Bassanio wants to impress Portia but he doesn’t have enough money to do so. He turns for help to Antonio, who is forced to borrow from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. When Antonio’s business starts going badly, repayment becomes impossible and Shylock is allowed to demand a pound of the merchant’s flesh.

Dossiers:
Venice, a Centre of Commerce
Venice, a City of Masks
Jews in Venice