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Character Sketch of Launcelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of Launcelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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LAUNCELOT GOBBO

A Clown as well as a Servant

Launcelot Gobbo is the servant, first of the Jew, and later of the Christian Bassanio. But he is not merely a servant. Shakespeare describes him as a clown, meaning that he is a jester too. The word “fool” is also used for a person of that kind in Shakespearean drama. As a clown or a fool or a jester, Launcelot Gobbo makes a substantial contribution to the comedy of this play. However, he is not as clever and intellectual a clown as certain other clowns created by Shakespeare.

His Low, Cheap, Crude, and Farcical Kind of Humour

Much of the humour of Launcelot’s talk is of a crude and farcical kind; and the same is true of his behaviour and conduct. Hi£ fooling of his aged and blind father is not only crude and farcical but also in very bad taste. He tells his father that the young master Launcelot has died. This sort of thing fills us with disgust. It is all right for him to use his father to get a job under Bassanio; but to put up a pretence that he is dead means giving a shock to an old man who might not have been able to bear to shock. Indeed, Launcelot’s sense of humour in this particular episode is very cheap and Low. And, even in using his father to aid him in getting a job under Bassanio, he behaves in a manner which seems to us to be stupid and grotesque. He first prompts his father to say something and then he interrupts his father when the old man begins to say what he has been prompted to say. Every sentence begun by the old man is interrupted by his young son who then completes that sentence. This sort of thing certainly amused the groundlings in those times and had its utility from the point of view of public entertainment; but from the literary and artistic point of view this kind of humour ranks very low.

His Capacity to Make Truly Witty Remarks

A better example of Launcelot’s sense of humour is to be found in the conflict which is going on in his mind and which he describes in a really amusing manner. The conflict is between his desire to get a job under Bassanio and his conscience which stands in the way of his quitting the Jew’s service. While his conscience does not permit him to quit the Jew’s service, the fiend or the devil urges him to quit this job and seek one under Bassanio. The devil urges him to run away from Shylock’s house, while his conscience urges him to scorn running, and to remain loyal to his present master. Later in the play, Launcelot shows that he is also capable of making truly witty remarks. When Jessica informs him that her husband has converted her to Christianity, Launcelot makes a truly witty remark by saying that this making of Christians would raise the price of hogs, and by going on to say that, if all the Jews turn Christians and begin eating pork, there would not be a single slice of bacon available in the market at any price. He also shows his wit in using words in a double sense. His talent at punning makes Lorenzo call him “wit-snapper”; and Lorenzo then tells Jessica that this fool “has planted an army of good words in his mind”, and that he uses those words when occasion demands. Launcelot is also capable of making intelligent remarks indicative of a certain measure of wisdom. For instance, lie says to Bassanio: “You have the grace of God, sir, and he (Shylock) hath enough” On the whole, his humour and wit may be described as an interesting mixture of various elements.

Not Devoid of Sentiment: His Affection for Jessica

Launcelot is not devoid of feeling or sentiment. While leaving Jessica after having given up his job under Shylock, he becomes quite sentimental, and his eyes fill with tears. He is evidently attached to Jessica who also has a good deal of liking for him. He is glad to have got a job under the large-hearted Bassanio, but he is sorry to lose the company of Jessica.

His Manifold, But Flimsy, Role in the Play

Launcelot’s role in the play, apart from his contribution to the comedy of the play, is very slight. He does a service to Jessica by carrying a letter from her to her lover, Lorenzo. He also does a service to her by telling her indirectly that a masked procession would go through the streets at night. Later, he goes to Belmont in the company of his new master, Bassanio; and still later he conveys to Lorenzo and Jessica the information that his master Bassanio would be returning to Belmont at an early hour in the morning. He also serves to emphasize the contrast between the miserliness of Shylock service he is famished (that is, starving), while Lord Bassanio gives rare liveries to his servants. He is also brought into the Bond story because it is he who goes to Shylock with an invitation from Bassanio, asking Shylock to dine with him at the feast which Bassanio has arranged for his friends on the eve of his departure for Belmont. In fact, Launcelot appears at different places and among different persons on different occasions. He moves from Venice to Belmont, and from Belmont to Venice. He moves from the Jew’s house to Bassanio’s, and from Bassanio’s house to the Jew’s. He figures in the Lorenzo- Jessica love-affair, in the Caskets story, and also in the Bond story, though he does not play any vital part in any of these stories. By moving from one place to another and from one group of characters tc another, he contributes, in some measure, to the interweaving of the various stories in the play. In othe: words, he serves as a connecting-link among the various stories. But his chief contribution to the play is to amuse and entertain the audience (and the readers). This is how a critic describes his role in the play: “Shakespeare, always careful about the knitting of a play into unity, links Launcelot to the Jew, to Lorenzo, and to Jessica; and then, having bound him up with the Jew, binds him up with the Caskets story. He sends him to Belmont as one of Bassanio’ servants.”

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Character Sketch of Nerissa in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of Nerissa in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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NERISSA

A Miniature Portia, Though Without Portia’s Beauty and health

Nerissa is the waiting-maid of Portia; but actually she is more of a companion to Portia than a maidservant. The main point to note about Nerissa is that she possess almost all those qualities which Portia has but possesses those qualities in a much lesser degree. She may almost be regarded as another Portia though on a greatly diminished and reduced scale. In her talk and her actions, she is almost an echo of her mistress. We could even call her an imitation Portia though we certainly do not imply thereby any contempt or scorn for her. In fact, we feel quite attracted by her, and are inclined to have an extremely favourable opinion of her as a person. She is a miniature Portia, though lacking in Portia’s beauty and Portia’s wealth.

Her Capacity to Make Aphoristic Remarks

Nerissa strikes us as a highly intelligent woman who understands Portia’s nature and character well. When we are first introduced to Portia, she (Portia) is in a rather melancholy mood. At this time Nerissa makes some very shrewd remarks by means of which she is able to provide some comfort to her mistress and soothe her troubled mind. She points out to Portia that the latter has every reason to feel happy because of her good fortune, and then she further consoles her by saying that the lottery, which her late father had devised with regard to her marriage, is a sound method by which she would be able to acquire a suitable husband. Here Nerissa also gives evidence of her capacity to speak in an aphoristic* style. For instance, she says that people, who have too much to eat or to enjoy, ultimately feel as sick of their sumptuous food and their wealth as those persons feel who have no wealth at all and no food to eat. She then goes on to say that “It is no mean happiness therefore to be seated in the mean”, meaning that only those persons can be really happy who have neither too much of wealth nor too little of it. She then makes another aphoristic statement when she says: “superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer.”

Her Sense of Humour; and Her Wit

Nerissa has a strong sense of humour and is capable of making witty remarks just as she is capable of making wise ones. She fully gets into the spirit of Portia’s witty comments on the four suitors who come to Belmont to win her but who go away without venturing to make a choice of the caskets. She also fully enjoys the comedy of the rings conceived and started by Portia. She takes Gratiano to task for having given away her ring to somebody though he had sworn to keep it always with him. She pretends to disbelieve him entirely when he says that he had given the ring not to any woman but to a man who had functioned as the judge’s clerk in the court at Venice. Here she shows her wit by countering Gratiano’s plea, and asserting that he is trying to throw dust into her eyes.

A Copy of Portia; and Well Matched with Gratiano

Nerissa feels very happy at Bassanio’s choice of the right casket; and she offers her best wishes and her congratulations to both Portia and Bassanio. She feels almost as happy at acquiring Gratiano as her husband as Portia feels at acquiring Bassanio as her husband. Portia gets Lord Bassanio as her husband, and Nerissa gets Lord Bassanio’s subordinate, Gratiano, as her husband. If Bassanio had to undergo an ordeal in order to win Portia as his wife, Gratiano too had to undergo some difficulty in winning Portia’s maid as his spouse. Gratiano had to give all sorts of assurances 10 Nerissa, and had to swear his love for her with many oaths, before she agreed to marry him; and, even while giving her consent, she had laid down the condition that she would marry him only if Bassanio succeeded in winning Portia. When Portia decides to put on a man’s disguise, Nerissa too raises no objection to doing the same at Portia’s behest. All these facts only serve to prove the point that she is almost a copy of Portia.

According to a critic, Nerissa is a clever, confidential waiting-woman who has caught something of her mistress’s elegance and romance, and she mimics her mistress with emphasis and discretion. Nerissa and Gratiano, says this critic, are as well matched as the incomparable Portia and her splendid lover.

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Character Sketch of Jessica in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of Jessica in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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JESSICA

Her Strong Dislike of Her Father’s Nature and Temperament

Jessica is the daughter of the Jew, Shylock, but a daughter who is ashamed of having that man as her father. She finds the atmosphere of her father’s home to be suffocating and almost intolerable. She is sensitive girl having an artistic temperament; and she is unable to endure the narrow-mindedness, the miserliness, and the tyrannical nature of her father. Although her father is a fanatical Jew who is intolerant of Christians, she falls in love with a Christian and runs away from home with a bag full of her father’s money and jewels. Her conduct in running away from home and stealing her father’s cash and jewels is certainly objectionable in the extreme. However, we feel inclined to take a lenient view of her conduct because we know that her father is really a close-fisted and suspicious man with a dictatorial nature and that he imposes all kinds of restrictions on his daughter’s movements.

A Beautiful, Wise, and Faithful Girl

Jessica impresses the Christian Lorenzo as a very beautiful, wise, and faithful girl; and she strikes us as a charming girl with a strong sense of humour and a poetical nature. Lorenzo tells his friends that he would “place her in his constant soul”, meaning that he would always remain loyal to her. For his sake, she does not mind giving up her own religion and becoming a Christian.

Her Artistic and Poetic Temperament

Jessica’s artistic and poetic temperament manifests itself clearly in the moonlight scene at Belmont when she is having a conversation with Lorenzo about the beauty of the night. Here she appears in a favourable light because of her wide knowledge and her capacity to make use of that knowledge when occasion demands it. She recalls the ancient, mythological love-stories, competing with Lorenzo in this respect and holding her own in this amorous dialogue. She refer to the stories of Thisbe and Medea; and tells Lorenzo that she can “out-night him*” if she is not interrupted in the course of this conversation. Her artistic nature shows itself also in her responsiveness to music. She gets into a melancholy mood whenever she hears sweet strains of music; and this effect is produced on her by music because she is very sensitive to it.

