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 Merchant of Venice (1961 film) The Merchant of Venice (1961 film) The Merchant of Venice is a 1961 Australian TV adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare. The "Sydney Morning Herald" called it "the most important television play of the year. and among Sydney's actresses the role of Portia was the most sought after." It went to the relatively inexperienced Tanya Halesworth who was a presented at the ABC. Director Alan Burke said he saw Portia "as a beautiful debutante, the darling of the deb set of her day. I wanted a beautiful girl for the role, one with wit, astuteness, vivacity; but one with