Question

Give a brief note on Antonio 's melancholy.
(Merchant of Venice)

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Antonio is portrayed as a melancholy character from the outset of the play. In the first scene, Antonio's friends, Salarino and Solanio, insist that Antonio is upset and depressed about his ships. Antonio is a wealthy merchant whose money is invested in his ships. Antonio's ships are currently out at sea, where they are subjected to the treacherous waves. However, Antonio denies this explanation for his melancholy and says he has no idea about his sadness.

Another possible explanation for Antonio's melancholy mood concerns his feelings towards Bassanio. Bassanio is much younger than Antonio and wants to seek Portia's hand in marriage. Being that Antonio is such a close friend of Bassanio's, he may be upset that his best friend is marrying, which means that he will get to spend less time with him. Similar to this explanation is the argument that Antonio is in love with Bassanio and is depressed about losing him.

Another cause for Antonio's sadness may concern his inability to readily lend Bassanio money to travel to Belmont. Antonio is forced to borrow money from Shylock, who agrees to loan him the money on the condition that he will cut a pound of his flesh from Antonio's body if the loan is forfeited. Antonio mentions that he never agrees to lend or borrow money with interest when he visits Shylock. Antonio quickly becomes worried about forfeiting his loan when he receives terrible news regarding his ships. After hearing the rumors concerning the dire condition of his vessels, Antonio becomes even more depressed, knowing that his life is in danger.

Answer 2

Answer:

• The Merchant of Venice by "William Shakespeare" is a comedy that displays the conflict between money and love.
• The melancholy of Antonio may be due to the following reasons.

Explanation:

• The play opens with Antonio being in a melancholic mood.

• Maybe it is because his ships are at sea, which has robbed him of his peace.

• The play also refers to him as a luckless character.

• He emerges as a disillusioned, depressed character who is unaware of the cause of his melancholy.

• But the evidence in the play suggests that he is in love, which he denies.
• He says that, "he is yet to learn about the origin and nature of his sadness."
• It can also be due to the internal conflict that he faces as a merchant, since he is a generous person but needs to make money.

• Later, he refers to his sadness as a part that he has to play on the stage of the world.