Antonio

an-to'ni-o, in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, the wealthy merchant from whom the play takes its name. Although the action seems to hinge upon Antonio, through his relations with Bassanio and Shylock, he is not the hero of the play. Antonio may be regarded as one of Shakespeare's finest characters. His friends speak of him as "the good Antonio." One says, "A kinder gentleman treads not the earth," and another, "O, that I had a title good enough to keep his name company." Antonio is a name of frequent occurrence in literature. Shakespeare himself used it in several plays. The Venetian merchant, however, is the character whom the name usually brings to mind. See Merchant Of Venice