Merchant of Venice

1. Contrast Belmont and Venice in 4 or 5 sent. Explain which characters live and work in each city. Explain which part of the main plot takes place in each. Belmont 1.Portia – princess 2.Nerrissa – right hand woman to PortiaVenice 1.Bassanio – seeks Portia’s hand in marriage 2.Shylock – Jewish moneylender who charges High Interest 3.Jessica – daughter of Shylock 4. Lorenzo – a Christian who woos Jessica 5. Antonio – a merchant who charges no interestBelmont – casket plotVenice – “Pound of flesh” plot
2. Give 4 ex. of quote, appearances v.s. reality. How do 4 things or people appear to be one thing when in fact they are another. 4 ex. are1. Jessica looks like a boy but really is the daughter of Shylock2. Portia look like a male judge3. Gold casket and silver casket both look like their going to be the right one but really their not4. Look like Shylock just wants justice from Antonio but really he wants revenge
3. Give 4 ex. of quote give and hazard all he has. In other words which good characters risk everything they have to help save another. 1. Antonio wanted to help his good friend Bassanio. He risked his life when he borrowed money from th Jewish money lender to give to Bassanio2. Portia wanted to help Antonio who was stuck in court. To free him she used her money and her with. She disguised herself as a male adjudicator to judge Antonio’s case.3. Jessica was a rich young Jewish girl. To marry the man she wanted she gave up her life of luxury and ran away with a poor Christian4. Nerrisa risked her life for Antonio. she dressed up with Portia and became a male law clerk. Though she could have been arrested and severely punished. She had courage
4. In Portia’s quality of mercy speech, what does she say about, justice, mercy, and when did she deliver the speech and to whom? Portia gave the speech to Shylock in the courtroom when Antonio was in being accused of debt. She says that justice is not enough, because if God judged us based on that we would all be in Hell. We should give mercy like God.
5. What does the quote, pound of flesh refer to in the story and how does it prove to be Shylock’s downfall? Antonio, a merchant, borrowed money from Shylock. Shylock said if he could not pay it back he wanted a pound of flesh from him. When Antonio couldn’t pay, Shylock took him to court demanding a pound of flesh. Portia, dressed up as a judge told him could take a pound of flesh, but could not shed and blood. This is absolutely impossible. Later he was fined and converted to Christianity.
6. What message was on the outside of each casket and what object was inside each? Gold – Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire. A carrion deathSilver – Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves. The portrait of a blinking idiotLead – Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. A scroll and Portia’s portrait.
7. How does Jessica spend Shylock’s money once she had access to it? How is she acting to the way she was raised. Jessica is very irresponsible when she stole her father’s money. In Genoa she spent 80 ducats in one night and in Venice she bought a monkey with her mother’s ring. She is being rebellious to the way she was raised because she was raised strictly.
8. Which character in the play has the best attitude v.s. money? Summarize the attitude with specific ex. showing how the character used money. Antonio has the best attitude towards money. In the poem, he thinks of money as a tool to help those dear to him. He helped his friend Bassanio with money so Bassanio could travel to Belmont to woo Portia.
9. How was Portia connected to Bassanio? Bassanio wanted to marry Portia. To do this he took the casket test. When he won Portia and Bassanio were in true love. They also had sacrificial love in the play.
10. How Is Portia connected to Shylock? After Bassanio married Portia he found his friend was in jail. Portia went to meet with Shylock trying to negotiate Antonio’s freedom. To talk to Shylock. Portia had to dress up as a male judge so he could take her seriously.
11. “I hate him for he is a Christian, but more for that in low simplicity. He lends out money Gratis and brings down. The rate of Usance here with us in Venice. If i can catch him once upon the hip I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him Who is the speaker, who is he speaking about? What are the 2 reasons he hates the person he is speaking about? The speaker is Shylock and he is speaking about Antonio. He hates him, because he is a Christian and he lends money without interest.
