Old Gobbo is the father of Launcelot Gobbo, the clown in The Merchant of Venice. Although he only appears in a brief comedic segment in Act II, Scene II, we find out quite a bit about him; his wife (Launcelot's mother) is named Margery, and he owns a "fill-horse", or plow horse, implying that he may be a farmer. His first name is unknown, but it's possible that his son is named after him; Launcelot's name in the quartos and folios is "Launcelet" (diminutive, meaning "little Launce"), and he refers to himself specifically as "young Master Launcelot", so his father could be "old Launcelot" as well as "old Gobbo." (This isn't necessarily the case; it may have been customary to indicate the age of the person spoken of. Launcelot later refers to Bassanio as his "young master", although he could