BUDDY READS/ READ-ALONG - William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice - Page 4

Originally posted by: GumnaamHaiKoii

In school, we were told Antonio might be sad because of his unrequited love or maybe he’s suffering from depression. But now I wonder could his sadness come from something deeper, like guilt? He’s really cruel to Shylock, and maybe that kind of hate weighs on a person.

Scene 1.1 also shows how important his ships and wealth are but even with this amount of money, he still feels empty.

Your perspective is interesting.

According to some critics, Antonio has romantic feelings for his friend, Bassanio. However, Bassanio tells him that he has fallen in love with Portia. Therefore, Antonio feels melancholic due to his unreturned love.

Originally posted by: Shirsha

Your perspective is interesting.

According to some critics, Antonio has romantic feelings for his friend, Bassanio. However, Bassanio tells him that he has fallen in love with Portia. Therefore, Antonio feels melancholic due to his unreturned love.

Interesting because homosexuality was considered the gravest of sins in Christianity then. It was considered akin of a person possessed by Satan. To me it felt like Antonio had a premonition of something happening to his ship mid sea ( like the one which Caesar’s wife had)

Originally posted by: Shirsha

I completed reading Act 1 of the drama, The Merchant of Venice, today.

Analysis of Act 1:

Act 1: Scene 1

The opening scene introduces the protagonist, Antonio, and his friends. Antonio feels depressed and melancholic; however, he doesn’t know the reason behind it. His friends suggest that the reason behind his dejection is probably related to his ships. The opening scene sheds light on the strong bond and friendship between Antonio and Bassanio. Their conversation helps the readers understand they’re extremely close to each other and Antoniocan do anything for his friend. Bassanio’s love for a beautiful young woman named Portia is also revealed to the readers, and his romantic interest is a very important aspect of the play. The opening scene is filled with emotions such as sadness, romantic love, and deep affection for a friend.

Act 1: Scene 2

Unlike the opening scene, the tone of the second scene is humourous. A young woman named Portia is introduced in this scene. She discusses her suitors with her maid-servant, Nerissa, and tells her that she finds them uninteresting. The way she expresses her disdain for her suitors is quite amusing. She compares a suitor to a colt because he always talks about his horse. She says another suitor doesn’t smile even if he hears merry tales. The second scene successfully depicts the character, Portia, as a witty woman. This scene also makes the readers understand that Portia is a woman with a strong personality and critical eyes.

Act 1: Scene 3

The antagonist of the drama, Shylock is introduced inthis scene. He’s a moneylender, and Bassanio asks him to lend money. Bassanio says that Antonio will be the guarantor for the loan. It gets revealed thatShylock holds a grudge against Antonio for some reason and uses this opportunity to take revenge. Antonio knows Shylock isn’t a nice person and warns Bassanio saying, “Mark you this Bassanio, the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, – An evil soul producing holy witnessis like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly apple rotten at the heart. O what a goodly outside falsehood hath.” The third scene highlights the religious tension between Antonio and Shylock. It also uncovers certaincharacteristics of Antonio, Bassanio and Shylock. Antonio comes across as a reckless and overconfident man in this scene, while Bassanio seems to kind-hearted man because he refuses to take money, putting Antonio’s life in danger. Shylock isportrayed as a highly cunning and manipulative man whose hatred is rooted on deep-seated prejudice towards Christians. The third scene plays a crucial role in giving the readers a hint of the central conflict of the drama.

@b: my teacher used to draw references to Hitler’s prejudice towards Jews & how the religious divide existed right from the period when Shakespeare lived. In fact Jews were driven out & not allowed to practise most of the professions legally. It’s his prejudices or that of the society that Antonio is reflecting. To Christians then, Jews were cunning, manipulative, greedy.

https://holocaustcentrenorth.org.uk/blog/shylocks-shadow-shakespeares-the-merchant-of-venice-and-the-nazi-takeover-of-theatres/

Act 1 Scene 1:

"And such a want-wit sadness makes of me

That I have much ado to know myself."

"Why, then you’re in love!"

"Fie, fie!"