12. “I am glad tis night, you do not look on me, for I am much ashamed of my exchange. But love is blind and lovers cannot see. The pretty follies that themselves commit.”Who is the speaker to whom is she speaking? How is she dressed and why is she dressed that way? Jessica is speaking this to Lorenzo. She is dressed as a boy so she can run away with Lorenzo. She needs to be in disguise so her father does not catch her running away. She is saying if you are in love. You only know how much you love a person and nothing else.
13. “All that glistens is not gold. Often have you heard that told. Many a man his life hath sold, but my outside to be hold. Guilded tombs do worms infold. Had you been as wise as bold. Young in limbs in judgment old. Your answer had not been enscrolled. Fair you well your suit is cold.”Where does this quote appear? According to the quote why have many men foolishly given their lives?The quote declares the young as bold but encourage men to be what? What lesson does this quote teach us? It appears in Act II Scene 8. According to the scroll many men have sold theirs souls for worldly things like Gold. We must be wise as well as bold. The quote teaches us that worldly things are not important.
14. “My daughter, o my ducats, o my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!”Who is the person being quoted by Solanio? What 2 things concern him about his daughter? What is it about his money that upsets him the most? The person being quoted by Solanio is Shylock. The two thing that concern him are that she ran away with a Christian and that she stole his money and other valuables. The thing that upsets him the most is that a Christian is in possession of his money.
15. “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jews hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?… If you poison, do we not die? If you wrong us, shall we not revenge? … I we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew what should his sufferance be by Christian example?”What is the point that Shylock is making in the first half of the quote? What is Shylock’s reasoning for his right to have revenge? Jews are just regular humans. If you wrong them their inclination is to get revenge. His reasoning is that Christians do the same thing and are not scolded. Why cant he do it?
16. ” So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament. IN law, What plea so tainted and corrupt. But, being seasoning with a gracious voice. Obscures the show of evil… There is no vice so simple but assumes. Some mark of Virtue on his outward parts… …. Therefore, then, thou gaudy gold, Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee.”Who is the speaker what is he referring too? How does this reveal the wisdom of the speaker? Bassanio is saying that the world nowadays is deceived by shiny things of material value. He said that just because someone says something with a kind voice, it doesn’t mean that it is good. Bassanio is very intelligent, because he is not lured by material things or things that look good on the outside
17. “So, thrice-fair lady stand I even so. As doubtful whether what I see be true, Until confirmed, signed, ratified by you.”Who is the speaker to whom is he speaking?What is the situation why is he doubtful about the truth?What is it he wants confirmed? Bassanio is speaking to Portia. he is doubtful that he won her in marriage. He is surprised that he beat the test. He wants it to be confirmed that he gets to marry her.
18. “Pay him 6 thousand and deface the bond. Double 6 thousand and treble that, Before a friend of this description shall lose a hair through Bassanio’s fault.”Who is the speaker?How much is the speaker willing to pay to pay off the debt?Who is the friend the speaker wants to protect?While the speaker wants to protect the friend, who else the speaker want to protect? Portia is willing to pay 12,000 ducats to pay of the debt. The speaker wants to protect Antonio, but also wants to protect Bassanio who would be heartbroken if he loses a friend.
19. “Tis very true. O wise and upright judge. How much more elder art thou than thy looks.”Who is the speaker, what quality does the speaker think the judge has, yet what appearance does the judge have?What the speaker think that the lawyer recognizes as just and should be upheld and enforced? The speaker is Shylock. Shylock think’s the judge, Portia, is wise but very young in looks. Shylock thinks that the judge is enforcing the contract he made with Antonio.
20. “I pray you tarry, pause a day or two. Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong. I lose your company; therefore forbear awhile.”Who is the speaker?To whom is the passage spoken?Why does the speaker wan the person to tarry, to pause a day or two, to stay and visit for a while? What does this reveal about the speaker’s true feeling? Portia is speaking to Bassanio who wants to take the casket test. She wants him to wait before he takes it, because if he loses he has to leave immediately and she can not stay with him.
July 9, 2019