Salarino

Play

The Merchant of Venice

Summary

Salarino is one of Antonio's Venetian friends and gentlemen companions — paired with Solanio in the play's early scenes. He provides news, commentary, and social context, conveying reports about Antonio's ships and relaying the story of Shylock's reaction to Jessica's elopement. He is one of the play's minor but functional figures, whose gossip and observations keep the audience informed about off-stage events and whose casual anti-Semitism reflects the ambient attitudes of Venetian society.

Notable Quotations

"Now, by two-headed Janus, / Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time." *(I.i)*

Cross-references

• The Merchant of Venice — the play
• Comedies — genre
• character_antonio_mov — his merchant friend
• character_bassanio — fellow Venetian gentleman
• character_shylock — whose reaction to Jessica's flight he reports with mockery