Her Essential Femininity and Modesty

Jessica is basically a modest girl even though she takes the initiative in eloping with Lorenzo. It is because she is feeling desperate that she decides to quit her father’s home; and she goes to the extent of arranging for a boy’s clothes so that she can disguise herself as a boy in order to join Lorenzo when the masked procession is passing through the street. At this time she tells Lorenzo that she is feeling very ashamed of her boy’s disguise, and that she is glad that he cannot see her in this disguise because of the darkness of the night. When Lorenzo asks her to carry a burning torch to light the way for the maskers, she says that she cannot “hold a candle to her shames”, meaning that she would not like to be seen by anyone in her boy’s disguise.

Her Sense of Humour and Her Wit       

Jessica is certainly not devoid of a sense of humour. She likes Launcelot because he keeps her amused with his light-hearted talk and his jokes; and she feels sorry when he quits her father’s service. She can herself make a joke too. For instance, when Lorenzo says that he is a very good husband to her, she replies that he should first ask her what she thinks of him as a husband, meaning that she may not be holding as high an opinion about him as he himself has.

Arguments Against, and For, Her Flight from Home

As already indicated, Jessica is certainly guilty of having disgraced her father and having done a great damage to his reputation even though his reputation is already not a good one. By running away from home and stealing her father’s money and jewels, a daughter brings great shame to her father who would then not be able to show his face to his neighbours and his acquaintances. Such behaviour on the part of a daughter is never approved by anyone in any society or community. There are certainly extenuating circumstances in the case of Jessica. But even so, nobody, who believes in the good name of his family, would justify this conduct. However, there is another side of this picture. Today we are living in times when women have achieved equality with men, and when the rights of grown-up daughters are also fully recognized. Even in orthodox Indian homes, girls have begun to assert their rights. The modem girl is not willing is concerned. We still do not approve of a girl running away from home to marry the man of her choice; but we do recognize a girl’s right to choose her husband. Thus Jessica’s action in running away from home and stealing her father’s ill-gotten money has to be judged by every reader according to his own views in the matter. Even her conversion to Christianity is an action which we may denounce or defend according to our own ideas.

Her Contribution to the Plot and to Its Atmosphere

Jessica contributes to the romantic atmosphere of the play, and adds considerably to the interest of the plot. She is the heroine of the romantic Lorenzo-Jessica sub-plot. Her role in the moonlight scene at Belmont is important because it enhances the romantic and the poetical qualities of the play. Furthermore, by running away from home with a Christian, who is one of Antonio’s associates, she further inflames Shylock’s hatred for Christians in general and for Antonio in particular. Her disguise as a boy lends further interest to the play; and she inspires Lorenzo, by her beauty and her artistic tastes, to make some of his finest speeches which delight us by their poetical and romantic qualities. Nor can we ignore the fact that she enhances Portia’s image in our eyes. She is completely free from jealousy and, when asked by Lorenzo what she thinks of Portia, she says that there is no earthly woman who can be regarded as Portia’s equal. She pays a rich tribute to Portia when she says that “the poor rude world hath not her fellow”. (The word “fellow” here means equal or peer).

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Character Sketch of Lorenzo in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of Lorenzo in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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LORENZO

His Achievement in Winning the Heart of a Jewish Girl

Lorenzo is a Christian young man who is able somehow to capture the heart of Jessica, the daughter of Shylock the Jew. He seems to be a smart and dashing young man with a handsome appearance and an active mind. He must, of course, have taken the initiative in making Jessica’s acquaintance and then’ winning her heart. Indeed, for a Christian to win the heart of a Jewish girl in those days was like , conquering a fort or a citadel because of the bitter antagonism which existed between the two races. Lorenzo may be regarded as a romantic hero, though on a much smaller scale than Bassanio.

An Adventurous man, Truly in Love, But Not Very Scrupulous

Lorenzo is an adventurous young man and is prepared to face danger for the sake of his love. He readily agrees to Jessica’s plan to run away from home and join him when he would be leading a masked procession through the city streets at the time of night. No timid young man can take such a risk. Lorenzo shows himself to be a fearless young man willing to take risks for the sake of the girl with whom he has fallen in love. Nor does he discourage Jessica from stealing as much of her father’s money and jewels as she can. There is certainly a worldly and even mercenary ingredient in his love for Jessica. Beautiful she is; sincere she also seems to be; and she is wise too. If, in addition to being fair, wise, and sincere in her love, she can also bring a rich dowry with her, so much the better. Such is • Lorenzo’s line of reasoning with regard to Jessica. Money is welcome to him, just as it is welcome to Bassanio. But we must also acknowledge the fact that Lorenzo is lacking in moral scruple. A strictly conscientious man would not have encouraged Jessica to run away from home with him because the whole affair would most probably be regarded as a case of a Christian young man’s abduction of a Jewish girl. But, in the Elizabethan age, such conduct on the part of Christian in luring a Jewish girl away from her home and her father was thought to be a commendable action rather than an immoral or obnoxious one.

His Sense of Humour; His Wit; His Artistic Temperament

Lorenzo has a keen sense of humour and also a capacity for making witty remarks. When Gratiano describes the silent kind of man, Lorenzo says that he certainly belongs to the class of such silent men because Gratiano himself talks so much that he does not allow him (Lorenzo) to talk at all. “I must be one of these same dumb wise men”, says Lorenzo. He also gives evidence of his wit when he tells his- friends that, when their turn comes to meet their beloveds, he would wait for them with the same patience which they have shown in waiting for him. Besides being a witty man, Lorenzo has an artistic nature which he reveals in the moonlight scene at Belmont when, in the course of his conversation with Jessica, he recalls the love-affairs of Cressida and Dido, and describes them in a most fanciful manner.in that scene, he speaks in a poetical style of which he gives further evidence when he describes the music of the spheres and the effect of music on animals and on human beings.

His Praise of Antonio; and Portia’s Favourable Impression of Him

Lorenzo expresses a high opinion about Antonio, telling Portia that Antonio is a true gentleman and a dear friend of Bassanio. He also wins Portia’s confidence by his apparent good nature and trustworthiness. Portia leaves her house and her property in his charge when she leaves Belmont to preside over the legal proceedings in a Venetian court of law. Lorenzo is a good judge of character too. He not only appreciates the character of a fine gentleman like Antonio and a lovable young woman, namely Jessica, but also understands the temperament and nature of the clown, Launcelot. He rightly calls Launcelot a “wit- snapper’’. and says that “the fool hath planted in his memory an army of good words”, He correctly perceives the fact that Launcelot tries to amuse him and others by his punning and his persistent play upon words.                                         .

A Likeable Young Man, Romantic and Witty

On the whole, Lorenzo is a very likable young man who contributes greatly to the romantic atmosphere of the play by his love-affair with Jessica and who contributes also to the comedy of the play by his wit and humour.

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Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations

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Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Modern English Translation Meaning Annotations – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

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Original Text
Act III Scene II

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 1

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 2

Modern English Reading
Act III Scene II

PORTIA : Please wait; wait a day or two before you choose; because, in choosing wrong, I lose your company; so wait a while. I have a feeling, but it is not love, that I would not lose you; and you yourself don’t hate premonitions like that. But for fear that you don’t understand me well,—A and still a maiden only has thought for a voice,—I would keep you here for a month or two before you gamble for me. I could teach you how to choose right, but then I’m breaking my oath; I’ll never do that; you may not win me; and if you don’t, you’ll make me wish I had sinned, that I had broken my oath. Curse your eyes, they have looked me over and divided me: One half of me is yours, the other half is also yours, my own love, I would say; but if my love, then yours, and so everything yours. Oh! these wicked times put up bars between the owners and their rights; and so, though I am yours, I am not yours. Prove it like that, Let fortune come on hell for it, not me. I’m talking too long, but it’s to balance the time, To lengthen it, and to draw it out in length, To keep you from choosing.

BASSANIO : Let me choose;Because as I am, I live in torture.

Word Meaning With Annotation

In choosing wrong : in case you should choose wrongly. There’s something tells me, (but it is not love,) I would not lose you : the words are deliberately vague. Portia wishes to tell Bassanio that she wants him to be with her but maidenly modesty prevents her from declaring actual love for him. So she hints at the truth, saying, “A certain reeling, I will not say it is love- prompts me in wanting you to remain.” She neither confesses her love nor denies it. quality : manner, and yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought : a maiden is prohibited by modesty from telling her love; she may only think of it. I am forsworn: I would have committed a breach of faith, miss me : lose me by making the wrong choice, wish a sin, that I had been forsworn : she will then wish that she had committed a sin, and had informed Bassanio which casket was the right one to choose. Beshrew your eyes : means “Curse you!” though the expression is always used in a humorous and light-hearted manner, where a curse is not intended, overlook’d : the evil eye. these naughty times put bars between the owners and their rights : “the evil times we live in put obstacles between men and their rightful property.” Portia refers to the compulsory choice between the caskets, as a barrier to be surmounted before Bassanio can possess himself of what is already his own by right, herself. There is also a reference to the artificial barriers which society raises between lovers of high position. Prove it so, let fortune go to hell for it, not I : “If such should prove to be the case, my ill-fortune be punished, and not myself.” Portia insinuates that if Bassanio’s choice between the caskets should be wrong, her love for him will make her defy the decision. In this case, ill-fortune should receive the punishment of hell-fire for such a breach of her oath, and not herself, to peize the time : to “peize” anything meant to retard it by hanging weights upon it. Cp. Richard III. eke : prolong; augment, election : choice; selection, upon the rack : “in a state of torture.” The rack was an instrument something like a bed; the victim was stretched upon it, and his wrists and ankles attached to the four comers. The levers stretched him out violently, leaving in great agony. It was used to force confessions from a prisoner, and is still used as a metaphor for intense pain.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 3

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 4

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : In torture, Bassanio! Then confess what evil is there mingled with your love.

BASSANIO : None but that Ugly evil of mistrust, which makes me fear the enjoying of my love: there may as well be friendship and life between snow and fire as evil and my love.

PORTIA : Yes, but I’m afraid you speak out of torture, where men will say anything.

BASSANIO : If you promise to grant me my life, I would confess the truth.

PORTIA : Well then, confess and live.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Treason : disloyalty to State or ruler, which was often punished by torture in the middle ages, which makes me fear the enjoying of my love : which makes me fear that I shall never enjoy my love, there may as well be amity and life, ’Tween snow and fire, as treason and my love : there could be agreement between snow and fire as easily as between treason and my love, when men enforced : the torture of the rack was so extreme that men subjected to it would gladly confess any crime for the sake of a brief respite, confess and live : if you confess the truth, you shall (like the prisoner on the rack) be given a promise of life.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 5

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 6

Modern English Reading

BASSANIO : “Confess” and “love” Have been the very sum of my confession: Oh, happy torment, when my torture Teaches me answers for escape from evil! But let me go to my fortune and the chests.

