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At this time, there lived in Venice a rich moneylender named Shylock. Antonio despised

and disliked this man very much. Shylock accepted all these indignities with a patient
shrug; but deep in his heart he cherished a desire for revenge on him. So when Bassanio

came to him to ask for a loan of three thousand ducats for Antonio for three months,
Shylock hid his hatred, and turning to Antonio, said, ‘‘Harshly as you have treated me, I

would be friends with you and have your love. So I will lend money and charge you no
interest. But, just for fun, you shall sign a bond in which it shall be agreed that if you do

not repay me in three months’ time, then I shall have the right to a pound of your flesh
to be cut from what part of your body I choose.’’

‘‘No,’’ cried Bassanio to his friend, you will take no such risk for me.’’

‘‘Why, fear not,’’ said Antonio, “my ships will be home a month before the time. I will

sign the bond.’’
Thus, Bassanio was furnished with the means to go to Belmont to woo the lovely Portia.

The very night he started, the moneylender’s pretty daughter Jessica, ran away from
her father’s house with her lover. She took with her from her father’s hoards some bags

of ducats and precious stones. Shylock’s grief and anger were terrible to see. His love
for her changed to hate. ‘‘I would she were dead at my feet and the jewels in her ear,’’

he cried.
His only comfort now was in hearing of the serious losses which had befallen Antonio

some of whose ships were wrecked.
‘‘Let him look to his bond,’’ said Shylock, ‘‘let him look to his bond.’’

Meanwhile Bassanio had reached Belmont and he had visited the fair Portia. He found

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