The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare
Questions. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
il can catch him once upon the hip.
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our sacred Natinn, and he rails,
Esen there where merchants most do congregate,
On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls interest.
Cuned be my tribe,
II forgive him!
Whom does 'I' and 'hin' refer to? Give the meaning of the expression," il catch
him once upon the hip
Answers
Paraphrase :
SHYLOCK : Three thousand dollars, for three months, and Antonio obligated.
BASSANIO : Your answer to that.
SHYLOCK : Antonio is a good man.
BASSANIO : Have you heard any suggestion to the contrary?
SHYLOCK : Hey, no, no, no, no: my meaning in saying he is a good manis to have you understand me, that he is sufficiently credit-worthy,yet his money is all tied up: he has a large merchant ship going to Tripoli, another to the Indies; I understand, moreover, in the Marketplace,he has a third to Mexico, a fourth to England, and other ventures he has wasted abroad. But ships are only boards of wood, sailors only men; there are land-rats and water rats, land-thieves and water-thieves,—I mean pirates,—and then there is the peril of waters, winds, and rocks. The man is, in spite of all this, sufficiently credit worthy. Three thousand dollars -1 think I may take his promise to pay.
Word Meaning With Annotation
Ducats : There were gold ducats and silver ducats at the time with which the play deals, bound : Antonio shall be legally responsible for the repayment. Antonio is a good man : “reliable in financial dealings.” sufficient : satisfactory as security, his means are in supposition : his fortune may be supposed subject to the risks and failures of business.he hath an argosy bound to Tripolis : It matters little whether Shakespeare was thinking of Tripoli in North Africa, or Tripolis in Syna. Indies: the West Indies near Central America. Rialto : this was the name of the business quarters of Venice, squandered : sent forth; scattered, the man is not with standing sufficient : nevertheless the man Antonio is satisfactory as security.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions
Question 1.
What is the occasion for the dialogue quoted above?
Answer:
The occasion for this dialogue is Antonio’s request to Shylock for a loan of three thousand ducats. Antonio’s request has been conveyed to Shylock by Bassanio who had been authorized by Antonio to borrow the required amount of money in Antonio’s name from somebody or the other in Venice. It is in that connection that the present dialogue takes place between Shylock and Bassanio.
Question 2.
What does Shylock mean by saying that “his means are in supposition”, and how does he substantiate his view?
Answer:
Shylock means to say that Antonio’s present wealth is in some doubt. Shylock tries to prove his point by saying that all Antonio’s wealth at present consists of the ships and the merchandise which those ships are carrying to different destinations. Antonio has no cash in hand. If Antonio did have any cash, he would not be seeking a loan from a money-lender. Ships sailing upon the seas face many dangers. Ships may get wrecked in a storm or by colliding against rocks. Or sea- robbers may attack ships and take away all the merchandise. Thus Antonio might suffer heavy losses and find it impossible to repay the loan within a period of three months.
Question 3.
Do you find Shylock’s logic in his speech to be convincing?
Answer:
Shylock’s speech is perfectly rational and logical and, therefore, quite convincing. Ships in those days did get wrecked in storms, and there were pirates also in those days to rob trading vessels. Shylock talks here in a very plausible manner and, we may say, even in a realistic manner. Subsequently Antonio does suffer heavy losses, and is reduced to a state of bankruptcy.
Question 4.
What inference can you draw from this dialogue about Shylock’s character?
Answer:
Shylock here appears to be a worldly kind of man possessing a lot of practical experience of life and a lot of practical sense. He is aware of all the dangers which ships sailing upon the seas had to face. He is also aware of the fact that sometimes a debtor finds it impossible to repay a debt. Thus Shylock here gives evidence of his shrewdness and his capacity to talk in a plausible and convincing manner. He gives us the impression of being a seasoned money-lender, and a money lender who knows how to transact his business. He is a very calculating kind of man who tries to peer into the future and assess the prospects of a bargain into which he is entering.
Question 5.
Why does Shylock “take his bond”, and what does he gain or lose thereby?
Answer:
“Take his bond” means “accept Antonio as surety for the repayment of the loan”. Shylock gains the opportunity to take his revenge upon Antonio, but soon afterwards loses the opportunity. He is thwarted in his purpose by the superior intelligence of Portia and by her ingenuity in interpreting the bond in such a way as to frustrate Shylock’s design. But Shylock does experience a sense of exultation, though temporarily, at finding that he might, after all, be able to take his revenge upon
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Answer:
Take his bond” means “accept Antonio as surety for the repayment of the loan”. Shylock gains the opportunity to take his revenge upon Antonio, but soon afterwards loses the opportunity. He is thwarted in his purpose by the superior intelligence of Portia and by her ingenuity in interpreting the bond in such a way as to frustrate Shylock’s design. But Shylock does experience a sense of exultation, though temporarily, at finding that he might, after all, be able to take his revenge upon Antonio.