These verses stand out to me as reasons for Antonio’s sadness. Although, while reading an abridged version of this play in school, our English teacher told us that the reason for his sadness was probably depression. I used to feel it might be due to his gut-feeling, an intuition or a premonition-like feeling hinting at the missing status of his ships and monetary losses.

But these lines in context of Antonio’s melancholy are strange enough to be present here, right at the onset of the play. Upon rereading it once before and now as well, it hints at something deeper. He has “much ado to know” himself, suggesting a different sexuality perhaps. The lines come just before Bassanio’s revelation of choosing to marry a rich heiress, deepening the argument. Antonio also denies being in love using such harsh language, almost as if in disgust. This hints to the olden times when such feelings were repressed and were seen with sheer contempt. Also, homosexuality was considered to be one of the greatest sins in Christianity.

Antonio dearly loved his ships and one of his ships is named Andrew, a male name. I'd like to quote Salerio here.

"And see my wealthy Andrew docked in sand,

Vailing her high top lower than her ribs

To kiss her burial; should I go to church

And see the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me straight of dang’rous rocks,

Which touching but my gentle vessel’s side,

Would scatter all her spices on the stream,…"

Notice how Salerio uses a female pronoun for it, as if it were Antonio’s lady love. The ships get lost in the sea. I believe this is quite suggestive of his love for his male friend, Bassanio. His love for Bassanio is lost in the sea and is missing since Bassanio has already proposed to Portia, his lady love.

"A stage where every man must play a part,

And mine a sad one."

Yes, Gumnaam Hai Koii! I have always related Antonio’s character to this one line. It perfectly encapsulates his role in the entire play. He is sad and almost a showpiece in the entire play and it is quite ironical since the play’s title is an allusion to his character. I feel some of Shakespeare’s plays have ironical titles. For example, even in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar is present only in the initial scenes of the play. Rest of it actually revolves around the noble Brutus, who I consider to be one of the most tragic characters in Shakespearean literature.

Act 1 Scene 2:

"Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer."

Nerissa’s dialogue feels like a direct punch and overshadowing of the contrast by Shakespeare between Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio, who is superfluous or has a lot of money, comes across as an old soul, always sad and perhaps, has a deeper notion about his love, which we suppose is unrequited. Bassanio who instead competed for Portia’s hand in marriage has more chance at a long-lasting love with her.

The next few lines are witty.

Portia: Good sentences, and well pronounced.

Nerissa: They would be better if well followed.

Later in the play, we know how Portia and Nerissa in disguise get to know about their fiancées’ humorous personal opinions about wives, despite always professing their love for them. This appears to be a subtle foreshadowing in that case.

Act 1 Scene 3:

This act introduces Shylock, the antagonist of the play. He is already declaring his hate for the Nazarite (Jesus and Christianity in general) and this sets the tone for the undercurrent theme of the play – Anti-Semitism.

"Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,

For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe."

This verse sums up his identity as a Jew till the end of the play.

The biblical reference to Jacob and his uncle Laban’s sheep acts as his excuse to justify his action of demanding his money back as thrift and a shrewd business practice.

Another theory of mine also borders along what Gumnaam Hai Koii said about Antonio's sadness. Not exactly the guilt of being rude to Shylock, but perhaps, it was never sadness. It was his own ego that he would’ve had to bow down in front of Shylock if he could not return the three thousand ducats. Although, it's in Scene 1 when he hadn't yet borrowed from Shylock, we could suppose it was a foreshadow of what's coming up next, like I said, a premonition. Even though, Antonio appears to be extremely confident about his ships, he is insecure about his identity and is unsure from within, as reflected in his dialogues. It was a sorrow that arose from the shame that a Christian (who is superior according to Antonio and other Christian Venetians) would have to succumb to the pressure of a Jew, a mere Jew. The shame that stems from not being able to humiliate a Jew for his faith because the fault this time, is on his part. Antonio might be ashamed of his inability due to his superiority complex that came from his religion and therefore, was totally disinterested from his surroundings. His extreme hate is visible in Scene 3 of this Act when he converses with Shylock and says that he will continue insulting his religion and call him “a dog”.

"I am as like to call thee so again, To spet on thee again, to spurn thee too."

This is the verse I refer to. The extreme hatred is blatant and glaring here.

