Bassanio: Therefore, thou gaudy gold,
Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee;
a) What does the speaker say about beauty just before this extract? What idea is brought out
from the speaker's opinion about beauty?
[3]
b) Why does the speaker talk about crispy golden locks earlier? What do such locks turn out to
be?
(3)
c) Who is Midas? What was hard food for him? Why?
[3]
d) Why does Bassanio not choose the gold casket? [3]
e) What does he find inside the lead casket? What opinion do you form about Bassanio's
character from the selection he makes?
[4]
Answers
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The answers are given as follows:
Explanation:
- a) Bassanio states that artificial beauty can be bought by weight in a chemist’s shop and those who dress in most of this artificial makeup are wispy, in character. The notion that one should not go by facade is brought out. Garish things are for display; they lack value.
- b) The speaker speaks about crispy golden locks once more to reinforce the idea that the exterior is deceptive. Crispy, beautiful locks may be a wig, made by hair lent from another head that may be lying now in a grave. Outward shows are traitorous shores of a treacherous sea at times.
- c) Midas was the mythological king of Phrygia from Greek lore. He had asked for the blessing that everything he touched should turn to gold. When he touched his food, it changed to gold and he couldn’t eat it. Gold was difficult food for him. Therefore, he stayed hungry. Then he recognized his idiocy.
- d) Bassanio does not pick the golden casket as he felt that, all that glitters is not gold. It may tempt you to its outward show but betrays you when it comes to reality. Therefore, he refuses the gold casket with its summoning inscription.
- e) Bassanio labels the silver casket as ‘thou pale common drudge’. He judges it as an ordinary slave transient from hand to hand as coins. He selects the lead casket as the disagreeable material seems to alert rather than promise anything. The unadorned message on it moves him than the articulate words etched on the other caskets.
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