Salerio and Salanio in the Merchant of Venice

In the play The Merchant Of Venice, there are many prominent characters. There is Bassanio and Antonio, the wealthy business types and Shylock a scrutinized Jew. And of course three women, Portia, Nerissa and Jessica, who are to be wed by Bassanio, Lorenzo and Gratiano to complete this tragedy. Keep in mind that women were played by male actors in Shakespeare's plays. Each of these characters is comedic, in some cases powerful, and overall they help to bring the play and the city of Venice to life. However there are two characters, Salerio and Salanio, whose relevance doesn’t really stand out. In fact when the Shakespeare lists the characters, he states Salerio and Salanio only as friends of Antonio and Bassanio and Venetian gentlemen. It’s not that Salerio and Salanio aren’t insignificant characters but that they do fit in with Venetian life by keeping the action going and developing the major characters.

Salerio and Salanio are two indistinguishable Venetian men with no definitive role. Salanio and Salerio (in some editions of the play called Salarino or Salerino) are not popular roles with many Shakespearean actors. As minor characters in the play, these young men have little

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1532
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)