Question

Question:3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by Fortune from the weaker hand:
So is Alcides beaten by his page;
I.
II.
Explain the Allusion used in the above extract (3)
Do you think that in Shakespearean drama Destiny is character?(3)
Specify bravery of the prince of Morocco in this scene.(3)
Does Portia have free will? Elaborate your views.(3)
The Merchant of Venice is a tragicomedy.Justify your answer from the
portions you have read.(4)
IV.
V.​

Answer 1

Explanation:

e Merchant of Venice Questions and Answers

by William Shakespeare

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Explain the lines, "If Hercules and Lichas play at dice...And so may I, blind fortune leading me, Miss that which one unworthier may attain, and die with grieving," in Act ll, Scene l of The Merchant of Venice.

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CARTER WESTFALL eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

These words are a portion of the retort uttered by the Moroccan Prince when he addresses Portia. In these lines, he is indirectly referring to the gamble that he has undertaken by competing in a lottery for Portia's hand in marriage. The venture was formulated by Portia's now deceased father and demands that suitors choose the right casket of three to successfully claim her as a bride.

The Prince compares this particular risk to playing a game of dice in which the outcome is never guaranteed. The Prince regrets that he has to participate in such a demeaning exercise. The end result is determined by fate which means that the participants cannot determine the outcome. To illustrate and emphasize his point, he alludes to a hero of classic Roman mythology, Hercules, who was renowned for his prowess and great strength. This section of the Prince's speech reads as follows:

If Hercules and Lichas play at dice

Which is the better man, the greater throw

May turn by fortune from the weaker hand:

So is Alcides beaten by his page;

And so may I, blind fortune leading me,

Miss that which one unworthier may attain,

And die with grieving.