Merchant of Venice Workbook Answers Act 2, Scene 8 – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English
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Passage – 1 (Act II, Sc.VIII, Lines 12-16)
Paraphrase :
SALANIO : I never heard such confused anger, So strange, outrageous, and so changeable, The Jew barked like the dog in the streets.” My daughter! Oh, my dollars! Oh, my daughter! Fled with a Christian! Oh, my Christian dollars! Justice! The law! My dollars and my daughter! A sealed bag, two sealed bags of dollars, Of double dollars, stolen from me by my daughter! And jewels! Two stones, two rich and precious stones, Stolen by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! She has the stones on her and the dollars.”
SALARINO : Why, all the boys in Venice followed him,Crying, his stones, his daughter, and his dollars.
SALANIO : Let good Antonio be careful about making his Payment on time, or he shall pay for this.
Word Meaning With Annotation
Passion: frenzy of anger. Outrageous : exessive. Variable : changing in mood. Keep his day : pay up on the day fixed.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions
Question 1.
What is your reaction to SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s lamentations the streets?
Answer:
SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s lamentations gives us the impression That Shylock has gone almost crazy on account of the losses he has suffered. His daughter has run away with a Christian, and she has also taken away a substantial portion of his money and his jewels. Shylock is feeling deeply grieved by his daughter’s conduct. He is unable to exercise self-control; and he gives way to his grief and bitterness publicly in the city streets. He does win some of our sympathy on this occasion but he also appears to be a comic figure by the way in which he cries: “My daughter! Fled with a Christian! 0 my Christian ducats!”
Question 2.
What does SALANIO mean by his last speech in this extract from the play?
Answer:
SALANIO means to say that Antonio should take care to repay the loan in time. If Antonio fails to repay the loan, he would have to pay a heavy penalty which, in terms of the bond, would be a pound of his flesh.
Question 3.
Does Antonio really “pay for this”? If so, how ; and if not, why not?
Answer:
Antonio comes very near to paying the penalty, but escapes from actually doing so. He comes very close to paying it because the judge has admitted the validity of the bond and has held that Shylock is entitled to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The judge has even asked Antonio to prepare his bosom for Shylock’s knife. However, Antonio escapes this sad fate because the same judge then declares that Shylock is entitled only to a pound of Antonio’s flesh and is not authorized to shed any blood in the process of cutting the flesh. No blood has been mentioned in the bond, says the judge. And so Antonio escapes an evil fate.
Question 4.
What is your opinion of the conduct of Shylock’s daughter as described here by Shylock?
Answer:
Shylock’s daughter, whose name is Jessica, has behaved in a most unfilial manner. She has brought disgrace and dishonour to her father by running away from home; and her conduct becomes all the more reprehensible because she has run away with a Christian man while she ” herself is Jewish. However, we have to take a lenient view of Jassica’s conduct because Shylock has been behaving like a very tyrannical father and because Jessica has been feeling a prisoner in her father’s house. Shylock has never shown any tenderness towards her; and she has been- feeling miserable with him Thus there is some justification for her running away from home,- though we are certainly not inclined to forgive her entirely.
Question 5.
Does Justice find the girl, as demanded by Shylock?
Answer:
No, justice is unable to find the girl. Actually Jessica and her lover Lorenzo have escaped from Venice into Genoa where the Venetian police could not have chased,them
Passage – 2 (Act II, Sc.VIII, Lines 12-26)
Paraphrase :
SALANIO ; I never heard such confused anger, So strange, outrageous, and so changeable, The Jew barked like the dog in the streets.” My daughter! Oh, my dollars! Oh, my daughter! Fled with a Christian! Oh, my Christian dollars! Justice! The law! My dollars and my daughter! A sealed bag, two sealed bags of dollars, Of double dollars, stolen from me by my daughter! And jewels! Two stones, two rich and precious stones, Stolen by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! She has the stones on her and the ducats.”
SALARINO : Why, all the boys in Venice followed him, crying, his stones, his daughter, and his ducats.”
SALANIO : Let good Antonio be careful about making his payment on time, or he shall pay for this.
Word Meaning With Annotation
Double ducats : it seems that there were two kinds of ducats in circulation, one being double the value, of the other, keep his day : discharge his debt punctually on the agreed day.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions
Question 1.
What Is your reaction to SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s condition?
Answer:
From SALANIO’s description we learn that Shylock is shocked and has become mad on the account of the losses he has suffered. His daughter has run away with a Christian and has taken way a big portion of his money and jewels. Shylock is feeling deeply grieved by his daughter’s conduct. He is unable to exercise self-control and gives way to his grief and bitterness publicly in the streets.
Question 2.
What light does Shylock’s first speech throw on the character of Shylock?
Answer:
The above mentioned speech of SALANIO presents Shylock as a miser and greedy man. In his « , madness also he harps upon the idea of his lost wealth. He is hurt not so much by the loss of his daughter as by loss of his wealth.
Question 3.
What does SALANIO’s last speech in the extract mean?
Answer:
SALANIO means to say that Antonio should pay the loan taken by him in time. If he fails to repay the loan in time he would have to pay a heavy penalty which would be a pound of his flesh.
Question 4.
What opinion do you form of Shylock’s daughter as described here by Shylock?
Answer:
Shylock’s daughter Jessica has behaved in a most unfilial manner. She has brought disgrace and disrepute to her father by running away from her home. Her conduct becomes more reprehensible because she has run away with a big portion of Shylock’s wealth.
Question 5.
Does Justice find the girl as demanded by Shylock?
