fidelity ( Antonio's friends stay by him), pretence (
Antonio finds it difficult to pretend to be happy), and wealth. The overall tone of the play is
ambiguous, split between despair and celebration, seriousness and playfulness. Due to this,
scholars consider The Merchant of Venice among Shakespeare’s “problem plays," since
traditional features of both tragedy and comedy coexist uneasily together. We see the various
predicaments. Antonio's life revolves around his business, while Bassanio thinks about Portia.
The entire story revolves around these two plotlines, one about money and debt, and another
about love. Thus, the first scene strikes the keynote of the play.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.owleyes.org/text/merchant-of-venice/analysis/historical-context

https://www.aeaweb.org/research/anti-semitism-protestant-reformation-economic-
competition

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17450910903374543

https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/william-
shakespeare/william-shakespeare-biography/

https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/the-merchant-of-venice/summary-and-
analysis/act-i-scene-1

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/facts/

https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/english-association/publications/bookmarks/shakespeare-
bookmarks-1/the-merchant-of-venice

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/foreshadowing/

The Merchant of Venice Workbook, Xavier Pinto, Morning Star ( A unit of MSB publishers Pvt.
Ltd.)

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