Who is Bassanio?

Bassanio is a character in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. He is one of the main characters.  Bassanio is best friends with Antonio, and he is lucky that Antonio is good friends with him in return. Bassanio is a "mooch." He lives the rich guy lifestyle, but he never seems to have enough funds to continue living his lavish life; therefore, he is constantly borrowing money from Antonio or anybody else that will give him a loan. Bassanio knows this too, and he openly admits it to Antonio.

To you, Antonio, / I owe the most in money and in love

Unfortunately, Bassanio's solution to his financial troubles isn't exactly what I would call honorable. His plan is to borrow even more money in order to woo Portia, a rich heiress.

In Belmont is a lady richly left,
And she is fair and—fairer than that word—
Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her eyes
I did receive fair speechless messages.
Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued
To Cato’s daughter, Brutus' Portia.
Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth,

Notice, in Bassanio's opinion, Portia's main "virtues" are her looks and her wealth. What's frustrating about Bassanio is that despite his ability to use people and never pay them back, Antonio still loves the guy, and Portia ends up as his loving and devoted wife.