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
Shakespeare by the Sea, Newfoundland the Sea Festival Inc. is a registered charity (No. 891781841RR0001) with the Canada Revenue Agency and is a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association and the Institute of Outdoor Drama.<br><br> 1993 The Tempest 1994 King Lear 1995 Twelfth Night 1996 Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet 1997 Macbeth, Hamlet, I Hate Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead 1998 A Midsummer Night's Dream 1999 Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III 2000 The Mousetrap, Julius Caesar (play), Love's Labour's Lost 2001 Dial M for Murder, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice and A Streetcar Named Desire (play) 2002 The