The play famous for the expression "a pound of flesh" and the lines, "If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" begins in Venice with Antonio a wealthy merchant who is not happy since he is worried about his business enterprises, namely his ships at sea which could be at peril from rough seas or pirates.
Antonio's friend Bassanio owes Antonio money but unable to repay his debts, asks Antonio for more money so he may marry the wealthy and beautiful Portia and so pay back his friend. Antonio has no money to spare but tells Bassanio to use his good name to try to get a loan...
Meanwhile Portia laments that she has yet to find her special someone. She famously complains about the faults of all her past suitors and her late father's will which chooses her husband for her. Portia's father's will chooses Portia's husband by means of three caskets, one gold, one silver and one lead. A suitor must choose one of the three caskets, a picture of Portia being contained in the correct casket. When a suitor chooses a casket, he makes his worthiness to Portia clear, this devise ensuring that only the right man for Portia will marry his daughter. Though Portia does not like any of her past suitors, she does however, remember one man quite fondly, Bassanio...
Bassanio gets his loan of three thousand ducats from a Jewish merchant named Shylock. The price for not repaying the debt is high, namely a pound of flesh from Antonio, but Antonio is not worried. His ships (and wealth) come back a month before the debt is due...
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