Question

I am the tainted weather of the flock,

Meetest for death: the weakest kind of fruit

Drops earliest to the ground; and let me;

You cannot better be employ’d Bassanio,

Than to live still, and write mine epitaph.​

Answer 1

Explanation:

Antonio is filled with melancholy, he is a depressed and sick man. In this quote, he presents us with a sadness that could be perceived as suicidal. None-the-less, he is ready to sacrifice himself for his best friend without reservation.