When young Bassanio wants to get married, but has spent all his fortune, he asks his rich merchant friend, Antonio, to lend him some money. As Antonio's ships are all at sea, he has no ready money, so he borrows some from a moneylender, Shylock. However, if the debt is not paid on time, Shylock wants a piece of Antonio's body - a pound of flesh. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, the story takes an unexpected turn.
當Bassanio想要結婚時,他花了他一生所有的財富,甚至向他的富商好友Antonio借了點錢,只希望能抱得美人歸。當Antonio所有的船都在海上時,他並沒有預備任何錢,因此他向放款人Shylock借了點錢。然而條件是要是Antonio不能按期還債,他就要割下Antonio身上的一磅肉作為代價。當Antonio的船隻迷失在海上時,故事發生了意想不到的轉變……