The Merchant of Venice-Short Answer-type Questions-William Shakespeare-E...

The Merchant of Venice l Summary of Act One Scene One l William Shakespeare

 The Merchant of Venice

Act I, Scene (i) 

As the play opens, we find Antonio conversing with Solanio and Solarino. Antonio is found deeply lost in a state of melancholy.  He is unable to find the reasons for his anxiety. Solanio and Solarino try to guess the causes of Antonio’s gloomy state of mind. Antonio also admits that he is unable to find genuine reasons for his sadness.

He utters: “In sooth, I know not why I am so sad;…”

Antonio has invested a large sum of money in his business and his ships are in the ocean, where his ships are at high risk because no one knows when the seawater becomes troubled with high tides.

Solanio tells Antonio that he might be troubled due to his ships that are in the ocean. He also consoles Antonio by saying that they are quite safe and sound.

Solanio also enters into the conversation dragging the same thought ahead. In this way, their conversation centers around Antonio’s sadness and his ships in peril.

But we find Antonio rejecting all of their speculations about the reasons for his sadness. He says that his ships are not the reason for his gloomy state of mind. His financial situation is rather sound if he does not get any profit in the current year.

“Believe me, no; I thank my fortune for it,/

My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,/

Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate/

Upon the fortune of this present year:(45)/

Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad.”

At this, Solanio says that Antonio must have fallen in love if he is not worried about his shipment. Antonio outrightly dismisses the idea of love too.

In the meantime, Antonio’s other companions: Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano also enter the scene. After expressing some words of courtesies, Solanio and Solarino leave the place.

Gratiano also watches Antonio’s face and says that he is looking somewhat different.

“You don’t look well, Mr. Antonio;

You’re thinking too much about the world;…”

 At this, Antonio admits that he is a man of melancholic nature. Let’s read what he says:

“I only think of the world as the world, Gratiano;

A stage, where every man must play a part,

And my part is a sad one…”

As Antonio finishes his lines, we have very beautiful lines uttered by Gratiano:

“Let me play the fool;

Let old wrinkles come with happiness and laughter;

And let my liver get hot with wine rather

Then my heart turns cold with depressing groans.

There are a sort of men, whose visages

Do cream and mantle like a standing pond;

And do a wilful stillness entertain,

With a purpose to be dress'd in an opinion(95)

Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit;..’”

After some time, Lorenzo and Gratiano also leave. Now Antonio and Bassanio are left behind.

Bassanio also utters a few beautiful lines about Gratiano, when the latter has left the place.

“…his reasons are as two grains(120)

of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you shall seek all day ere you find them, and when you have them they are not worth the search.”

Now, Antonio asks Bassanio to tell him about the lady he promised to tell him something.

But before telling anything about the lady, Bassanio proceeds to make some background to take another loan from Antonio. He acquaints the reader with his extravagant nature. He also hints at the fact that he has already taken a loan from Antonio.

“I don’t come to you now to ask that you

Forgive my debts, because my chief concern

Is to make good on these great debts

Which my behavior, sometimes reckless

And wasteful, has left me broke. To you, Antonio,…”

I owe the most, in money and in friendship,

And, from your friendship, I have a guarantee

To get rid of all my plots and intentions as to

How to get clear all the debts I owe.

Antonio encourages Bassanio to say what he wants, but the latter does not come to the point and adds more words.

“When I was in school, when I had lost one arrow,

I shot another one of identical length

In an identical way, with more thoughtful care,

To find the one I lost, and by risking both, I often

Found both. I’m telling you about this childhood event,

Because I say next is as pure and innocent.

I owe you a lot, and, like a willful youth,

I have lost what I owe you, but if you will please

Lend me money in an identical way

That you lent me the first money, I don’t doubt,

As I’ll be more careful, to find both sums,

Or I’ll bring your second loan back again

And just owe you thankfully for the first….”

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Bassanio's Character-The Merchant of Venice-William SHakespeare

Antonio’s Character-The Merchant of Venice-William Shakespeare

 Antonio’s Character

Antonio is definitely the central character in the play The Merchant of Venice. He is th@e person around whom most of the story of the play revolves. He certainly possesses the qualities of head and heart. So he is claimed to be the hero of the play. But that is really a question of debate.

Let’s discuss the character of Antonio and try to find out what qualities and shortcomings he had in his personality.

The first and foremost (chief) characteristic of his character is his melancholy nature. In the very beginning, the readers come to know about his sad nature. In the opening scene, he is in the company of his two friends, Solanio and  Salarino. After some time Gratiano also reaches there. They all try to guess the reason behind Antonio’s sadness. Even Antonio does not know the reason behind his sad mood. It is said that he is sad because all his investments are at stake because in the sea anything could happen to his ships. It is also said that Antonio might have fallen in love with someone and that might be the reason of his sad mood. But Antonio rejects all these speculations (guesses) about the reasons for his being in a sad mood. Finally, he tells his friends that God has given every person a certain role to perform on the stage of this world. He has been given a sad role to perform in his life. So he is in a sad mood.

