The Merchant of Venice mercy". Critic Harold Bloom listed it among Shakespeare's great comedies. Bassanio, a young Venetian of noble rank, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia of Belmont. Having squandered his estate, he needs 3,000 ducats to subsidise his expenditures as a suitor. Bassanio approaches his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice who has previously and repeatedly bailed him out. Antonio agrees, but since he is cash-poor – his ships and merchandise are busy at sea to Tripolis, the Indies, Mexico and England – he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender, so Bassanio turns
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company The Country Wife Directed by Heather Nathans 2009 Cyrano de Bergerac Directed by Ian Gallanar 2009 Twelfth Night Directed by Jenny Leopold 2009 Julius Caesar Directed by Frank Moorman 2010 Lysistrata Directed by Ian Gallanar 2010 Much Ado About Nothing Directed by Ryan Whinnem 2010 Hamlet Directed by Ian Gallanar 2010 Titus Andronicus Directed by Kevin Costa 2011 Cymbeline Directed by Ian Gallanar 2011 A Midsummer Night's Dream Directed by Ian Gallanar 2011 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Directed by Scott Alan Small 2011 Our Town Directed by Ian Gallanar 2012 The Merchant of Venice Directed by Teresa