Venice

Character Map -- The Merchant of Venice

Bassanio Antonios friend;

friends

Antonio the title character;

needs a loan to woo

Portia

Shylock a Jewish

a good friend of Bassanio,

perhaps in love with him

Tubal Shylocks friend;

moneylender

another moneylender

works for

Gratiano Bassianos friend

Bassanios Friends

friends

and frequent companion

Lancelet Gobbo Shylocks servant; is

later hired as Bassanios servant

Lorenzo Bassianos younger

Jessica Shylocks daughter;

friend; in love with Jessica,

Shylocks daughter

in love with Lorenzo

in love

Solanio and Salarino

Bassianos friends; almost
always together, almost
impossible to tell apart

Duke of Venice highest official in Venice; acts as

judge in civil disputes (as the Duke of Venice does
in Othello and Theseus does in A Midsummer
Nights Dream)

Salerio a messenger from Venice to Belmont;

not to be confused with Solanio or Salarino

Belmont (estate in the country)

Portia a rich heiress; according to her fathers
will, she has to marry whoever chooses the
correct of three caskets or she forfeits her
fathers fortune

wooing

Prince of Morocco and

Prince of Arragon

works for, and friends

work for

Nerissa Portias servant and

confidante

Stephano and Balthazar

Portias servants

each is attempting to woo Portia; each

knows that, if he chooses the wrong
casket, he cant marry Portia and must
remain celibate for the rest of his life