Why would Gratiano like to play the role of a comic actor?
Answers
Explanation:
Let me play the fool…
Language & Thought Breakdown
The first thing I noticed was that Gratiano leaps in immediately with “Let me play the fool”. He finishes Antonio’s iambic line, indicating that there is no pause. In other words, come in hard on the cue. It also tells us perhaps that Gratiano is impulsive and will speak his mind.
To highlight this, I would like to draw your attention to the beat beginning, “I tell thee what Antonio…” and finishing with “let no dog bark”. This is a long beat. I broke it down in this way, as I think it is a clue. Gratiano has a wonderful ability to describe using imagery, making him able to sustain long thoughts. We do indeed find out during the course of the speech, that Gratiano is very good at talking.
Below is my breakdown of the text. It’s divided into thought and beat changes. Hopefully by doing this, we can gain some other insights into Gratiano.