PORTIA : Away, then! I am locked in one of them: If you do love me, you will find me out. Nerissa and the rest, stand away; Let music sound while he makes his choice; Then, if he loses, he will die as a swan, Fading in music: so that the comparison may be extended, my eyes shall be the stream and watery deathbed for him. He may win; and what is music then? Then music is sounds as the trumpets when true subjects bow to a new-crowned king; music is those sweet sounds at sunrise that creep into the dreaming bridegroom’s ear and summon him to marriage. Now he goes, with no less confidence, but with much more love, than young Alcides went to redeem the sacrifice of young women made by howling Troy to the sea-monster: I stand for sacrifice; The rest aloof are the Dardanian wives, with tear-stained faces coming out to view the outcome of the event. Go, Hercules! If you live, I live. I view the fight with much, much more sadness than you that are fighting. Tell me where is fancy bred, in the heart or in the head, How begot, how nourished? Answer; answer. It is born in the eyes, Fed with gazing; and fancy dies in the cradle where it lies. Let’s all ring fancy’s knelhl’ll begin it.— Ding, dong, bell.

Word Meaning With Annotation

O happy torment, when my torturer, Doth teach me answers for deliverance : still the metaphor of the rack. Bassanio says that his torturer, Portia, who is keeping him in an agony of suspense, is a kindly torturer, since she suggests the answer which will have the effect of releasing him from the ordeal! if you do love me : Portia seems to think that the test of the casket is indeed a test of true love, a swan-like end, fading in music : An old superstition that the swan, usually mute, sings a beautiful song just before its death, my eye shall be the stream, and watery death-bed for him : Portia says to him that, just as the stream on which it floats is the death-bed of the dying swan, so her tear-filled eyes will be the death-bed of Bassanio if he fails, dulcet: from Latin dulcis, sweet. Alcides : another name for Hercules; Cp. II, I, 35. bleared visages : tear-stained faces, issue of the exploit : the result of his achievement. Go, Hercules : she fancifully addresses Bassanio as her Hercules. Live thou, I live : “if you are successful, I shall live in happiness.” Ding dong bell : an imitation of the sound of a church bell, which is rung when any one has died.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 7

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 8

Modern English Reading

BASSANIO : These chests may not be what they seem outside : The world is still tricked by ornament. In law, what plea is so tainted and corrupt that, being delivered with a gracious voice, obscures the evil underneath? In religion, What damned error is there that some sober face will bless it, and approve it with a text, hiding the grossness with a beautiful ornament? There if  no vice so simple that it takes on some mark of virtue on outside. How many cowards, whose hearts are all as false as stairs of sand, still wear the beards of Hercules and frowning Mars on their chins, who, if searched inside, would have livers as white as milk; and the only thing these men do to look fearful is to put on velvet clothes look on beauty and you shall see it’s bought by the pound: which works a miracle in nature, making them who wear most of it look the lightest: So are those crisp, snaky, golden locks which are playing games with the wind, on made-up beauty, often known actually to be wigs of human hair, the head that bred them is in the tomb. Thus decoration is only the deceived shore to a most dangerous sea; the beautiful scarf Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word, the seeming truth which skillful times dress in to fool the’ wisest men. So, you gaudy gold, Hard food for Midas, I don’t anything from you; and not from you either, you pale and common exchange between man and man: but you, you lowly lead, which threatens rather than promises anything, your plainness moves me more than any speech, and I choose you: joy be the result!

Word Meaning With Annotation

So may he the outward shows he least themselves : The sense here is that the outward appearances of things may differ greatly from their real natures, still: continually; always. In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, but, being season’d with p gracious voice, obscures the show of evil: Bassanio reflects that a dishonest case in law may be made to appear just, by the eloquence of a clever lawyer. In religion, what damned error, but some sober brow will bless it, and approve it with a text, hiding the grossness with fair ornament : similarly in religion it is possible for some wicked doctrine to appear fair and true if expounded by a serious priest, and concluded by a text from the Bible, simple : plain; unmistakable, stairs of sand : these would indeed be very untrustworthy and unreliable steps to walk upon, the beards of Hercules and frowning Mars : men. who are cowards, yet wear beards like Hercules, the God of strength, and wear a frowning expression which might suit Mars, the god of war.

livers white as milk : a man having a brave heart, as if the heart was the seat of physical courage, valour’s excrement : an outward growth as a beard is. purchas’d by the weight : the beautiful colours and complexion of women’s faces have been bought (in the form of cosmetics) in chemist’s shops. Moreover, there is the case of beautiful hair, which is often an artificial wig which has been purchased, making them lightest that wear most of it : Women who wear the greatest amount of artificial aids to beauty are the lightest in morals whereas we would expect to find them heaviest, crisped : curled.upon supposed fairness : upon the head of a lady who has a reputation for beauty, undeserved because the hair is not really her own, but has been cut from the head of some other person who is now dead and in the grave, dowry : possession gulled : a shore which is dangerous to shipping.

He beauteous scarf Veiling an Indian beauty: thought of the negroes of the West Indies as “Indians”. The idea here is that of a beautiful cloth covering the thick lips and flat nose of a negress, a fair outward appearance concealing ugliness, seeming truth : a false appearance of truth, hard food for Midas : Midas was an ancient king who was allowed to ask a certain favour from the gods. Midas was very avaricious and asked that whatever he touched might turn to gold. His request was granted. Then he found that when he attempted to eat, his food was at once turned to gold. So he was in danger of starving to death, and had to pray to the gods to withdraw their gift, meagre lead: unattractive lead, in comparison with gold and silver.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 9

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : How all the other passions fly to the air, as doubtful thoughts, and rash-embraced despair, And shuddering fear, and green-eyed jealousy! Oh, love! behave; hold back your thrills; Be happy slowly; limit this excess; I feel your blessing too much; make it less, Because I’m afraid of having too much joy!

Word Meaning With Annotation

All the other passions fleet to air : how every passion except love vanishes like thin air. green-eyed jealousy : jealousy is personified here, and said to be a monster with green eyes. In measure rein the joy : “scatter down the joy.” surfeit : to sicken of a thing from having too much of it.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 10

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 11

Modern English Reading

BASSANIO : What do I find here? Beautiful Portia’s picture! What minor god has come so near to making a woman? Do these eyes move? Or do they seem to be moving because they are riding on my eyeballs? Here are parted lips, Parted with sugar breath; so sweet a bar should tear such sweet friends apart. Here a he painter plays the spider in her hair, and has woven a golden mesh to capture the hearts of men faster than gnats are caught in cobwebs: but her eyes! How could he see to do them? Having made one eye, I think it should have power to steal both his, and leave itself poor: yet look, how far the body of my praise insults this shadow by valuing it less, so far this shadow limps behind ‘the substance. Here’s the scroll, The world and summary of my luck.” You that choose not by looks, Gamble as fair and choose as true! Since this fortune falls to you, be content and seek no other new one. If you are well pleased with this, and hold your fortune for your bliss, turn to where your lady is and claim her with a loving kiss.” A gentle scroll. Beautiful lady, excuse me; I come off to the side, to give and to receive. Like one of two contenders for a prize, that thinks he has done well in people’s eyes, hearing Applause and universal shout, Giddy in spirit, still gazing in a doubt whether those peals of praise are his or not; So, three times beautiful lady, I stand I, even like this, as doubtful of whether what I see is true, until it is confirmed, signed, and ratified by you.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Counterfeit : something made exactly the same as another, what demi-god hath come so near creation : a demi-god is a half-divine person. Bassanio says that the portrait is so near to being alive that the artist has almost created life, or whether, riding on the balls of mine, seem they in motion: or is it the fact that their image is taken up by my own eyeballs, which seem to impart motion to them?here are sever’d lips, parted with sugar breath : her lips are slightly parted by the sweet perfumed breath which passes in and out.

but her eyes, how could he see to do them? having made one, me thinks it stfbuld have power to steal both his, and leave itself unfurnish’d : says that it surprises him that the painter was able to finish the second eye of the portrait, because the beauty of the first eye should have absolutely dazzled the artist, so that he could not see to complete the second one. Thus the first should have been left without its companion eye (unfurnish’d = unaccompanied), doth limp behind the substance : moves like a lame person (limp) in an unsuccessful effort to keep up with the original, continent: that which contains; the container, you that choose not by the view : the whole principle on which the choice of the caskets is founded is expressed in this line, namely that men should not choose by outward appearances, but should look deeply for the real meaning of things, by note : according to this instruction, your leave : kissing her. contending in a prize : the simile is that of two wrestlers, or similar athletes, competing for a prize.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 12

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 13

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, such as I am: though for myself alone i would not be ambitious in my wish to wish myself much better luck. Still, for you, I would be three times twenty times myself, a thousand times more beautiful, ten thousand times more rich; If only to stand high in your account, I might exceed making a count of virtues, beauties, livings, friends. But the full sum of me is the sum of something which, in general, is an un lessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed; happy in this state, she is not too old to learn; happier than this state, She is not bom so dull that she cannot learn; Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit commits itself to you to be directed, as by her lord, her governor, her king. I and what is mine is now converted to you and yours. However, now I was the lord of this beautiful mansion, master of my servants, Queen over myself; and even now, but now,This house, these servants, and I, are yours – my lord’s. I give them with this ring, which, if you part from it, lose it, or give it away, let it predict the ruin of your love, and be my opportunity to cry out against you.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Livings : property; possessions, exceed account : surpass all reckoning, but the full sum of me, is sum of nothing : but the sum total of all my virtues amounts actually to nothing at all. happier than this : and a happier circumstance than that is etc. to you and yours is now converted : now pass to you, and become part of your property, lord : used as “owner” without regard to sex. and even now, but now : and just now, at this very moment. I give them with this ring; which when you part from, lose, or give away, let it presage the ruin of your love, and be my vantage to exclaim on you : this gift of the ring, which looks no more than a pretty action on Portia’s part, is really the commencement of an important subsidiary action in the latter stages of the play, presage : fore tell, and be my vantage to exclaim on you : and then it will be my opportunity to scold you.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 14

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 15

Modern English Reading

BASSANIO : Madam, you have made me speechless, only my blood in my veins speaks to you, and I am so confused Just as there appears buzzing among a happy crowd after a well given speech by a beloved prince; where every piece, blended together, turns to something wild, expressed and not expressed, except for joy. But when this ring parts from this finger, then life parts from my body; Oh! Then you can be strong and say, “Bassanio’s dead.”

