Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) is a young aristocratic and finds himself deeply in debt. He has fallen for the beautiful Portia (Lynn Collins) and in order to win her love he thinks he will need a small fortune. Bassanio turns to his close friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons), a successful businessman, for financial help and since he cannot help, he turns to Shylock (Al Pacino), a Jewish money lender who lives in Venice's Semetic ghetto. Bassanio offers a pound of his flesh as collateral if he is unable to repay the loan Shylock gives him.