English Renaissance literary commonplaces about Venice find little confirmation in Shakespeare's Venetian plays: The Merchant of Venice and Othello. For the earls of Southampton and Essex and for many literate English Protestants, Venice was the model of republican government, the alternative to monarchy for disaffected subjects, the Toggle Contents Act and the list of scenes. Characters in the play, entire play Antonio, the merchant from The Merchant of Venice, obtains a loan from Shylock for his friend Bassanio, who seeks to woo Portia. Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, remembers Antonio's past insults and, instead of asking for interest on the loan, he asks what he says: In the merchant of Venice, the role of the woman is quite important. Even though we only meet three women throughout the play. Jessica, Nerissa and Portia all play important roles. Portia, Jessica, and Nerissa are all very interesting characters from this period. The three women are all symbols of strength, independence and intelligence for,