NERISSA : My lord and lady, now it’s our turn, o cry, “Good joy,” We who have stood by and seen our wishes for you come true, Good joy, my lord and lady!

GRATIANO : My Lord Bassanio, and my gentle lady, I wish you all the joy that you can wish for yourselves; Because I am sure you can’t wish any from me; and when you two mean to make the bargain of your vows solemn, please, even then, let me be married too.

BASSANIO : With all my heart, if you can get a wife.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Buzzing : murmuring, where every something, being blent together : where all individual sounds being mingled, a wild of nothing : a wild confusion of sound, expressing nothing, for I am sure you can wish none from me : Gratiano has wished Bassanio all the joy he may desire, and adds “I may safety do this, for I am sure you are not likely to desire anything that will be taken from me” i.e. there is no fear of your wanting Nerissa, who is mine, solemnize : celebrate or confirm solemnly.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 16

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 17

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 18

Modern English Reading

GRATIANO : I thank you sir, you have gotten me one. My eyes, my lord, can look as quickly as yours: You saw the mistress, I saw the maid ; You loved, I loved, because a rest doesn’t pertain any more to me, my lord, than to you. Your fortune stood on the chests there, and so did mine, as it works out; Because courting here until I worked up a sweat, and swearing promises until my mouth was dry with oaths of love, at last, if her promise lasts, I got a promise of this beautiful one here to have her love, provided that you were lucky enough to get her mistress.

PORTIA : Is this true, Nerissa?

NERISSA : Madam, it is, as long as you are pleased with the rest of it.

BASSANIO : And you, Gratiano, are you sincere?

GRATIANO : Yes, in faith, my lord.

BASSANIO : Our feast shall be very honored by your marriage.

GRATIANO : We’ll bet them who has the first . boy for a thousand dollars.

NERISSA : What! Bet?

GRATIANO : No; we shall never win a bet at that sport. But who comes here? Lorenzo and his infidel? What, and my old Venetian friend, Salanio!
Enter Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio.

BASSANIO : Lorenzo and Salanio, welcome here, If my engagement just now gives me the power to bid you welcome. Excuse me, I bid my very friends and countrymen, welcome, sweet Portia.

Word Meaning With Annotation

For intermission, no more pertains to me, my lord, than you : for delay in seizing an opportunity is no more a fault in my nature than it is in yours, as the matter fall : as things turn out. for wooing here, until I sweat again : Gratiano says that his love suit was hard and difficult matter, and compares it to bard labour Which makes a man perspire, swearing : making declarations of his love, if promise last : if her promise still holds good. Achieved : unhold. Infidel : “not faithful” i.e., the one who is not a believer in a particular religion; an unbeliever. Applied to Jessica because she is not a Christian, the youth of my new interest : the beginning of my newly acquired authority here.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 19

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 20

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : So do I, my lord; they are entirely welcome.

LORENZO : I thank you, sir. For my part, my lord, I didn’t intend to see you here; But, meeting with Salanio by the way, he begged me, past all saying no, to come along with him.

SALERIO : I did, my lord, and I have reason for it. Mr. Antonio send you his regards.

BASSANIO : Before I open his letter, please tell me how my good friend is doing.

SALERIO : He’s not sick, my lord, unless it’s in his mind; but he’s not well, unless in his mind; his letter there will show you his state of affairs.
Bassanio opens the letter.

GRATIANO : Nerissa, cheer the stranger; say hello to her. Let me shake your hand, Salanio. What’s the news from Venice? How is that royal merchant, good Antonio?I know he will be happy at our success: We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.

SALERIO : I wish you had won the fleece that he has lost.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Past all saying nay : in spite of all arguments to the contrary, commends him to you : sends his compliments, how my good friend doth : simply “how he is,” like the modem inquiry after a friend’s health: “How do you do?” not sick, my lord, unless it be in mind : he has no illness unless it be mental trouble. On the other hand, he can have no cause for happiness, except in his mind, estate : condition. Royal merchant : a very important merchant. We speak of “merchant princes,” meaning very great men of business, fleece : wealth, fleece : here signifies “wealth.” A sheep’s riches consists of the fleece on its back.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 21

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 22

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : There are some harsh contents in that letter that steal the color from Bassanio’s cheeks: Some dear friend is dead, or nothing else in the world could change the constitution so much of any constant man. What, worse and worse! Please, Bassanio: I am your other half, and I must freely have the half of anything that this letter brings to you.

BASSANIO : Oh, sweet Portia! Here are a few of the most unpleasant words that were ever written on paper. Gentle lady, when I first gave my love to you, I freely told you that all the wealth that I had Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman; and then I told you the truth. And yet, dear lady, even rating myself as zero, you shall see how much I was bragging. When I told you that I had nothing, I should have told you then that I had less than nothing, because; indeed I have indebted myself to a dear friend, Indebted my friend to his notorious enemy, to feed my needs. Here is a letter, lady, the paper is like the body of my friend, and every word in it, a gaping wound Bleeding heavily. But is it true, Salanio? Have all his ventures failed? What, not one came in? From Tripolis, from Mexico, and England, From Lisbon, Barbary, and India? And not one vessel escaped the dreadful touch of the rocks that can break a merchant?

Word Meaning With Annotation

Shrewd : sharp; bitter, constitution normal condition; self-control, constant man : man of firm nerves. I am half yourself : it is proverbial that, on marriage, man and his wife are united into one; hence each can only claim to be one half, all the wealth I had, Ran in my veins : that I possessed no riches except noble blood, rating myself at nothing : when I estimated my possessions at nothing, was a braggart : I was actually boasting and over estimating, mere enemy : one who was his complete enemy, feed my means ; increase my resources, issuing life-blood : dis charging his life-blood, what, not one hit : What! Has not a single one attained its object? merchant-marring rocks : rocks, which ruin merchant by wrecking their ships.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 23

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 24

Modern English Reading

SALERIO : Not one, my lord. Besides, it seems that, even if he had the money right now to pay the Jew, he wouldn’t take it. Never did I know a creature that was shaped like a man, so eager and greedy to destroy a man completely. He petitions the Duke morning and night, and challenges the freedom of the courts, if they deny him justice. Twenty merchants, the Duke himself, and the noblemen of greatest reputation, have all tried to persuade him; but no one can drive him from the envious plea of default, of justice, and his promise to pay.

JESSICA : When I was with him, I heard him swear to Tubal and to Chus, his countrymen, that he would rather have Antonio’s flesh than twenty times the value of the sum that he owed him; and I know, my lord, If law, authority, and power, don’t deny him, It will go hard with poor Antonio.

PORTIA : Is it your dear friend that is in trouble like this?

BASSANIO : The dearest friend to me, the kindest man, the best conditioned and unwearied spirit in manners, and one in whom the ancient Roman honor appears more than any man alive in Italy.

Word Meaning With Annotation

If he had the present money : if he had the money at the present time, confound : ruin; reduce to beggary, plies : continues to approach; presses, and doth impeach the freedom of the state : to “impeach” in legal language, meant “to bring an accusation against.” Shylock brings the charge that Venice is denying him his legal rights, and therefore is violating the free rights which foreigners were supposed to enjoy, magnificoes of greatest port: the greatest nobles of Venice were termed “Magnifici”, the noble-minded or magnificent ones “Of greatest port” may be rendered as “of the most noble carriage”, when I was with him, I have heard him swear : this is an indication of the passage of time showing that Jessica is speaking of things by no means recent. It also shows Jessica’s character, and some might fancy that this betrayal of her father’s confidential talk is not an admirable trait. Roman honour : in the early days of the Roman empire the Romans were famed all over the world for the strict and un wavering code of high honour which distinguished their national life. The standard of national honour was made the theme of many a song.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 25

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 26

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : How much does he owe the Jew?

BASSANIO : For me, three thousand ducats.

PORTIA : What! Is that all? Pay him six thousand, and destroy the promise to pay; Double six thousand, and then treble that, before a friend of this description loses a hair because of Bassanio. First go with me to church and marry me, and then go away to Venice to your friend; because you shall never lie by Portia’s side with an uneasy soul. You shall have gold to pay the little debt twenty times over: When it is paid, bring your true friend back with you. My maid Nerissa and I will live as maids and widows in the meantime. Come, let’s go! Because you shall go away on your wedding day, Bid your friends welcome, show a happy face; Since you are bought so dearly, I’ll love you dearly. But let me hear the letter of your friend.

BASSANIO : “Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all sunk, my creditors grow cruel, my funds very low, my promise to pay to the Jew is in default; and since, in paying it, it is impossible forme to live, all debts between you and me are canceled if I might only see you at my death. Anyway, enjoy yourself; if your friendship doesn’t persuade you to come, don’t – let my letter.”

Word Meaning With Annotation

First go with me to church, and call me wife : to have the legal ceremony of marriage performed by the priest, since you are dear bought, I will love you dear : “Since you have cost your friend Antonio so dear a price, I shall hold you equally dear in my estimation.” miscarried : failed, estate : my wealth.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 27

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 2 Translation Meaning Annotations 28

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : Oh, love, finish all business and get going!

BASSANIO : Since I have your permission to go, I’ll hurry; but, until I come back again, I will not sleep, and rest will not keep us two apart.
Exeunt.

Word Meaning With Annotation

No bed shall e’er be guilty of my stay : Bassanio says that since Portia is so noble and self-sacrificing as to allow him to leave her on the wedding day, he will also make some self-sacrifice. So he will not be guilty of taking comfortable rest in bed as along as he is away from her, and no rest will refresh him in the interval before he returns.

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Character Sketch of Gratiano in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of  Gratiano in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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GRATIANO

His Copious Talk; His Wit; His contribution to the Comedy of the Play

Gratiano is a very talkative and witty man. Indeed, his garrulity is his most striking trait; and this trait would have repelled us if his talk had not been witty. He has a keen sense of humour, an infinite capacity for talk, and a fertile wit. He is never short of words, and almost every remark that he makes is amusing in one way or another. Antonio, who is a serious-minded man, does not relish Gratiano’s ceaseless talk which is nothing but chatter for his ears. And even Bassanio says that Gratiano talks an infinite deal of nothing and that there is very little real sense in his talk. Bassanio expresses the view that the sense in Gratiano’s talk may be compared to two grains of wheat hidden in a large heap of chaff (or straw). However, Bassanio does not feel much upset by Gratiano’s endless talk though he does have some apprehension that Gratiano’s glib tongue would create some embarrassing moments for him (Bassanio) at Belmont. He feels it necessary to get a promise from Gratiano not to talk too much at Belmont before agreeing to Gratiano’s request that he should take him (Gratiano) there. Gratiano makes a substantial contribution to the comedy of the play. The Merchant of Venice is a romantic comedy which means that it is a play containing both romantic and comic elements in ample measure. If Bassanio is a man who contributes greatly to the romantic character of the play Gratiano is a man who contributes equally greatly to the play’s comic character.

