Act 1, Scene 3 Summary

Shylock and Bassanio are working out the details of the loan. Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, tells Bassanio that Antonio must be a very good man to guarantee such a loan while his ships are all sailing. After all, who knows what will happen to them. Shylock asks to speak with Antonio, and Bassanio asks him to dine with them, but Shylock declines, as there will be pork at the table. As Antonio walks up, Shylock tells himself how much he hates Christian men like Antonio, whose lending out money generously has ruined interest rates in Venice.

Shylock tells the men that he will not charge any interest, though Antonio tells him in this one instance he is willing to bend his own rules against paying interest, for Bassanio. Instead, Shylock tells Antonio, that he wants a pound of flesh if the...