William Shakespeare(1564-1616)William Shakespeare(1564-1616) first came to notice in 1599 as a playwright in London. In 1599 he became a part owner of the Globe Theatre in London and finally retired to his birthplace Stratford-on-Avon, in 1613. As a playwright he wrote tragedies, comedies and historical plays, and as a poet he wrote narrative poems( 叙事诗） and sonnets. His famous plays include Hamlet, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That’s Ends well, King Lear, Macbeth, Henry VIII, Romeo and Juliet.The Merchant of Venice; A Venetian merchant of huge wealth. He makes his money from trade,much liked by his friends. He is always ready to help others.A successful Jewish moneylender. He lends the 3,000 ducats to Antonio.He asks Antonio to pay with one pound of his flesh if the debt is not repaid on time.The romantic lead of this play.He is Antonio’s friend. He marries Portia.He borrows a lot of money from Antonio.The heroine of this play.Portia is a wealthy and beautiful woman who is desired by many men. She also possesses a sharp mind,which saves Antonio from doom at the hands of Shylock.As judge over the court case between Shylock and Antonia,he has the power to pardon a death sentence.In the play,he is put in a difficult position by Shylock;he doesn’t want Antonio to die,but to ignore Shylock’s legal rights would be to place all of Venice in disrepute as a place to conduct business.DukeAntonioShylockBassanioPortia(merchant)(money-Lender)enemieshusband & wifefriends(authority of the city)The story of the Merchant of VeniceBackground( 背景 )Problem( 冲突 )Rising action( 发展 )Climax( 高潮 )Outcome( 结局 )Antonio and Bassanio borrow 3,000 ducats from Shylock. However, there is a catch: if the debt is n...