His Satirical Comment on the Silent and Reserved Kind of Man

Gratiano’s comment on Antonio’s melancholy in the very beginning of the play shows the big difference  between these two men. Gratiano says that he cannot understand why a man should feel sad at all. He asks why a man, whose blood is warm within, should sit still and motionless like his grandfather’s statue. And then he asks why a man should creep into the jaundice by being peevish. By contrast with Antonio’s role as a sad man on the world-stage, Gratiano’s role is that of a “fool” (or a jester) who would like to grow old with mirth and laughter. Gratiano ridicules men who try to win respect by remaining silent so as to appear thoughtful and wise. He ridicules to man who talks in the tones of Sir Oracle, who wants others to stop talking as soon as he opens his mouth to say something.

His witty Promise to Bassanio

Gratiano’s promise to Bassanio to exercise restraint upon his natural effusiveness and boisterousness is another example of his witty manner of speaking. He tells Bassanio that he would swear only occasionally at Belmont, that he would carry prayer-books in his pockets, and that he would put on a solemn expression when gracebefore meal is being said. Indeed, Gratiano’s wit has a large share in the comedy of the play, The Merchant of Venice.

His Bitter, Fierce, and Denunciatory or Abusive Wit

Gratiano shows his wit even in the Trial Scene which is, on the whole, a very serous one, bordering almost on tragedy. Here his wit is ironical and sarcastic. Here his wit has an incisive quality which produces a devastating effect on the Jew. He repeats the words which Shylock has originally used when Shylock thought that he had won the case against Antonio. But Gratiano repeats those words in a tone of mockery and ridicule so as to aggravate the mental torture which Shylock is going through on finding that he has completely lost the case. The words Gratiano speaks are: “O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge!’’ And then “A second Daniel! I thank thee Jew for teaching me that word.” He also suggests mockingly that the lew should be given a halter gratis so that he may hang himself. Indeed, Gratiano’s wit here becomes bitter, and even fierce and violent. His wit takes even the form of abuse and denunciation. He calls Shylock a damned, cursed dog. He also says that Shylock was in his previous life a wolf because his desires in his present life are wolfish, bloody, and starved.

The Wide Range of His Wit

Gratiano’s wit is wide-ranging. He can be simply jovial but he can also become bitterly sarcastic and even abusive. He can be furious and yet witty in his wrathful remarks. He can be mirthful and gay, and then he can make witty comments to add to the gaiety and the laughter. This pleasant side of his wit comes to our notice more particularly in the concluding scene of the play when the comedy of the rings reaches its climax. Here he defends himself against Nerissa’s allegation with a witty disparagement of Nerissa’s ring and tries to turn the quarrel into a trivial and frivolous manner.

His Knowledge of this World, and the Wisdom Resulting Therefrom

Gratiano is by no means a person who can only talk in a jovial and flippant manner. One or two of his speeches show that he is essentially a discerning man who has observed this world with close attention, and who has become fairly shrewd in judging people and things. On one occasion he makes a speech describing the decline in a man’s enthusiasm for something which had originally inspired a good deal of eagerness and zest in him. Nobody, he says, gets up from a feast with the same keen appetite with which he had sat down to it. Similarly, while a horse runs very fast in the beginning, it runs very slowly when it is coming back to the starting-point. When a ship sails away, it looks splendid; but, when it returns, it presents a sad spectacle because its body has greatly been damaged and its sails look worn- out on account of the strong winds and furious storms which the ship had to endure in the course of its long voyage. And the essence of this whole speech is found in the following lines:

all things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed.
Gratiano is by no means a novice in the affairs of the world.

His Marriage with Nerissa

Gratiano’s visit to Belmont does not prove to be futile. He is able to win Nerissa as his wife; and he is able to do so without having to go through the ordeal which Bassanio has to go through in order to win Portia. Gratiano was able to coax Nerissa into agreeing to marry him even though she had laid down a condition. She had promised to marry him if Bassanio succeeded in winning Portia as his wife. He is, on the whole, a pleasing young man, with considerable knowledge of the world and of human nature. Nor do we have any doubt that he would make a good husband for Nerissa who is herself a highly intelligent woman with as penetrating a judgment of human character as her mistress Portia is. He and nerissa are, indeed, well-matched and make an excellent pair.

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Character Sketch of Bassanio in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of Bassanio in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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BASSANIO

The Hero of the Caskets Story

If Antonio is the hero of the Bond story, Bassanio is the hero of the Caskets story. Of course, he is not a hero in the absolute sense of the word. But he is certainly a romantic hero who is able to win the heroine Portia as his wife.

A Young Prodigal Often in Need of Money

When we meet Bassanio first, we find him in need of money.’ He already owes some money to his friend Antonio; and now he approaches that friend of his with a request for another loan. He admits that he has always been spending more money than he could afford. He also acknowledges the fact that he is already under a debt to Antonio. But he also expresses his sincere desire to repay the first loan while asking for a second. And then, to prove his point he argues that, if Antonio gives him a second loan, he (Antonio) would stand a much greater chance of getting back the amount of the first loan in addition to getting back the amount of this second loan. And he supports this argument by citing his own experience as a schoolboy when, by shooting as arrow in the same directiofi in which he had shot the first arrow and lost it, he used to recover both the arrows. This is a very plausible way of arguing a case; and we must give due credit to him in this context. Of course, we can also here interpret his argument differently and say that he is using only, a trick to be able to extract a second loan from a gullible man. But Antonio’s deep love for him is a proof of the fact that Bassanio was not a trickster.

An Ardent and Romantic Lover with a Poetical Nature

Bassanio is certainly a romantic lover, having something of the poet in him. In describing Portia to Antonio, he says that she is fair and fairer than that word. He compares her to Cato’s daughter, Brutus’s Portia. Then he suitors to the many Jasons who went to Colchos to win the golden fleece. Later, he speaks in a poetic manner about the beauty of Portia’s picture. Thus we can have no doubt at all about his imaginative, romantic, and poetical qualities.

His Love of Gaiety

Bassanio has a dual nature. On one hand he is devoted to Antonio who is a reserved and melancholy kind of man, the silent type speaking very little. On the other hand, he is fond of the company of men like Gratiano, Salerio, and Solanio, all of whom are jovial, talkative, and boisterous fellows. On the whole, he may be regarded as a man with a healthy and optimistic outlook upon life. It is because of his handsome appearance and excellent manners, combined with his sense of humour and witty manner of speaking that Portia falls in love with him even before he makes his choice of a casket. Even Nerissa is greatly impressed by his personality and his behaviour, and she sincerely and ardently desires his success in his choice of a casket. His prodigality is a small fault which by no means disqualifies him as a suitor whose success in the test of the caskets is desired by all those who are interested in Portia’s welfare and by us as well. He actually comes out of the test with flying colours; and his success is, of course, the result of his understanding of this world and his knowledge of human nature.

Not at all a Shallow Man

He is not a shallow kind of man. The speeches which he makes before choosing a casket show his essential wisdom. When he comes to Belmont, his chief motive in trying to win Portia is to marry an heiress who owns a vast estate and is also exceptionally beautiful, However, the comments which he makes on the various caskets show that he is not at all a greedy man. He knows that appearances are deceptive and that the world is always deceived with ornament. He then gives several examples from the spheres of law and religion to prove that every vice in this world puts on an outward appearance of virtue. He speaks of cowards who wear the beards of Hercules and the frowns of Mars; and he speaks of women using paint, powder, and false hair to look beautiful and alluring.

His Sincerity in Friendship

Nor can we doubt his sincerity in friendship. He has a deep and genuine affection for Antonio; and his anxiety about Antonio’s safety clearly shows that. On learning that Antonio has fallen into the clutches of the Jew, he feels extremely dejected, and then tries desperately to save his friend’s life. Having plenty of money with him after his marriage with Portia, he is willing to offer any amount of it to Shylock to induce him to give up his demand for a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. When the judgment in favour of Antonio and against the Jew has been delivered, he voluntarily offers three thousand ducats to the judge as a gift. And then, at Antonio’s request, he parts with Portia’s ring to gratify the judge’s desire even though he knows that his giving away the ring would mean some trouble with Portia when he returns home. In short, his true love for Portia, his true friendship for Antonio, and his generous nature make him a lovable man.

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Character Sketch of Portia in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of  Portia in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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PORTIA

Her High Position in the Gallery of Shakespeare’s Heroines

Among the heroines created by Shakespeare, Portia occupies a high position. She produces a powerful impression on our minds; and her role in the play is most conspicuous and memorable. When the play the Merchant of Venice is mentioned anywhere, people think of two persons, namely Shylock and Portia; and these two persons are inseparable from each other in our minds because we remember Shylock chiefly as a villain wanting to take the life of his enemy Antonio, and we think of Portia as the person who defeats Shylock’s evil design. And, of course, Portia has other qualities also to impart a measure of greatness to her.

Her Sense of Humour and Her Sparkling Wit   

Portia is a lady with a cheerful and optimistic disposition. She has a strong sense of humour and a sparkling, scintillating wit which she shows in the very beginning and then continues to show till the very end. It is only on one occasion in the whole play that she feels melancholy, and even sick of the world. When she is first introduced to us, she tells Nerissa that she is feeling weary of the world. But this melancholy mood lasts only for a few minutes, and is dispelled as soon as Nerissa begins to talk to her about the various suitors who have arrived at Belmont to try their luck at the caskets. Portia has something very amusing to say about each of these four suitors. Her comment on her English suitor is perhaps the most amusing. This comment ends with her saying that the Englishman perhaps bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his bonnet in Germany, and his behaviour everywhere. Subsequently she shows her sense of humour in setting the Rings story afoot and bringing it to an end which gives rise to plenty of mirth and laughter. Portia’s comments on her various suitors show also her powers of minute observation and her penetrating judgment of human character.

