Merchant of Venice predicament, and he hurries back to Venice, leaving

Portia behind. Portia follows him, accompanied by her

A young Venetian, Bassanio, needs a loan of three maid, Nerissa. They are disguised as a male lawyer and
thousand ducats so that he can woo Portia, a wealthy his clerk. When Bassanio arrives the date for the
Venetian heiress. He approaches his friend Antonio, a
repayment to Shylock has passed and Shylock is
merchant. Antonio is short of money because all his demanding his pound of flesh. Even when Bassanio offers
wealth is invested in his fleet, which is currently at sea. He much more than the amount in repayment, Shylock, now
goes to a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who hates
infuriated by the loss of his daughter, is intent on seeking
Antonio because of Antonio’s anti-semitic behaviour revenge on the Christians. The Duke refuses to intervene.
towards him.
Portia arrives in her disguise to defend Antonio. Given the
Shylock nevertheless agrees to make the short-term loan, authority of judgment by the Duke, Portia decides that
but, in a moment of dark humour, he makes a condition Shylock can have the pound of flesh as long as he
– the loan must be repaid in three months or Shylock will doesn’t draw blood, as it is against the law to shed a
exact a pound of flesh from Antonio. Antonio agrees, Christian’s blood. Since it is obvious that to draw a pound
confident that his ships will return in time.
of flesh would kill Antonio, Shylock is denied his suit.
Because of the terms of Portia’s father’s will, all suitors Moreover, for conspiring to murder a Venetian citizen,
must choose from among three caskets, one of which Portia orders that he should forfeit all his wealth. Half is to
contains a portrait of her. If he chooses that he may go to Venice, and half to Antonio.
marry Portia, but if doesn’t he must vow never to marry or Antonio gives his half back to Shylock on the condition
court another woman. The Princes of Morocco and that Shylock bequeath it to his disinherited daughter,
Arragon fail the test and are rejected. As Bassanio
Jessica. Shylock must also convert to Christianity. A
prepares to travel to Belmont for the test, his friend broken Shylock accepts. News arrives that Antonio’s
Lorenzo elopes with Shylock’s daughter, Jessica. Bassanio
remaining ships have returned safely. With the exception
chooses the lead casket, which contains her picture, and of Shylock, all celebrate a happy ending to the affair.
Portia happily agrees to marry him immediately.
Othello
Meanwhile, two of Antonio’s ships have been wrecked
and Antonio’s creditors are pressurising him for In the opening scene, Iago complains to Roderigo that
repayment. Word comes to Bassanio about Antonio’s Othello, his Commander, has passed him over to
promote the handsome young Cassio to be his Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio.
Lieutenant. He vows to get revenge. Iago first asks The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio wounds Roderigo;
Roderigo to tell Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, that his Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out
daughter has left to marry Othello, a marriage Brabantio and thinks Iago has killed him. He returns home, ready to
opposes because Othello is a Moor. Brabantio confronts kill Desdemona. Meanwhile, Iago “finds” the wounded
Othello, and they take their argument to the Duke, who Cassio and accuses Bianca of causing Cassio’s injury.
has summoned Othello to ask him to sail to Cyprus to Iago quietly kills Roderigo and sends Emilia (Iago’s wife)
stop a Turkish invasion. Convinced by Othello and to Desdemona with news of what has happened.
Desdemona that they love each other deeply despite
Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. He kisses
their differences, the Duke gives Desdemona permission
to travel with Othello. By the time they reach Cyprus the her, wakes her, and accuses her again. Over her protests
foreign threat has gone. that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her.
Emilia enters and Desdemona revives for a moment,
Iago manipulates Cassio to make him drunk and gets declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies, that
Roderigo to draw him into a street fight. Iago has his Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter,
revenge on Cassio when Othello strips Cassio of his rank and Emilia defends Desdemona’s innocence,
for misbehavior. Then Iago decides to make Othello recognizing that Iago is behind the tragedy.Othello sees
believe his wife is unfaithful. He encourages Cassio to ask the truth and tries to kill Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees;
Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Iago Othellocondemns himself and commits suicide. Iago is
suggests to Othello that Desdemona is Cassio’s lover. seized and taken away.
Trusting Iago, and mad with jealousy, Othello promotes
Iago and asks Iago to help him kill Cassio and Romeo and Juliet
Desdemona. On a hot morning fighting by young servants of the
Capulet and Montague families is stopped by the Prince
Iago plants Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room.
Cassio gives it to his mistress, Bianca. Othello believes who tells them that the next person who breaks the
Bianca’s possession of the handkerchief is proof that peace will be punished with death.
Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. He verbally abuses his Capulet plans a feast to introduce his daughter, Juliet,
wife in front of others, who are shocked at the change in who is almost fourteen, to the Count Paris who would like
the noble and powerful man. to marry her. By a mistake of the illiterate servant Peter,
Montague’s son, Romeo, and his friends Benvolio and the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet next day they think
Prince’s cousin Mercutio, hear of the party and decide to she is dead. The Friar sends a colleague to warn Romeo
go in disguise. Romeo hopes he will see his adored to come to the Capulet’s family monument to rescue his
Rosaline but instead he meets and falls in love with Juliet. sleeping wife but the message doesn’t get through and
Romeo, hearing instead that Juliet is dead, buys poison in
Juliet’s cousin Tybalt recognises the Montagues and they Mantua.
are forced to leave the party just as Romeo and Juliet
have each discovered the other’s identity. Romeo lingers He returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where he
near the Capulet’s house and talks to Juliet when she surprises and kills the mourning Paris. Romeo takes the
appears on her balcony. With the help of Juliet’s Nurse poison and dies just as Juliet awakes from her drugged
the lovers arrange to meet next day at the cell of Friar sleep. She learns what has happened from Friar
Lawrence when Juliet goes for confession, and they are Lawrence but she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs
married by him. herself as the Friar returns with the Prince, the Capulets
and Romeo’s father. The deaths of their children lead the
Tybalt picks a quarrel with Mercutio and his friends and families to make peace, promising to erect a monument
Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to try
in their memory.
to break up the fight. Romeo pursues Tybalt in anger, kills
him and is banished by the Prince for the deed. Juliet is Midsummer Night’s Dream:
anxious that Romeo is late meeting her and learns of the
fighting from her Nurse. With Friar Lawrence’s help it is Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage
arranged that Romeo will spend the night with Juliet to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, A courtier seeks the
before taking refuge at Mantua. Duke’s intervention because his daughter, Hermia, will
not agree to his choice of Demetrius as a husband: she’s
To calm the family’s sorrow at Tybalt’s death the day for in love with Lysander. The Duke tells Hermia to obey her
the marriage of Juliet to Paris is brought forward. Capulet father, or either die or accept a life as a nun in Diana’s
and his wife are angry that Juliet does not wish to marry temple. Lysander and Hermia plan to elope, and they tell
Paris, not knowing of her secret contract with Romeo. Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, but he hates her
and loves Hermia. The lovers run away from Athens but
Friar Lawrence helps Juliet by providing a sleeping potion
get lost in the woods. They are followed by Demetrius,
that will make everyone think she’s dead. Romeo will and then by Helena, who has told him of their intentions.
then come to her tomb and take her away. When the
Oberon, king of the fairies, who lives in the woods, has their play. Meanwhile the lovers’ arguments tire them out
quarrelled with his queen, Titania, over an Indian boy she as they chase one another through the woods and when
refuses to give him. Oberon overhears Helena and Demetrius rests, Oberon puts magic juice on his eyes so
Demetrius arguing and sends his mischievous servant, that both he and Lysander pursue Helena until the
Puck, to get a flower whose juice has the power to make fourlovers fall asleep, exhausted. Puck puts juice on
people fall in love with the first creature they see when Lysander’s eyes before the lovers are woken by Theseus
the juice is placed on their eyelids while asleep. He and Hippolyta and their dawn hunting party. Happily
instructs Puck to put some drops on Demetrius’ eyes. reunited to each other, Lysander with Hermia, Demetrius
Mistaking the Athenian he seeks, Puck puts the flower with Helena, they agree to share the Duke’s wedding
juice on the eyes of the sleeping Lysander so that when day. The rustics perform the play of Pyramus and Thisbe
he is woken by Helena he immediately falls in love with before the wedding guests. As the three couples retire
her and rejects Hermia. Puck and the fairies return to bless the palace and its
people.
Some artisans are rehearsing a play about the tragic
love-story of Pyramus and Thisbe to present before
Theseus on his wedding day. Bottom, the weaver, is to
play the lover, Pyramus, while Flute, the bellows-mender,
is to play Thisbe. The others play the parts of the Moon,
the Wall and the Lion and they are directed by Quince,
the carpenter. Puck overhears their rehearsals in the
wood and he plays a trick on them by giving Bottom an
ass’s head which frightens the others away. Bottom is
lured towards the sleeping Titania whom Oberon has
treated with the flower juice. On waking, she falls in love
with the ass and entertains him with her fairies, but when
Bottom falls asleep beside her, Oberon restores Titania’s
sight and wakes her. She is appalled at the sight of what
she has been in love with and is reunited with Oberon.

Puck removes the ass’s head and Bottom returns to

Athens and rejoins his friends as they prepare to perform