The Merchant of Venice well as a turquoise ring which Shylock had been given by his late wife, Leah. Shylock has Antonio brought before court. At Belmont, Bassanio receives a letter telling him that Antonio has been unable to repay the loan from Shylock. Portia and Bassanio marry, as do Gratiano and Portia's handmaid Nerissa. Bassanio and Gratiano leave for Venice, with money from Portia, to save Antonio's life by offering the money to Shylock. Unknown to Bassanio and Gratiano, Portia sent her servant, Balthazar, to seek the counsel of Portia's cousin, Bellario, a lawyer, at Padua. The climax of the play takes place
The Jew (play) Shylock in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and Barabas in Christopher Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta". In a series of articles called "Observer", first published in 1785, Cumberland created a character named Abraham Abrahams who would later serve as a template for Sheva, the title character in "The Jew". In one instalment of "Observer", Abrahams is quoted as saying, "I verily believe the odious character of Shylock has brought little less persecution upon us, poor scattered sons of Abraham, than the Inquisition itself." A decade later, in writing "The Jew", Cumberland sought to create a positive image of a