Her Devotion to the Memory of Her Father

Portia is genuinely devoted to the memory of her father who, while dying, had devised a kind of lottery for the purpose of her choice of a husband. She is determined to carry out the terms of her late father’s will. Of course, it is possible for her to disregard her father’s will and to marry a man on the basis of her own judgment. But she has implicit faith in her father’s wisdom, and she is convinced that her father’s will would prove to be the means of her getting the right man as her husband. In this belief she is greatly encouraged by Nerissa who tells her that good men are sometimes divinely inspired when they are dying and that they then take sound decisions. Having fallen in love with Bassanio, Portia could easily have married him without subjecting him to the test laid down by her father in his will, but she does not follow such a course. Even the man, with whom she has fallen in love, must prove his worth by passing the test before she would marry him; nor does she give him any hint as to the casket which he should choose.

Her essential Wisdom

Portia shows her wisdom in other ways as well. Her conversation with Nerissa at the very outset of the play contains some valuable remarks which are well-worded maxims. For instance, she says that it is a good divine who follows his own instructions. She also says that she can easier teach twenty what were good to be done than be one of the twenty to follow her own teaching. In fact, her speech to Nerissa on this occasion is a series of aphoristic statements containing gems of wisdom. Later in the play, she again makes similar remarks which show her wisdom and her vast knowledge of the world and of human nature. For instance, she says that a good deed shines in a naughty world just as a candle shines in the darkness of the night. She also says that nothing is good if it is not seen in its proper context. She makes a similar remark when she says that many things appear to be praiseworthy and perfect when they are looked at in the right perspective. But her wisdom appears in a most striking manner in the Trial Scene in the course of which she is able to turn the tables upon Shylock and defeat him with the same weapon with which he wanted to take Antonio’s life.

Her Compassionate Nature

Portia has essentially a compassionate nature. Her famous “Quality of Mercy” speech is a proof of that. This speech depicts mercy as a sublime quality which is twice blest: it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. Mercy, she says, is an attribute to God Himself. It is unfortunate that the Jew pays no heed to Portia’s plea. At the same time, we must acknowledge the fact that, in pronouncing the punishment to which Shylock has rendered himself liable, she tends to forget her own ardent plea for mercy. She allows the Christians to have their own way with him. She allows them to force him not only to part with all his wealth but also to be converted to Christianity. However, in this connection we should not forget that in the Elizabethan times such punishment to a Jew was not thought to be inhuman or brutal.

Her Modesty, Humility, and Femininity

Although Portia is a woman with a powerful intellect and extraordinary powers of reasoning, she yet remains a woman at heart with a lot of modesty, humility, and compassion. When she disguises herself as a man, she succeeds eminently in playing a masculine role. But on all other occasions she shows that modesty lends to a woman the grace and the chain which make her a lovable person. When Bassanio puts his hand on the lead casket, she feels overwhelmed by a feeling of ecstasy, and is hardly able to restrain her feelings on this occasion. When he actually opens the lead casket and, finding her picture in it, claims her with a kiss, she makes a speech which embodies the very spirit of humility. She describes herself as an unschooled, unlessoned, and unpractised woman, and then goes on to make a complete surrender of herself to the man who has won her as his wife.

Her Generous Disposition

Portia is a very large-hearted and generous woman. Every wealthy person is not generous. Some wealthy persons are also the greatest misers. Shylock is, of course, the most striking example of this sort of thing. But Portia combines her vast material wealth with an inner treasure of generosity. On learning the plight of Bassanio’s dearest friend, she offers to Bassanio any amount of money that he may need for the resuce of Antonio from the clutches of the Jew. And then she herself dons a lawyer’s clothes to function as a judge in the case because she has hit upon a plan to save Antonio’s life.

The Muse of Wisdom and Love

For all these reasons, one of the critics describes Portia as the Queen of this play, and as the Muse of wisdom and love. This critic also says that Portia is as natural as Eve in Paradise.

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Character Sketch of Shylock in Merchant of Venice

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Character Sketch of  Shylock in Merchant of Venice – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

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Shylock

A Famous Shakespearean Character: A Villain Deserving Some Sympathy

Shylock is one of the best-known characters in the entire range of Shakespearean drama. He is also a controversial character. Some critics and readers regard him as a through villain while others believe that, in spite of his villainy, he deserves some sympathy also. It is necessary for us therefore to assess this man’s character impartially. He certainly has his hateful traits of character; and he certainly deserves to be called a villain. But we still feel some sympathy for him because, in our opinion, he is not only a wrtfng-doer but also a victim of wrong-doing by others.

A Usurer

By profession, Shylock is a money-lender. Money-lending by itself is not something shameful or          discreditable, or degrading, or even objectionable. However, money-lending becomes something odious and abhorrent if a money-lender becomes an exploiter by charging excessive rates of interest. Shylock is a money-lender who tries to enrich himself and to accumulate wealth by exploiting the financial needs of others. One reason why he hates Antonio is that Antonio lends money to needy persons without charging any interest at all, and Antonio thus brings down the rate of interest in Venice. Shylock has already hoarded a lot of wealth by his usury, but his craving for more money is not satisfied. This makes him a contemptible person in the play. In this respect he is a typical Jew because the Jews have traditionally been regarded as usurers. It is only in our own times that the Jews have been able to shed that image. Today the Jews are regarded as a versatile race of people, possessing many gifts and talents.

His Intolerance of Christians; and His Extreme Miserliness

Shylock repels us not only by his usury but also by his religious intolerance. He hates Christians and he hates them fiercely. At one point in the play, he says in an aside that he hates Antonio firstly because Antonio is a Christian and secondly because Antonio brings down the rate of interest in Venice by lending money gratis. As a Jew, Shylock does not eat pork and he would not therefore like to join the Christians at a dinner where pork is to be served as one of the dishes. This much we can understand and accept. Everybody has a right not to eat a certain kind of meat, and also a right not to eat meat altogether. Everybody has even the right not to attend a dinner where meat is to be served. But nobody should hate others because they eat meat or a particular kind of meat. In this respect, as in all other respects, tolerance is the right attitude to adopt. But Shylock makes pork-eating one of the grounds for his hatred of Christians who are pork-eaters. In one of his speeches he refers to the Biblical story of the manner in which Christ had lured the devil to enter into the body of a pig. However, this is a very minor issue in the play. Eventually Shylock does agree to attend a Christian dinner; and his reason for attending it further lowers him in our estimation. He would like to eat at the expense of the Christians who are extravagant and who spend money needlessly. By eating a meal at the expense of the Christians, he can save a little money at home; and this is the height of miserliness and meanness. The Jews are-traditionally regarded as misers, though such is no longer the case in our own times. Launcelot Gobbo refers to Shylock’s miserliness when he says that in the Jew’s service he is “famished” (that is, starving). And yet Shylock says to Launcelot that the latter would not enjoy those facilities in Bassanio’s service which he is enjoying here, in the Jew’s house. We feel really amused to find that, although Shylock is a big miser, he thinks himself to be very generous.

His Deceitful and Crafty Dealings

Shylock is a deceitful and crafty man. At first he expresses his unwillingness to give a loan to Antonio on the ground that Antonio had been ill-treating him. However, an altogether different idea takes shape in his mind. He then agrees to give the loan but he lays down the condition that the bond to be signed should contain a clause according to which he would become entitled to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh from nearest his heart if Antonio fails to repay the loan within a period of three months. If is thus that he lures Antonio into signing the bond, saying at the same time that this clause is intended only as a joke because a pound of human flesh can serve no purpose at all and because even the flesh of animals like goats and sheep has greater value than human flesh. In other words, Shylock employs cunning to have to bond signed. He treats the bond as a weapon which he might be able to use in case Antonio, by some mischance, is rendered penniless and finds it impossible to repay the loan. In this respect, then, Shylock shows considerable shrewdness and even a capacity to foresee the future. In this matter of the bond, and the discussion which takes place between him and the Christians (Bassanio and Antonio), several facets of Shylock’s personality become evident to us. He here shows himself as a cunning, hypocritical, humble as well as arrogant man. He even cites a Biblical incident to justify the charging of interest, though he admits that this incident is not exactly a precedent but only a parallel to prove the validity of charging some kind of fee for the services which one renders to others. In any case, the whole scene in which the transaction takes place reveals Shylock’s character in an unfavourable light. He here appears as a detestable person deserving our dislike and hatred.

His Revengeful and Blood thirst Nature

Shylock is a revengeful and bloodthirsty man. From the very start, he is shown as planning to take his revenge upon Antonio for the latter’s ill-treatment of him. Antonio’s need for a loan serves him as a great opportunity to wreak his vengeance upon him. Subsequently no appeals from the Duke and the magnificence move him to pity. Even Portia’s eloquent plea for mercy tails to have any effect upon him. He feels jubilant when it seems that the verdict of the court would go in his favour; and he begins to exult over Portia’s pronouncement in the beginning that he has a very strong case. He bluntly tells the judge that there is no power in the tongue of man to alter his resolve to take a pound of flesh, “My deeds upon my head”, he says. He simply invokes the law which entitles him to the penalty and the forfeit of his bond, and he clings to the position he has taken up.

His Suspicious Nature

Shylock has a suspicious nature and does not trust anyone. He cannot trust either his servant or his daughter. Although his suspicious nature is no merit in him, yet we must admit that he is fully justified in his suspicions. His servant detests him, and so does his daughter. While the servant merely leaves his service, his daughter goes to the extent of running away from home with a Christian and stealing a considerable amount of his money and his jewels.

His Redeeming Qualities

Even though Shylock is a villain, he does have a couple of redeeming qualities. He is a champion of his race. He speaks eloquently and convincingly about the injustice which the Jews have always suffered at the hands of the Christians. He offers a forceful plea on behalf of the Jews in his speech beginning: “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” Then there is his sentiment for his dead wife, Leah. On learning that his daughter had given away a particular jewel in exchange for a monkey, he says that this jewel had been given to him by Leah when he was still a bachelor; and he goes on to say: “1 would not have given it (the jewel) for a wilderness of moneys.” Besides, his character is distinguished by an intellectual force and vigour which are praiseworthy. It is in view of these good qualities in him that he wins our sympathy when he is cruelly treated at the end. At the same time we must not forget that he is essentially an evil man full of spite and malice against the Christians and, more particularly, against his enemy Antonio. And, of course, there is a comic side to him also. He appears as a monster when he begins to sharpen his knife in order to cut off a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. He would use this flesh as bait to catch fish if he cannot make any other use of it. And he appears as a comic character when he cries simultaneously: “0 my ducats! O my daughter! O my Christian ducats”! And he becomes a pathetic figure at the end when he staggers out of the court, a ruined man and a fanatical Jew who must now turn a Christian.

