Venice, 16th century. Bassanio asks Antonio to lend him 3,000 ducats so that he may woo Portia, heiress to her father Belmont’s fortune. Antonio is rich, but his money is tied up in foreign ventures. He therefore turns to Shylock the Jew, who has been waiting to take his revenge on Antonio for some time. Hence the frightening bond: if the money is not paid back within three months, Shylock will be given a pound of Antonio’s flesh. According to her father’s will, Portia can marry no man unless he passes the test of the three caskets. Bassanio chooses the right casket and weds Portia. News arrives that Antonio’s ships have been wrecked, and that he cannot honour his debt to Shylock. The matter is brought before the Doge’s court, and Shylock demands his pound of flesh. Antonio is bound by law to consent. However, Portia arrives in Venice disguised as an advocate and saves the merchant’s flesh and honour thanks to a legal quibble: Shylock may cut his pound of flesh from Antonio, but without so much as spilling a drop of blood.
From a play by William Shakespeare.