With reference to Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare answer the following questions. 1. Compare and contrast Antonio’s situation in signing the agreement with Shylock, with Portia’s situation of being held bound to her father’s will.??? ????//????
Answers
Answer:
he is dead now you are under stande
One first has to consider that both the scripts are binding, legal documents and are therefore enforceable by law. The parties to these documents are obliged to meet the terms set out therein. Forfeiture would mean a loss of benefits or some form of punishment or penalty being exacted. When the documents were drawn up, they had to be attested to by officials of the court to make them binding and legal or else they would be null and void. We know that the agreement between Antonio and Shylock was attested to by a notary and we can assume that Protia's father did the same to validate his will.
The bond signed between Antonio and Shylock became a tricky matter since the execution of its terms became a matter of dispute. When Shylock demanded restitution for Antonio's forfeiture, he was denied the right to do so, since his application was contested. It was found that, as an alien, Shylock would have broken Venetian law if he had executed the terms of the bond. Firstly, he was not allowed to.