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Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations

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Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Modern English Translation Meaning Annotations – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

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Original Text
Act III Scene I

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 1

Modern English Reading
Act III Scene I

SALANIO : Now, what’s the news in the Market place?

SALARINO : Why, the rumors are all saying that Antonio has a ship of rich cargo wrecked on the narrow seas; I think they call the place the Good wins, a very dangerous, flat, and fatal place, where the dead bodies of many tall ships are buried, as they say, if my gossip reporter is an honest woman of her word.

Word Meaning With Annotation

It lives there unchecked : the rumour there is not contradicted, of rich lading : loaded with a rich cargo. Good wins : this is a shallow part of the North Sea off the east coast of England, known as the Goodwin Sands, and noted as an excellent fishing ground, if my gossip report, be an honest woman of her word : “my gossip Report’’ may be read here as “Dame rumour,” rumour personified as a woman.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 2

Modern English Reading

SALANIO : I wish she were as lying a gossip in that as ever knapped ginger or made her neighbors believe she wept for the death of at hird husband. But it is true,—without any slips of prolixity or crossing the plain highway of talk,—that the good Antonio, the honest Antonio,—Oh, that I had a title good enough to keep his name company!

SALARINO : Come, the whole story.

SALANIO : Huh? What do you say? Why, the end is, he has lost a ship.

SALARINO : I wish it might prove the end of his losses.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Knapped ginger : “chewed ginger.” This was in use as a sweetmeat in Shakespeare’s time, slips of prolixity : lapses into tedious speeches, the full stop : finish your sentence.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 3

Modern English Reading

SALANIO : Let me say ‘amen’ before it’s too late, in case the devil crosses my prayer, because here he comes, in the likeness of a Jew.
How now, Shylock! What’s the news among the merchants ?
[Enter Shylock]

SHYLOCK : You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter’s flight.

SALARINO : That’s true; I, for my part, knew the tailor who made the wings she flew with.

SALANIO : And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was ready to fly; and then it is the nature of them all to leave the nest.

Word Meaning With Annotation

You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter’s flight : by his words, Shylock infers that they were partly responsible for helping Jessica in her flight, wings : Jessica’s disguise, her boy’s dress, and Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledged; and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam : Salarino tells Shylock that Jessica was like a young bird, fully feathered and hence due to leave the nest where it had been hatched. The word “dam” is used here for the mother- bird; this is not its proper meaning, since it always applies to a mother animal. But Shakespeare probably uses the word in this sense in order to allow Shylock to make his play on the other meaning of “dam” in the next line, that Jessica has incurred damnation in the next life by her action, complexion : natural tendency; disposition.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 4

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 5

Modern English Reading

SHYLOCK : She is damned for it.

SALARINO : That’s true, if the devil may be her judge.

SHYLOCK : My own flesh and blood to rebel!

SALANIO : Damn it, old dead man! It rebels at this age?

SHYLOCK : I say my daughter is my flesh and my blood.

SALARINO : There is more difference between your flesh and hers than between coal and ivory; more between your bloods than there is between between red wine and Rhenish wine but tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no?

SHYLOCK : There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal,who scarcely dares to show his’face in the Market place; a beggar, that used to come on the market so smugly; let him look to his promise to pay: hewas in the habit of calling me a usurer; let him look to his promise to pay: he was in the habit of lending money for Christian courtesy; let him look to his promise to pay.

Word Meaning With Annotation

That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge : Salarino thinks differently, and says that on the devil himself would condemn Jessica for what she had done. Jet and ivory : jet is deep black, while ivory is extremely white, red wine and Rhenish : there would be great difference in appearance between the two blends of wine; for Rhenish, or wine from the Rhine valley, is white, bad match : a bad stroke of business, prodigal : a wasteful person, a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon the mart : he is now reduced to beggary, who used to come into the market place with such a smiling and self- satisfied expression, for a Christian courtesy : Shylock speaks the words in bitter scorn. He cannot conceive of a man lending money from any other motive than to extort as much interest as possible. Antonio’s generous spirit moves the Jew to fury.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 6

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 7

Modern English Reading

SALARINO : Why, I am sure, if he defaults, you won’t take his flesh; what’s that good for?

SHYLOCK : To bait fish with: if it feeds nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He has disgraced me and insulted me half a million times; laughed at my losses, joked about my gains, insulted my religion, crossed my deals, cooled my friends, heated my enemies. And what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Doesn’t a Jew have eyes? Doesn’t a Jew have hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions, fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you stick us, don’t we bleed? If you tickle us, don’t we laugh? If you poison us, don’t we die? And if you wrong us, shouldn’t we seek revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we’ll resemble you in that. If a Jew wrongs a Christian, what is his option? Revenge. If a Christian wrongs a Jew, what should his choice be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy’you teach me I’ll use; and it shall be hard but I’ll make the lesson better.
Enter a man from Antonio

Word Meaning With Annotation

To bait fish : means “to feed fish.” hindered me half a million : “caused me to lose half a million ducats”, by lending money to people who might otherwise have borrowed from Shylock. hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is : Shylock is comparing the physical bodies and powers of the Jew and the Christian, and proving that they are exactly similar. Then he passes to “senses, affections,” and finds that here also there is no difference. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility : Shylock sneers at the Christian religion. The teaching of Christ is that a Christian must never take revenge, but must forgive his enemy in a spirit of proper humility. But Shylock says that this is not observed. He asks “If a Jew wrongs a Christian, does the latter show humility? No! He takes revenge.” The sense of “humility” here is “patience” or “humanity.” what should his sufferance be by Christian example : what should his attitude be if he is guided by the example which Christians set him ?

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 8

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 9

Modern English Reading

SERVANT : Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house, and wants to speak with both of you.

SALARINO : We have been up and down looking for him.
Enter Tubal

SALARINO : Here comes another Jew: we cannot Match them, unless the devil himself turn Jew.
Exeunt Salanio, Salarino and Servant.
Enter Tubal.

SHYLOCK : How now, Tubal! What’s the news from Genoa? Have you found my daughter?

TUBAL : I often came to places where I heard of her, but I cannot find her.

Word Meaning With Annotation

A third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew : Shylock and Tubal are such a pair of villains that one could not find a third like them, unless it were the devil himself, what news from Genoa : Tubal has been to Genoa to search for Jessica. According to his replies to Shylock, we must assume that Lorenzo and Jessica have been there. As Genoa is at the other side of Italy, some distance from Venice, this conversation shows us that an interval of time has now elapsed since the elopement.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 10

Modern English Reading

SHYLOCK : Why there, there, there, there! A diamond gone, cost me two thousand dollars in Frankfort ! The curse never fell on our nation until now; I never felt it until now. Two thousand dollars in that, and other precious, precious jewels. I wish my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; I wish she were trained at my feet, and the ducats in her coffin! No news of them? Why, okay: and I don’t know what’s been spent in the search. Why, you— loss on loss! The thief gone with so much, aid so much to find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge; or only bad luck stirring and sits on my shoulders; no sighs except the ones I’m breathing; no tears except the ones I’m shedding.

Word Meaning With Annotation

The curse never fell upon our nation till now, I never felt it till now,- Two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels : Shylock shows how very self – centred he is. He looks upon his misfortunes as a blow to the whole Jewish nation, though, if we are more charitable, it is possible to assume that he is thinking rather of her daughter Jessica’s falling away from the Jewish faith, and that this is the curse he means. I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her oar: would she were hears’d at my foot and the ducats in her coffin : it would be possible to feel sympathy for Shylock if he declared that he wished his daughter dead, rather than married to a Christian. But he seemingly wished her dead if it would only help him to recover his money and jewels, a particularly despicable wish, hearsed : the hearse is the black funeral carriage which carries the coffin to the grave, loss upon loss : Shylock has lost further sums of money in the search for the runaway lovers.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 11

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 12

Modern English Reading

TUBAL : Yes, other men have bad luck too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa,—

SHYLOCK : what, what, what? Bad luck, bad luck?

TUBAL : has his largest ship lost, coming from Tripolis.

SHYLOCK : I thank God! I thank God! Is it true, is it true?

TUBAL : I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.

SHYLOCK : I thank you, good Tubal. Good news, good news! ha, ha! Where? in Genoa?

TUBAL : Your daughter spent, as I heard, one night, in Genoa eighty ducats!

SHYLOCK : You stick a dagger in me: I shall never see my gold again: eighty ducats all at once! Eighty ducats!

TUBAL : Many of Antonio’s creditors came with me to Venice, swearing he can only go broke.

SHYLOCK : I am very glad of it; I’ll plague him, I’ll torture him; I am glad of it.

TUBAL : One of them showed me a ring that he accepted from your daughter as payment for a monkey.

SHYLOCK : Damn her! You torture me, Tubal: It was my turquoise ring; I got from Leah, my wife, when I was still single; I wouldn’thave traded it for a wilderness of monkeys.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Fourscore ducats at a sitting : she had spent eighty ducats in a single place of entertainment, divers of Antonio’s creditors : this is an old expression, frequently found in the Bible. Simply “a certain number of’ or “serveral of.” cannot choose but break : “has no choice but to go bankrupt.” In this sense, a bankrupt is often referred to as “a broken man.” it was my turquoise: I had it of Leah : Shylock refers to the ring containing a turquoise, a pale bluestone, which he had received from Leah, his dead wife. This is a bitter thought to him, and intensifies his feelings of hatred. Every circumstance in the play now is directed towards irritating and infuriating the Jew. In this manner, his action against Antonio is not unnatural or improbable.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 3, Scene 1 Translation Meaning Annotations 13

Modern English Reading

TUBAL : But Antonio is certainly bankrupt.

SHYLOCK : No, that’s true; that’s very true. Go, Tubal, hire me an officer; accuse Antonio ‘ as of two weeks ago. I’ll have his heart, if he defaults; because, if he were out of business in Venice, I can make whatever deals I want to. Go, Tubal, and meet meat our synagogue; go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.
Exeunt

Word Meaning With Annotation

Undone : rained; bankrupt, fee me an officer : engaged a law officer by paying him an advance fee. if he forfeit : if he becomes liable for the penalty of the pound of flesh, to, Tubal, and meet me atour synagogue; go, good Tubal; at our synagogue : Shylock arranges to meet Tubal at the Jewish church, his motive being, as we afterwards see, to swear an oath not to give up his scheme of revenge.

