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How does Gratiano tries to explain Antonio to come out of the sadness?​

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The Merchant of Venice Questions and Answers

by William Shakespeare

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What is the reason for Antonio's sadness in Act 1, scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare?

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CARTER WESTFALL eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

It is unclear exactly what mad Antonio sad. He himself does not know either.

In sooth, I know not why I am so sad:

It wearies me; you say it wearies you;

But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,

I am to learn;

And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,

That I have much ado to know myself.

He acknowledges in these opening lines that he does not know the reasons for his sadness and mentions that he has much to learn to establish exactly what causes it. This depressed feeling makes him feel tired and he admits to Salarino and Salanio that it seems have become tiresome for them as well. He suggests that he has much to do, probably some serious introspection, to understand his melancholy.

Salarino suggests that Antonio's mood is caused by his concerns over his trade ships at sea where they are at the mercy of the waves over which they rock and duck. Antonio replies that if his thoughts had been caught up in his ventures across the oceans, he would be testing the wind and seeking its direction and he would be studying maps in search of ports and safe harbours. He would be searching for any object that might put his ventures at risk if he had such doubts. The implication is, therefore, that it is not worry about his ships which makes him sad.