The characters Antonio (the merchant of the title ... Bassanio is a nobleman in Venice and Antonio’s best friend. He asks to borrow 3000 ducats from Antonio so that he can go to Belmont ...

For Merchant is a pretty silly play ... Shylock is not the only person interested in ducats; it seems that just about everybody in Venice and Belmont is a materialistic money-grubber.

In 1596, in the liberal Venice, Bassanio asks for a large amount to his friend, the merchant Antonio, to travel to Belmont and propose the gorgeous Portia. Antonio has invested all his money in ...