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Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations

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Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Modern English Translation Meaning Annotations – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

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Original Text
Act II Scene IX

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 1

Modern English Reading
Act II Scene IX

NERISSA : Quickly, quickly, please, draw the curtain right away; the Prince of Aragon has taken his oath, and comes to make his choice now.
Enter [the Prince of] Arragon, his train, and Portia. Flourish of cornets.

PORTIA : Behold, the chests stand there, noble Prince: If you choose the one that I am contained in, Our marriage vows will be solemnized right away; But if you fail, my lord, you must be gone from here immediately without any more talking.

ARRAGON : I am required by oath to observe three things: First, never to tell anyone which chest I chose; next, if I fail to choose the right chest, I will never Court a maid to marry for my whole life; Lastly, if I do fail in choosing the right chest, I will leave you immediately and be gone.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Straight : at once, election : “selection”, i.e. his choice between the three caskets. If you choose that wherein I am contain’d : the one which contains my portrait, nuptial rites : marriage ceremonies, which casket ’twas I chose : which casket it was that I did’ choose.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 2

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 3

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 4

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : Everyone swears to these conditions who come to take a chance for my worthless self.

ARRAGON : And I have prepared myself like that. Fortune now Lead me to my heart’s hope! Gold, silver, and base lead.” Who chooses me must give and gamble all he has.” You shall look more beautiful before I give or gamble. What says the golden chest? Ha! Let me see:” Who chooses me shall gain what many men desire.” What many men desire! that “many” may mean the foolish multitudes, that choose by outward appearance, not learning any more than their loving eyes teach, which doesn’t go to the inside but, like the marten, builds on the outside wall in any weather, even in the force of wind and on the road to ruin. I will not choose what many men desire, because I will not jump with common spirits and rank myself with the barbarous multitudes. Why, then to you, you silver treasure-house; tell me once more what title you bear:” Who chooses me shall get as much as he deserves.” And it is said well too, because who shall go about to steal a fortune, and still be honorable without the stamp of deserving it? Let no one pretend to wear an undeserved dignity. Oh! that fortunes, degrees, and offices were not earned by corruption, and that clear honors were purchased by the merit of the wearer! How many then would be covered that stand naked; how many would be commanded that command; how much low peasantry would then be taken from from the true seed of honor; and how much honor picked from the garbage and ruin of the times to be newly painted! Well, to my choice:” Who chooses me shall get as much as he deserves.” I will assume I am deserving. Give me a key for this, and instantly unlock my fortunes here.

Word Meaning With Annotation

And so have I address’d me : and I have prepared myself accordingly. Fortune now to my heart’s hope : he addresses the Goddess of fortune. Gold; silver; and base lead : the use of the word “base” reveals that Arragon starts in the same mistaken attitude that Morocco showed. Arragon is immediately prejudiced against the leaden casket, because the metal of which it is made is not so showy and attractive as silver or gold. Evidently the intention of Portia’s father, when he arranged the trial of the caskets, was that the inscriptions alone should be the proper test. The different metals would only serve to mislead men who paid too much attention to outward show and appearance. You shall look fairer, ere I give, or hazard : he falls into the same error as Morocco, and does not realise that the hazard is to be made for Portia, not as he says for lead, fond : foolish, which pries not to th’ interior : which does not search for the inner meaning of anything, martlet: let martin, a species of swallow, which builds a nest of mud against the outer walls of houses, even in the force and road of casualty : “open to disaster, and in the very path of danger.” for who shall go about : who shall attempt, cozen : “to cheat”, be honourable : “attain to honours.” estates : “positions of dignity”, degree : “high mark”, derived corruptly : granted from unworthy motives; sold, clear honour : unstained or innocent honour.purchased : obtained. There is no reference to buying in the usual sense, cover : keep their hats on. low peasantry : “base fellows”. This shows the habit which had crept in, during the middle ages, of thinking of two great classes, the upper classes or nobility who were men of honour, and the lower classes who were base cultivators of the soil. I will assume desert : I shall be content with what I deserve.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 5

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : That’s too long a pause over what you find there.

ARRAGON : What’s here? The portrait of a blinking idiot, Presenting me a piece of paper! I will read it. This doesn’t look very much like Portia! This doesn’t look very much like what I deserve!” Who chooses me shall get as much as he deserves.” Did I deserve no more than a fool’s head? Is that my prize? Is my deserving no better than that?

PORTIA : To insult and judge are different things, And of opposite natures.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Blinking idiot : stupid-eyed fool, schedule : the same as “scroll”, deservings : merits: deserves: to offend, and judge, are distinct offices, and of opposed natures : “Arragon may be regarded as having been on his trial, and a prisoner is not supposed to criticise the verdict”. Still it may be better to explain “You have been sentenced but not insulted; there is nothing personal in the decision!” distinct offices : separate things

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 6

Modern English Reading

ARRAGON : What is this here?” The fire tried this seven times. The judgment that never chose wrong is tried seven times. There are some men that shadows kiss; Men like this have only a shadow’s bliss; there are fools alive, I know, that are silvered over, and so was this chest. Take whatever wife you want to bed, I will be your head forever: So be gone; you are finished.” I shall appear to be more foolish by the time I stay here; I came to court with one fool’s head, But I go away with two. Sweetheart, goodbye! I’ll keep my oath, Patiently to deal with my anger.
[Exit with his train]

PORTIA : In this way, the candle has burned the moth. Oh, these deliberate fools! When they choose, they have the wisdom to lose by their senses.

NERISSA : The ancient saying is no lie:” Hanging and getting a wife are up to Fate.”

Word Meaning With Annotation

The fire seven times tried this : “this” refers to the silver. The line refers to the words from the Bible, some there be that shadows kiss : “shadow” is here used generally as being the reverse of “substance” i.e., some people neglect the sound and substantial things of life to pursue empty shows, shadow’s bliss : “unreal happiness.” I wis : Certainly, silvered o’er : “whose folly is concealed by their silvery hairs.” you are sped : your business is completed, by the time I linger here : the longer I remain here, with one fool’s head I came to woo, But I go away with two : I came here a fool, and I depart a double fool, wroth : misfortune. Not the usual sense of “anger”, thus hath the candle sing’d the moth : Arragon is here compared to a foolish insect that has fluttered around a bright light, and has been burnt, deliberate fools : deliberating fools, in the sense that they calculated too much. The right choice depended not on skilful reasoning, but on love, which should have been prepared to “hazard all he hath”, they have the wisdom by their wit to lose : “They have enough sense, at any rate, to allow their small minds to lead than astray”, heresy : falsehood, hanging and wiving goes by destiny : “Wedding is destiny, and hanging like wise”

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 7

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 9 Translation Meaning Annotations 8

Modern English Reading

PORTIA : Come, close the curtain, Nerissa.
Enter Messenger.

MESSENGER : Where is my lady?

PORTIA : I’m here; what do you want?

MESSENGER : Madam, at your gate, a young Venetian has just arrived, one that comes ahead of his lord to tell us he is coming; He brings sensible apologies from him; As noted,—besides greetings and courteous sayings,— Gifts of rich value. Yet I haven’t seen such an ambassador of love. A day in April never came so sweetly to show how expensive summer was coming,, as this forerunner comes so urgently before his lord.

PORTIA : No more, please; I am half afraid you will now say he is related to you, You spend such so many words in praising him.Come, come, Nerissa, because I long to see quick Cupid’s messenger that comes so politely.

NERISSA : Bassanio, lord Love, if it is your will!
Exeunts.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Sensible regrets : salutations which are not merely words, but are sincerely felt, to wit, (besides commends and courteous breath) : namely in addition to compliments and courteous words, etc. likely : prepossessing; of good promise, ambassador of love : the messenger who now comes as the representative of Bassanio, to announce that his lord is coming on an errand of love, and to prepare his reception. He is compared to an agent who represents his country, costly summer : summer which is the rich and goregeous season of the year, fore – spurrer : the one who comes squrring (riding) on before, to prepare for the coming of his master, high-day wit : “high-day” is the same as “holiday”, so we might translate this by “holiday humour,” the fine speeches and prepared words that one might use only on a holiday or special occasion. Quick Cupid’s post that comes so mannerly : the swift messenger of Love, who comes in such a courteous manner. Bassanio, lord Love, if thy will it be : “lord Love” still refers to Cupid as the presiding deity, and Portia means, “I hope it is thy will that this is Bassanio, O God of Love.”

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Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations

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Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Modern English Translation Meaning Annotations – ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

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Original Text
Act II Scene VIII

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations 1

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations 2

Modern English Reading
Act II Scene VIII

SALARINO : Why, man, I saw Bassanio sailing away; Gratiano has gone along with him; And I am sure Lorenzo is not on their ship.

SALANIO : The villain Jew woke up the Duke with outcries.The Duke went with him to search Bassanio’s ship.

SALARINO : He came too late, the ship was sailing away; but there, the Duke was given to understand that Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica were seen together in a gondola. Besides, Antonio assured the Duke that they were not with Bassanio in his ship.

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 ducats, 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.”

Word Meaning With Annotation

Raised the duke : stirred him up to action. The Duke : the old city of Venice was an independent republic, and the chief ruler was the Duke, gondola : the city of Venice is built upon a number of islands and channels of water take the place of streets, instead of carriages, long narrow boats called gondolas ply back and forth, double ducats : it seems that there were two kinds of ducats in circulation, one being double the value of the other.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations 3

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations 4

Modern English Reading

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.

SALARINO : Damn it, thanks for reminding me. I was talking yesterday with a Frenchman, who told me that, in the narrow seas that part the French and English, a vessel of our country, sank, loaded full with rich cargo. I thought about Antonio when he told me, and wished in silence that the ship wasn’t his.

SALANIO : You’d better tell Antonio what you heard; still, don’t tell him without warning because it may be too painful.

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.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Keep his day : discharge his debt punctually on the agreed day. Marry, well remembered : this is a contraction for “By St. Mary, it is as well that you have reminded me, etc.” miscarried : wrecked; met with disaster, fraught : laden; stored with cargo, 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.

Original Text

Merchant of Venice Act 2, Scene 8 Translation Meaning Annotations 5

Modern English Reading

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.
Exeunt.

SALARINO : Let’s do it.
Exeunt.

Word Meaning With Annotation

Embraced heaviness : the heaviness or melancholy which Antonio has voluntarily embraced, or taken to himself. They think that he is rather making too much of his assumed sadness.

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