What's Shakespeare trying to convey to us, the audience, here? How does he do that?
Through this short excerpt from the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare is trying to display the character traits and personalities of both Bassanio and Antonio as well as presenting their values. Bassanio, for example, is portrayed as someone who only cares about a rich woman named Portia. He depicts her as “a lady richly left” (I.i.168) and as someone who is really beautiful. By briefly describing Portia, Shakespeare shows that Bassanio is interested in Portia and he wants to win her over. In line 180, Bassanio asks Antonio once again for money showing that he isn’t financially responsible and has not paid Antonio back for his previous escapades. Bassanio uses a delicate tone in order to ask Antonio for money in a way that it is hard for him to say no. Through lines 184-185, “thou know’st that all my fortunes are at sea; neither have I money or commodity” Shakespeare demonstrates that Antonio’s money is all tied up in his businesses and is waiting for his ships to arrive before he has any physical money, however, he is known as very reliable so he has “credit” around Venice. Shakespeare accurately shows that Antonio is similar to a father-figure while Bassanio is portrayed as a child.
What's not being said here? (Subtext)
In this introduction, the subtext is that Antonio is implying all of his money is out at sea on his boats that are carrying imports. This shows that Antonio is still waiting for his ships to return and believes that they will call come in safely. Antonio also lets Bassanio know indirectly that he should not be embarrassed about wanting to borrow money from him. Antonio and Bassanio are good friends and he can be trusted with Antonio’s hard earned money.
Are there any puns or phrases with multiple meanings? Why are they there?
When Bassanio compares Portia “to Cato’s daughter” (I.i.173), Shakespeare intended for this phrase to have a double meaning saying Portia is not only rich but also very famous. Bassanio states that Portia has golden locks that can be compared to the Golden Fleece which characterizes her as the Disney character, Rapunzel, as well as her hair to the quest of Jason and the Golden Fleece. The phrase, “Which makes her seat of Belmont Colcho’s strand, And many Jasons come in quest of her” (I.i.178-179) also has a double meaning that while there are many people on the quest to win Portia, Bassanio will be one of them and will hopefully have the same fate and luck Jason did. These phrases with multiple meanings are here in order to help compare ancient Greek mythology stories to the present in the Merchant of Venice.
What can we infer about Bassanio, Antonio, and Portia from these lines?
From this introduction, we can conclude
that Bassanio and Antonio are good friends and trust each other with money. Bassanio
seems irresponsible and young while Antonio seems very trustworthy and
responsible with his life choices and finances. We do know that Portia is
beautiful with golden locks, wealthy, and very famous. We also know that she
has many suitors hoping to get a taste of her fortune however, Bassanio also
speaks about her great personality as he has already had an encounter with her.
What's the overall mood and tone of this scene? How does Shakespeare create it?
Shakespeare sets an overall friendly and calm mood in the story as Bassanio and Antonio are just having a conversation. Antonio seems hopeful that his friend Bassanio gets Portia and wishes him good luck on the journey even though he cannot physically give him money. The tone of the passage is insistent because Bassanio is determined to win over Portia and Antonio acts supportive of him. Shakespeare creates this tone and mood through the friendly language that clearly implies trust between the two friends.
Look back over at what you've written so far, and not anything you've talked about that wasn't explicitly stated in the test itself. How did you know or infer that from what was said or written?
From this piece of literature, I can infer
that while Bassanio is currently not financially able to make the trip over to
win Portia, he is confident that once he gets the funds, that he will be her
husband as well as able to pay back Antonio for all of the money he loaned him.
“I have a mind presages me such thrift, That I should questionless be
fortunate!” (I.i.182-183) shows that he believes he has the best chance of all
the suitors that have come to her so far.
What are some major images or metaphors here?
Major images and metaphors include Portia’s golden hair. Bassanio compared Portia's hair to the quest of Jason to find the Golden Fleece. Antonio’s friend also paints a clear image of Portia for the reader by describing her beauty, fame, and wealth to Cato’s daughter. He also describes her sweet personality to make her seem appealing and intriguing to the audience, wanting to find out what she is actually like when Bassanio meets her in person.
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