A monastery is a building or group of buildings in which monks or nuns live, work, and pray after taking religious vows. In act 3, scene 4 of The Merchant of Venice, Portia instructs Lorenzo to take charge of her household, claiming that she and Nerissa are planning to stay in solitude at a nearby monastery in order to have a restful time of prayer and contemplation. She does not actually plan to go to the monastery but has selected the setting for an alibi, knowing that she will be allowed an unquestioned respite from her household while there. Portia concocts the monastery story to ensure that no one will realize she and Nerissa are traveling to Venice to impersonate lawyers at Antonio's trial with the goal of freeing him from Shylock's trap.
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