As the play advances, the readers come to know about the adverse (unfavourable, unpleasant) impact of his melancholy nature on his personality. He remains disinterested in his life. It seems that he has lost all his excitement that may bubble up the personality of a young man. This is the reason why he is unable to enjoy a joke, nor is he able to create it. He is also not able to events like merry-making as torch ­light, masked processions in which his friend takes great pleasure.

He is a static character throughout the play. He does not show any considerable growth. He remains the same up to the end of the play. But one thing great has been done by him and that sets the ball of the action of the play to roll fast to reach its logical conclusion. He signs the dangerous bond that enables his close friend Bassanio to get a loan of three thousand ducats from the avaricious (/ˌæv.əˈrɪʃ.əs/ greedy) moneylender of Venice, Shylock. Antonio’s act of signing the bond is really a great event in the play and it is because of it the whole attention of the readers is focussed on him. It is also because of this Antonio becomes the central character in the play.

But in spite of this big flaw in his character; William Shakespeare has endowed (gifted) him with certain qualities that make him really a great character in the play.

He is the esteemed merchant of Venice and is known for his honesty, kindness, faithfulness, and generosity. He gives loans to the people of Venice without interest though he is not a moneylender. He saves people from the clutches of Shylock. He also gives a loan to his friend Bassanio. It is his loyalty to his true friendship with Bassanio that makes him sign the deadly (dangerous) bond.

He is the most popular and respected man in Venice. His friends often speak of his kindness and goodness of heart. Gratiano calls him the royal merchant. Solanio finds no words to explain his goodness of heart. Portia also feels proud of helping such a good person. Bassanio is not far behind his friends speaking of his kindness.

But still, his hatred for Shylock on the basis of his religion lowers (belittles) his esteem (regard, respect) in the eyes of modern readers, who believe that there should be no room in our minds for the thoughts that divide one human being from the other on the basis of race and religion. On several occasions, he has degraded (dishonoured, insulted) Shylock publically and even spat on his clothes.

To conclude, we may say that Antonio is indeed a great character in this play. He is the Merchant of Venice. He wins the hearts of the people of Venice by his acts of kindness. He is in sharp contrast to Shylock, who becomes his staunch (strongly loyal) enemy due to his generous (liberal, kind) nature. As far as Antonio’s hatred for Shylock as a Jew is concerned, that is due to the social setup to which he belonged. There was a bitter feeling against the Jews in those days. And it may be because Shylock was also not a good human being. His own daughter was also against him.

Bassanio’s Character-The Merchant of Venice-William Shakespeare

 Bassanio’s Character

Ans. Bassanio is one of the major characters in the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. He is the romantic character in this play, who has immense love for Portia, the heroine of the play. Finally, he succeeds in marrying her.

But Bassanio’s character suffers from certain shortcomings which show him in dim colours in the beginning of the play. He is not at all dominating other characters. Although he marries the heroine of the play, yet he fails to gain the stature of being called the hero of this play.

Bassanio is an extravagant type of person. He is habitual of spending money beyond his means. He is already in debt and requests another loan from Antonio, his close friend. This time he wants money to go to Belmont to win Portia’s hand by taking part in the casket contest. The reader gets the impression that he marries Portia for money. He himself tells Antonio that he would be able to pay off all of his loans after he marries Portia, the rich and beautiful lady of Belmont.

The readers have also another point in mind. Bassanio. It is argued that he must have forced Antonio not to sign the dangerous bond. But we may say that he had advised him not to sign it. But Antonio was hopeful that his ships would return safely to Venice.

Portia thinks very high of Bassanio. This may be because she loves him most. He must have an attractive personality. He also proves his wisdom and balance of mind by selecting the right casket and winning Portia’s hand for marriage. Thus Bassanio shows his deep insight into life by understanding the words inscribed on the caskets. He is not at all attracted by the shine of gold and silver. Rather his words in the casket scene exhibit his wisdom and understanding of life.

Bassanio is a lovable person. Not only his friends, but also the servants like Launcelot admire him.

Bassanio’s poetic bent of mind is also revealed to the readers when he describes Portia’s beauty to Antonio. He tells him that Portia is ‘fairer than that word. He also compares her to the ancient Rome’s Portia, Brutus’ wife.  He quotes Greek mythology to praise her hair shining like gold fleece. Even after opening the lead casket, he praises Portia’s beauty in deep romantic words.

Bassanio’s other qualities also impress the readers. He is a handsome, polite, and lovable person. Portia expresses her excitement for him when Nerissa reminds her of him. Her joy and excitement are shown in her words:

‘Yes, yes, it was Bassanio, as I think, he was so called.’

He has control over his feelings. When Gartiano wants to go with him to Belmont, he lets him go on the condition that he would put control on his tongue there.

 He has great love for his friend Antonio. He had also stopped Antonio from signing the fatal bond. But Antonio was confident that he would pay the loan on time. When Bassanio comes to know about Antonio’s troubles, he at once reaches Venice to help his friend. He offers the Jew not only several times more money than taken from him, but also every part of his body. He feels guilty that Antonio’s troubles were due to him.

It is true that Bassanio has certain shortcomings but that makes him the man of the world. But his good points overshadow his weaknesses. Thus we may say that Bassanio's character is very much liked by the readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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