opening scene of merchant of Venice
Answers
Answer:
I am rather unsure about whether you are asking for the transcript or the explanation of the scene. This answer assumes that the request is made for the explanation of the scene in brief.
Explanation:
The scene opens in Venice, a city in Italy. Its first lines are spoken by Antonio, a wealthy Christian from that city. He is addressing two of his friends Salarino and Salanio. The two express that they feel that Antonio is feeling sad due to the unsure fate of his ships on the sea and speak much of how various things that were common to any observer would indeed make a merchant sad and worried. Antonio then does his level best to convince the duo that he was not worried about the fate of these ships, for he had not invested all his money in them. He had also shown the traits of a wise merchant by dispersing his argosies in many various directions and thus not all of them could meet a bad fate. Then Salanio suggests that Antonio was in love. Antonio says that Salanio should be shameful for suggesting such a thing. Salanio then says that Antonio was sad simply because he was not happy, going on to say much about how in the name of the Roman God Janus had Nature made some strange characters. He states that there were some who would not laugh at a joke that would amuse even the stolid Greek general Nestor and some others who laughed at any given opportunity.
Then arrive at the scene Antonio's best friends Gratiano and Bassanio, whose entry serves as the exit of Salanio and Salarino. Antonio says that the two were just using the entry of Bassanio and Gratiano to leave the scene and attend upon their own business.
Gratiano also does much to cheer up Antonio, claiming that he would rather be a fool (here a joker) whose liver was warm with intoxicants than a stolid man who did not laugh at any joke and sat like a statue of a grandfather.
After a large speech by Gratiano, in which he states that silent men pretending to be wise are actually the biggest idiots of all, one of the other present men (Lorenzo) states that he must be one of those people given that Gratiano never lets him speak. Gratiano, jesting, says that it will take him a further two years only and Lorenzo shall not remember even the sound of his voice.
Antonio sends Gratiano and Lorenzo off, agreeing to soon become a talker to satisfy Gratiano. This is agreed to by Gratiano, who thanks Antonio and exits.
Antonio asks Bassanio, the only other person present in the scene now, whether Gratiano had said anything worth anything more than a thought. Bassanio says that Gratiano can speak a large amount about any given topic, and more often than not there is no topic if one really looks!
After this, Bassanio (who is indebted to Antonio) asks Antonio for more credit. Antonio, who is known to be a kind man, asks Bassanio to see what Antonio's name can do for him by means of credit. While Bassanio will scout for credit which Antonio will then repay, Antonio (who says that he cannot raise any sum now for Bassanio's excursion to Belmont to woo a rich heiress called Portia) does the same.
In the opening scene of Merchant of Venice Antonio is seen sad for no reason. His friends Salarino and Salanio try to find the reason for his melancholy but are unable to find. They give some reasons and also say that he is sad because of his merchandise and Antonio denies that.
Hope it helps....