Merchant of Venice Study Questions

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE STUDY QUESTIONS; DUE MONDAY 5th AUGUST

1) Sooth: Truth, reality, Fact
Ague: Fever, sickness
Peevish: Silly, foolish or: headstrong, impulsive
Prodigal: Wastefully. It usually means someone who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way.
Argosies: a large merchant ship.

2) In this scene the literally term allusion is used in many ways throughout the text, an example is when Bassanio compared Portrias hair with a golden fleece and says that ‘many Jason’s come in quest of her’. This is an allusion to the story of the Jason’s and Argonauts who came from Colchis, near the Black Sea, and went on a quest to find the Golden Fleece.

3) Characters:
Antonio: The merchant, who has a love for his close friend Bassanio and is very fond of him, will do whatever he can to meet Bassanio’s needs.
Salerio: Salerio only appears in two lines of Act one Scene one, however he seems very understanding and a true friend to Bassanio and Antonio.
Solanio: Again only limited in this scene however he is a gentleman and understanding.
Bassanio: He is very fond of his close friend Antonio. He is extremely nice and caring towards others.
Lorenzo: A close friend of Antonio and Bassanio
Gratiano: A friend of Bassanio and Antonio, and Gratiano is the one who Bassanio wants to come to Belmont with him.

^ You are limited with this question because it is only one scene you are able to base descriptions on. 4) Gratiano:
Let me play the fool, with mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come and let my liver rather heat with wine, than my heart cool with mortifying groans.
Why should a man who’s blood is warm within, sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster?
Sleep when he wakes and creep into the jaundice by being peevish? I tell thee what, Antonio -
I love thee, and ‘tis my love that speaks - there are a sort of men whose visages do cream and mantle like a standing pond, and do a wilful stillness entertain, with purpose to be dressed in an opinion of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit, as who should say, ‘I am Sir Oracle, and when I ope my lips let no dog bark.’
O, my Antonio, I do know of these that therefore only are reputed wise
For saying nothing; when, I am very sure, if they should speak, when almost damn those ears which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools.
I’ll tell thee more of this another time.
But fish not with this melancholy bait for this fool gudgeon, this opinion.
Come, good Lorenzo. Fare ye well awile,
I’ll end my exhortation after dinner.

English:
I want to be the clown, then! Let mirth and laughter make my wrinkles. Any may wine warms me up, not sighs cool me down! Why should a warm-blooded man behave like a stone-cold statue of his grandfathers? Wake up to doze his days away? Turn swallow with peevishness? I’ll tell you what, who have deadpan faces. The cultivate silence, the idea being to seem wise, grave and astute, as though to say, ‘I am Sir Knowall. When I speak no dog should bare to bark!’ Antonio I know some men whose reputation for wisdom is based on saying nothing. If they did open their mouths they would sound damned stupid, and invite ridicule. More of this some other time! But don’t you go fishing for this tiddler ‘reputation’ while melancholy as your bait. Come on Lorenzo. Farewell for now. I’ll finish my sermon after dinner.

5) Bassanio in terms of managing his finances is honest. He is aware that he has to pay money back, and he wants to pay that money back to Antonio as soon as possible. However Bassanio is unable to pay the money he borrowed from Antonio and he is aware of that, but he does not leave it at that, he works harder and he comes up with a solution to pay back the money to Antonio. The story goes on from here, but I suppose the point is, is that Bassanio doesn’t like to hold onto the fact of knowing he has to pay someone back as soon as possible, he wants to repay them, and even when he himself is unable to pay the money back, he works hard and does not give up and he comes up with another idea to repay the money back.

6) The qualities that Bassanio praises about Portia are; * Rich lady * Fair, fairer than the world. Simply beautiful. * She Is of wondrous qualities * Beautiful eyes, eyes that leave him speechless.

7) When Solario says “your mind is tossing on the ocean” he means to say that Antonio is worried about his ships. Because Antonio’s ships are on the ocean with all of his money, his mind is tossing on the ocean; his mind is worried about his ships on the ocean.

8) Antonio is not so worried about his money on his ships because his investments are not all on the ship, or in one place, so if he can’t get some money he has other investments else were. Also Antonio knows that his fortune does not depend on this year’s trading. Therefore he is not worried about his business interests.

9) Some evidence in the text may be; Bassanio is interested in Portia’s money because he knows that if he chooses the right casket and marries her, then her money becomes his, and he is also able to repay Antonio with Portrias money. I would say the biggest evidence is that he knows he can repay Antonio with Portia’s money.

10) It is ironic for him to say that because he is already in a play and Gratiano is ironic as he already plays a fool in the play.

11) I picture Venice to have small and tall buildings side by side, basic colours such as brown brick and cream. I picture the buildings to be on either side of water that runs through the centre of homes and buildings. I picture a few bridges, and lots of boats in the water. I Picture the big buildings to have lots of windows, and people doorsteps to be literally on water. I picture Venice as vintage, and small yet big and everything is squished closely together.