The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. In 16th-century Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) hopes to wed Portia (Lynn Collins). But to have a chance at winning her hand in marriage, he needs to have a lot of money -- a critical resource he lacks. And because Bassanio's rich friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) is unable to help, he's forced to make a deadly deal with pitiless moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). Bassanio will get his money -- and without paying interest. If he doesn't pay it back, however, he will owe Shylock a pound of his flesh. Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is a simple story line with three distinct plot lines incorporated into each other intricately. These three plot lines are the bond plot, the casket plot, and the ring pl...