Antonio (The Merchant of Venice) Antonio (The Merchant of Venice) Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". An influential, powerful and wealthy nobleman of Venice, he is a middle-aged man and a merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind, generous, honest and confident, and is loved and revered by all the Christians who know him. His willingness to die for Bassanio is a manifestation of his character. Antonio manifests anti-semitism by cursing and spitting at Shylock (anti-semitism was common in Europe in Shakespeare's days). He is a structural
Jessica (The Merchant of Venice) and classical comedies, who are only fit to be dupes of their children …." The first critical notice of Jessica in the 18th century was made by William Warburton, who commented on the line in Act 5, Scene 1: "Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way / Of starvèd people." Warburton's comment was that ""Shakespear" is not more exact in any thing, than in adapting his images with propriety to his speakers; of which he has here given an instance in making the young "Jewess" call good fortune, "Manna"." Unfortunately, as Samuel Johnson explains rather drily—in a note to