Answer:
No, justice is unable to find the girl. Actually Jessica and her lover Lorenzo have escaped from Venice.
Passage – 3 (Act II, Sc.VIII, Lines 35-50)
Paraphrase :
SALARIO : A kinder gentleman does not walk on the earth. I saw Bassanio and Antonio say goodbye: Bassanio told him he would hurry back. He answered ‘Don’t hurry back; Don’t be careless with business for my sake, Bassanio, But wait until your plans are realized; And for the Jew’s promise to pay which he has from me, Don’t let it enter your mind, thinking about love: Be happy, and use your main thoughts For courtship, and such beautiful shows of love That may agree with you there.” And even there,-his eyes being big with tears, Turning his face away, he put his hands behind him, And with affection that was amazingly easy to feel, He shook and shook Bassanio’s hand, and they parted like that.
Word Meaning With Annotation
Slubber : to perform any business in a hasty and slovenly manner. But stay the very riping of the time : as the farmer does not gather his crops too soon, but waits until they are quite ripe. Let it not enter in your mind of love : Let it not enter into your mind, which should be full of thoughts of love-making, ostents : evidence or displays of affection, big with tears : full of big tears.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions
Question 1.
Who is the kinder gentleman referred to?
Answer:
The kinder gentleman is Antonio.
Question 2.
What was the parting advice given to Bassanio?
Answer:
Antonio advised Bassanio not to come till the completion of his work. He also asked him not to bother about the bond. He should rather keep cheerful and keep busy in his love affairs.
Question 3.
What assurance was given by Bassanio to his friend?
Answer:
Bassanio assured Antonio that he would return as soon as possible.
Question 4.
How did Bassanio’s friend feel on parting from Bassanio?
Answer:
Bassanio’s friend felt very sad on parting from Bassanio. Tears welled (came) up in his eyes.
Question 5.
What idea does this passage give you about the friendship between Bassanio and his friend?
Answer:
They were very fast friends.
Passage – 4 (Act. II, Sc.VIII, Lines 35-55)
Paraphrase :
SALARINO : A kinder gentleman does not walk on the earth. I saw Bassanio and Antonio say goodbye: Bassanio told him he would hurry back. He answered ‘Don’t hurry back; Don’t be careless with business for my sake, Bassanio, But wait until your plans are realized; And for the Jew’s promise to pay which he has from me, Don’t let it enter your mind, thinking about love: Be happy, and use your main thoughts For courtship, and such beautiful shows of love That may agree with you there.” And even there, his eyes being big with tears, Turning his face away, he put his hands behind him, And with affection that was amazingly easy to feel, He shook and shook Bassanio’s hand, and they parted like that.
SALANIO : I think Antonio only loves the world for him. Please, let’s go and find out where he is, And help bum up his tangled depression With some delight or other;
SALARINO : Let’s do it.
Word Meaning With Annotation
slubber : to perform any business in a hasty and slovenly manner. But stay the very riping of the time : as the farmer does not gather his crops too soon, but waits until they are quite ripe. Let it not enter in your mind of love : Let it not enter into your mind, which should be full of thoughts of love-making, ostents : evidence or displays of affection, big with tears : full of big tears, quicken : cheer up.
Read the above passage and answer the following questions
Question 1.
What idea of Antonio’s character does this passage give you?
Answer:
Antonio is here depicted as a very kind-hearted man and as being very devoted to Bassanio. He is here shown to be more interested in Bassanio’s welfare and in Bassanio’s happiness than in his own safety. Antonio feels Bassanio’s separation from him to be something very painful to him.
Question 2.
Where is Bassanio going and why?
Answer:
Bassanio is going to Belmont in order to try to win Portia as his wife.
Question 3.
What is SALARINO’s and Salonio’s attitude towards Antonio as reflected in this passage?
Answer:
SALARINO and SALANIO are here shown to be great admirers of Antonio. SALARINO says that Antonio is the kindest gentleman living on the earth; and SALANIO says that Antonio’s feeling of friendship for Bassanio is very ardent and perfectly sincere. In SALANIO’s opinion, “Antonio loves the world only for Bassanio’s sake. Both SALANIO and SALARINO now decide to do something to relieve Antonio of the sadness which he is experiencing on account of Bassanio’s departure from Venice.
Question 4.
Give reasons for SALARINO’s view of Antonio’s kindness and for Antonio’s hatred and ill-treatment of Shylock?
Answer:
Antonio is certainly a kind-hearted man. He has been lending out money gratis; and he has even saved some debtors from the Jew’s forfeitures. But he had always held the Jew in contempt and has always ill-treated him. The fact is that Antonio is a fanatical Christian who hates the Jewish religion and who is, for that reason, intolerant of Shylock. But he hates Shylock even more for * another reason. Shylock is a usurer, a miser, and a hoarder of money who exploits needy persons wanting loans. Antonio strongly disapproves of Shylock’s practice of charging excessive rates of interest on the loans which Shylock gives to the needy persons, and thus exploiting the financial difficulties of those persons.
Question 5.
Give the meanings of the following words and phrases :
(a) the very riping of the time
(b) ostents of love
(c) his embraced heaviness
Answer:
(a) The very riping of the time-when one’s plans have matured; when the purpose has been achieved.
(b) Ostents of love-signs of love; tokens of love; shows of love; manifestations of love.
(c) His embraced heaviness-the sadness which he has accepted as his due. The word “heaviness” , in this context means sadness caused by a weight on the mind. In the present case it is Bassanio’s departure from Venice which has begun to weigh upon Antonio’s mind. The word “embraced” has been used to mean “accepted” or “received” or “acquired”.
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