BUT IN OTHER PARTS OF VENICE, IT WAS THE TIME OF LOVE.......

Portia was one of the richest ladies in venice. she was as wise as she was beautiful. however, bassanio fell in love with her more for her wealth and beauty than for her wisdom. but she, poor woman, never realised it. there is in every woman's life a time when love overcomes widom. for Portia, that time was when she met Bassanio. she had heard many bad things about him, how he had seduced many beautiful women, how he had wasted his vast fortune in drink and pleasure, how he lived on debt, and the very clothes he wore were paid for by the purse of his friend Antonio. but when she met him, she forgot it all. he told her that he was rich, she believed him. he flaunted wealth and personal beauty infront of her, and she fell in his trap. against everyone's advice, and amongst many other worthy suitors, she agreed to marry him. she did not realise that he loved not her, but her wealth, he only wanted to marry her to reverse his fortune.POOR GIRL.....

The very day that she agreed to give her hand, portia's dreams were shattered. bassanio recieved a letter saying that Antonio was in debtor's prision, so he told her everything, how he was poor, how he had borrowed 30,000 ducats to please her, how Antonio, his friend, was going to lose his life because of that debt. She hated him then. but she was a kind hearted woman. she could not let someone else die. so that night she married banquo. she shared with him all her wealth, though she knew that he would waste it. she saw what he really was for the first time, but she was helpless, she could not break the engagement. bassanio left her alone, on their wedding night, taking all her money,and with his friend Gratiano, went to free his friend. Gratiano, who had seduced Portia's maid nerissa, also left his bride alone on their wedding night.

Jessica was my daughter. she was brought up motherless, but i do not think she ever missed her mother. jessica was born long after i became rich, so she never had to struggle like i had. she did not understand me, or my hate for christianity. she loved me, i knew, but she was the kind of woman in which the love of a lover outweighs all other loves. her lover came, a christian merchant named Gratiano. i do not know if Gratiano really loved my daughter, or if he, like bassanio, was after her wealth. but i did not approve of her marriage to him. so she ran away with him, leaving me, her old father, all alone in the world.

this made the monster inside me even more angry. i hated Gratiano, because he was a christian, and because he was Antonio's friend, and disinherited jessica from my huge fortune. it was cruel, and maybe it was wrong, but i wanted to punish her.

Portia, as i have already said, had already married Bassanio, and given him all her wealth. but she still was worried about Antonio. so she dressed as a lawer,Balthazar, and followed her new husband. Nerissa, her maid, dressed like a lawer's clerk and also followed. though Portia was a woman, she was well educated and understood the law very well. she was determined to save antonio WITHOUT spending her wealth.

she was a bravewoman, and she would be my downfall.

when portia came to the court, it was already packed. the duke was presiding, and he, along with everyone else in the hall was looking at me with such disgust and revulsion as i have never seen in my life. but i was used to cruel looks, and i knew that they could do nothing to stop me. it gave me a great sense of power, being able to feel the helplessness of all these christians, in front of me, a jew. but then portia, dressed as Balthazar, arrived. i can still remember how the atmosphere changed with her arrival. everyone looked at her, and desperately hoped for a miracle to save antonio. i wasn't impressed, i underestimated her. i did not think such a young lawer could do what others had failed. i had my knife and scales ready, and was prepared for a quick trial.

THEN COURT PROCEEDINGS BEGAN.

Balthazar [portia] began by telling the court about the value of mercy, and requested me to have mercy on antonio and let him go. she was a wonderful orator, but her words didn't move me. i refused. i said that it was not mentioned in the contract so it was against the law.

Bassanio got agitated and insulted me by calling me a jew and tried to force me to 'break the law to save a human life'. but i would not give in. and unexpectedly, Balthazar supported me.

I was encouraged by this. I called her a 'Daniel in judgement'.

but then she asked me to take money, which Bassanio was ready to repay, many times over, but i refused. i said that it was not justice.

in the end, after many pleas, Balthazar seemed to give up, and i called antonio and told him to be ready to die. he was calm. he was ready for death.

but then balthazar turned the tables on me. she showed me the contract, and said that though i had a right to antonio's flesh, there was nothing mentioned about blood. so, in cutting off Antonio's flesh, if i spilt even one drop of blood, i would commit a crime and have all my lands taken away from me. furthermore, if i took more than one pound of flesh, even by the weight of a single hair, i could be accused of murder, and hung on that charge.