The iconic “pound of flesh” finally makes an appearance and we move onto the next Act where the overconfident Antonio and Bassanio are in for a shock and Shylock having the last laugh.

Originally posted by: GumnaamHaiKoii

In school, we were told Antonio might be sad because of his unrequited love or maybe he’s suffering from depression. But now I wonder could his sadness come from something deeper, like guilt? He’s really cruel to Shylock, and maybe that kind of hate weighs on a person.

Scene 1.1 also shows how important his ships and wealth are but even with this amount of money, he still feels empty.

@Bold: That actually takes us to Nerissa's dialogue in Scene 2. She says, "Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer." This is said in reference to Portia's uncertainty over the choice of life partners. So yes, Antonio being superfluous, or having more money, will have an emptier life without love than Bassanio who competes for her hand in marriage.

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

Interesting because homosexuality was considered the gravest of sins in Christianity then. It was considered akin of a person possessed by Satan. To me it felt like Antonio had a premonition of something happening to his ship mid sea ( like the one which Caesar’s wife had)

Goodness! I didn't even read this post since I was framing my own analysis. And I used the same word "premonition" there! Too much of telepathy!

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

@b: my teacher used to draw references to Hitler’s prejudice towards Jews & how the religious divide existed right from the period when Shakespeare lived. In fact Jews were driven out & not allowed to practise most of the professions legally. It’s his prejudices or that of the society that Antonio is reflecting. To Christians then, Jews were cunning, manipulative, greedy.

https://holocaustcentrenorth.org.uk/blog/shylocks-shadow-shakespeares-the-merchant-of-venice-and-the-nazi-takeover-of-theatres/

True. Anti-semitism has always been a point of contention between the Jews and the Christians. Moreso because Jews were usually financially well-off and therefore, were ill-treated and there were deep-seated prejudices about them in the then Abrahamic society. Hitler also encashed onto and exacerbated these stereotypes, leading to the proliferation of propaganda and mechanised hatred against Jews in Nazi Germany. He also twisted Darwin's Theory of Evolution and his maxim of "survival of the fittest" to create a racist order in the German and European society at large.

Originally posted by: GumnaamHaiKoii

In school, we were told Antonio might be sad because of his unrequited love or maybe he’s suffering from depression. But now I wonder could his sadness come from something deeper, like guilt? He’s really cruel to Shylock, and maybe that kind of hate weighs on a person.

Scene 1.1 also shows how important his ships and wealth are but even with this amount of money, he still feels empty.

I think it was less a matter of sadness than of wounded pride—Antonio, a Christian, considered himself inherently superior to Shylock, a Jew. Yet circumstances had so decreed, forcing him into the humiliating position of borrowing money from someone he not only despised but also held in utter contempt. Antonio had to choke back words he would have freely spoken in any other circumstance, all because he was compelled to seek help from the very person he had so long scorned.

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

I think it was less a matter of sadness than of wounded pride—Antonio, a Christian, considered himself inherently superior to Shylock, a Jew. Yet circumstances had so decreed, forcing him into the humiliating position of borrowing money from someone he not only despised but also held in utter contempt. Antonio had to choke back words he would have freely spoken in any other circumstance, all because he was compelled to seek help from the very person he had so long scorned.

Now this is becoming so strange! We can't be this similar, can we? I wrote the exact same thing!

Originally posted by: ThaneOfElsinore

Act 1 Scene 1:

"And such a want-wit sadness makes of me

That I have much ado to know myself."

"Why, then you’re in love!"

"Fie, fie!"

These verses stand out to me as reasons for Antonio’s sadness. Although, while reading an abridged version of this play in school, our English teacher told us that the reason for his sadness was probably depression. I used to feel it might be due to his gut-feeling, an intuition or a premonition-like feeling hinting at the missing status of his ships and monetary losses.

But these lines in context of Antonio’s melancholy are strange enough to be present here, right at the onset of the play. Upon rereading it once before and now as well, it hints at something deeper. He has “much ado to know” himself, suggesting a different sexuality perhaps. The lines come just before Bassanio’s revelation of choosing to marry a rich heiress, deepening the argument. Antonio also denies being in love using such harsh language, almost as if in disgust. This hints to the olden times when such feelings were repressed and were seen with sheer contempt. Also, homosexuality was considered to be one of the greatest sins in Christianity.

