xxx/ellauri059.html on line 366: One of the merchants, Antonio, is having a problem with his ships being late in returning to Venice. One of his friends, Basanio, asks him for money. He needs it to woo a wealthy woman and has no money himself but, if successful, and he marries Portia he will be able to pay it back very easily. Antonio’s money is all tied up in his business, which is in trouble and the only way he can help his friend is to borrow from a money-lender.
xxx/ellauri059.html on line 372: The Duke doesn’t know how to deal with it but Basanio, successful in his suit, recruits his clever fiancé Portia, who is schooled in matters of law, to appear as a judge, disguised as a man. The trial takes place and Portia grants Shylock the pound of flesh, and counsels him to show mercy. Shylock takes out his knife to cut the flesh from the area close to Antonio’s heart and she stops him and tells him that it is against the law for anyone to shed a drop of Christian blood.
xxx/ellauri127.html on line 522: Like Bassanio, he is willing to prefer Antonio’s life to his newly-acquired wife’s. The law-clerk manages to convince him to give his wedding ring as a gift of thanks in return, which leads to some problems on his return to Belmont, as he had sworn to Nerissa that he would never remove it. He gives away that Bassanio has done much the same.
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