Antonio and Bassanio's Relationship

One of the things that interested me the most was Antonio and Bassanio’s affection for each other. They are always putting each other first, even in front of Portia, who is Bassanio’s wife. Antonio is always giving Bassanio money, even when he doesn’t have it. Bassanio tells Antonio everything, they are very very close, and there was speculation in my group after the reading that they might have romantic feelings for each other.
    They seem to care about each other more than anything else, and my group had a small discussion about whether Shakespeare might have tried to hint some romance between them. They both love each other so much, and to the audience that was a possibility. I think Antonio and Bassanio had a very intriguing relationship, and that was something that interested me a lot while reading this play.

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