Antonio dearly loved his ships and one of his ships is named Andrew, a male name. I'd like to quote Salerio here.

"And see my wealthy Andrew docked in sand,

Vailing her high top lower than her ribs

To kiss her burial; should I go to church

And see the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me straight of dang’rous rocks,

Which touching but my gentle vessel’s side,

Would scatter all her spices on the stream,…"

Notice how Salerio uses a female pronoun for it, as if it were Antonio’s lady love. The ships get lost in the sea. I believe this is quite suggestive of his love for his male friend, Bassanio. His love for Bassanio is lost in the sea and is missing since Bassanio has already proposed to Portia, his lady love.

"A stage where every man must play a part,

And mine a sad one."

Yes, Gumnaam Hai Koii! I have always related Antonio’s character to this one line. It perfectly encapsulates his role in the entire play. He is sad and almost a showpiece in the entire play and it is quite ironical since the play’s title is an allusion to his character. I feel some of Shakespeare’s plays have ironical titles. For example, even in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar is present only in the initial scenes of the play. Rest of it actually revolves around the noble Brutus, who I consider to be one of the most tragic characters in Shakespearean literature.

Act 1 Scene 2:

"Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer."

Nerissa’s dialogue feels like a direct punch and overshadowing of the contrast by Shakespeare between Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio, who is superfluous or has a lot of money, comes across as an old soul, always sad and perhaps, has a deeper notion about his love, which we suppose is unrequited. Bassanio who instead competed for Portia’s hand in marriage has more chance at a long-lasting love with her.

The next few lines are witty.

Portia: Good sentences, and well pronounced.

Nerissa: They would be better if well followed.

Later in the play, we know how Portia and Nerissa in disguise get to know about their fiancées’ humorous personal opinions about wives, despite always professing their love for them. This appears to be a subtle foreshadowing in that case.

Act 1 Scene 3:

This act introduces Shylock, the antagonist of the play. He is already declaring his hate for the Nazarite (Jesus and Christianity in general) and this sets the tone for the undercurrent theme of the play – Anti-Semitism.

"Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,

For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe."

This verse sums up his identity as a Jew till the end of the play.

The biblical reference to Jacob and his uncle Laban’s sheep acts as his excuse to justify his action of demanding his money back as thrift and a shrewd business practice.

Another theory of mine also borders along what Gumnaam Hai Koii said about Antonio's sadness. Not exactly the guilt of being rude to Shylock, but perhaps, it was never sadness. It was his own ego that he would’ve had to bow down in front of Shylock if he could not return the three thousand ducats. Although, it's in Scene 1 when he hadn't yet borrowed from Shylock, we could suppose it was a foreshadow of what's coming up next, like I said, a premonition. Even though, Antonio appears to be extremely confident about his ships, he is insecure about his identity and is unsure from within, as reflected in his dialogues. It was a sorrow that arose from the shame that a Christian (who is superior according to Antonio and other Christian Venetians) would have to succumb to the pressure of a Jew, a mere Jew. The shame that stems from not being able to humiliate a Jew for his faith because the fault this time, is on his part. Antonio might be ashamed of his inability due to his superiority complex that came from his religion and therefore, was totally disinterested from his surroundings. His extreme hate is visible in Scene 3 of this Act when he converses with Shylock and says that he will continue insulting his religion and call him “a dog”.

"I am as like to call thee so again, To spet on thee again, to spurn thee too."

This is the verse I refer to. The extreme hatred is blatant and glaring here.

The iconic “pound of flesh” finally makes an appearance and we move onto the next Act where the overconfident Antonio and Bassanio are in for a shock and Shylock having the last laugh.

This is why I like buddy reading! Different people share different perspectives and make the whole experience really interesting. Your analysis of the scenes are very good!

Bold@ It's a very interesting perspective. I didn't think about the pronouns in that way. However, I know very well that some critics suggested Antonio's romantic feelings for Bassanio.

Red@ Yes, yes, I also thought about it. Antonio speaks about love with so much disgust as if it's a sinful act.