1. Read the following extract given below and answer the questions that follow : Antonio: In sooth, | know not why Iam so sad: It wearies me; you say it wearies you; But how I caught it, found it, or came by it, What stuff tis made of, where of it is born, Tam to learn; And such a want-wit sadness makes of me, That I have much ado to know myself. What are his friends trying to do? (#) How many of Antonio’s friends are in conversation with him in this scene? Name them. What is their reply? \ (iii) What light does the opening scene throw on the dangers that sea business can face? (iv) Who joins Antonio soon after? Why ? (v) What is Antonio’s reply to his friends? 2 Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow : Bassanio : In Belmontis a lady richly left; And she is fair, and-fairer than that word Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her eyes I did receive fair speechless messages. Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued To Cato’ daughter, Brutus’ Portia. Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth, For the four winds blow in from every coast Renowned suitors, and her sunny locks Hang on her temples like a golden fleece; Which makes her seat of Belmont Colchos’ strand, And many Jasons come in quest of her. Oh my Antonio, had I but the means To hold a rival place with one of them, I have a mind presages me such thrift, That I should questionless be fortunate! (i) Who lives in Belmont? What made Bassanio interested in her? (ii) What does Bassanio tell Antonio about Portia? (iii) How does Bassanio describe Portia? (iv) Why do you think Bassanio tells Antonio about Portia? Does he succeed in his plan? (v) Briefly explain reference to “many Jasons”.3. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: Antonio : Believe me, no. I thank my fortune for it- My ventures are not in one bottom trusted, Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate Upon the fortune of this present year. Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad. Salarino : Why then, you are in love. Antonio: Fie, fie! Salarino : Not in love neither? Then let us say you are sad, Because you are not merry-and ‘twere as easy For you to laugh and leap and say you are merry Because you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus, Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time. Some that will evermore peep through their eyes And laugh like parrots at a bagpiper, (i) Who are Salanio and Salarino? What are they worried about? (ii) How does Antonio refute Salanio’s reason for his sadness? Is his claim true? (iii) What are Salarino’s claims regards Antonio's melancholy? How does Antonio Teact to it? (iv) Explain the referene to the two headed, Janus as mentioned in the given lines, (v) What do you think of Antonio’s melancholy? Give reason for your answer, uy - Read the following extract and answer the questions that. ‘follow : Bassanio : In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight The self-same way with more advised watch, To find the other forth, and by adventuring both J oft found both : I urge this childhood proof, Because what follows is pure innocence. I owe you much, and, like a wilful youth, That which I owe is lost; but if you please To shoot another arrow that self way Which you did shoot the first, I do not doubt, As I will watch the aim, or to find both Or bring your latter hazard back again And thankfully rest debtor for the first. (i) What does Antonio ask from Bassanio? Does Bassanio answer his question? ) What kind of friend is Antonio? (ii) What is the sport of arrow? Why is it referred to? (iv) What does Bassanio tell Antonio about his new plan? (v) What kind of a person does Bassanio come out to be from the above passage? Is this view right? If not, then why do you think so?Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Bassanio : To you, Antonio, T owe the most, in money and in love; And from your love I have a warranty To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe. Antonio: I pray you good Bassanio, let met know it; (i) Describe Antonio's mood at the beginning of this scene. State any two reasons that Antonio's friends, who were present, gave to explain his mood. (ii) What promise did Antonio make to Bassanio immediately after this conversation? (iii) What did Bassanio say to Antonio about ‘a lady richly left’ in Belmont? (iv) Why was Antonio unable to lend Bassanio the money that he needed? How did he propose to help his friend? (v) What does the above extract reveal of the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio? Mention one way in which this relationship was put to the test later in the Play _ANSWERS1. Antonio and his friends are in the street of Venice. ‘antonio seems to be in a sad mood. He is depressed and melancholic for he does not know the reason of his mood and thus becomes a dull man. So, his friends are trying to reason Antonio’s melancholy and are unsuccessful in their justification for the same. (ii) Antonio is in conversation with two of his friends, Salarino and Salanio. Salarino replies by saying that Antonio is feeling sad because his mind is focused on the sea where his merchant ships are sailing and he is waiting for them to arrive. Salanio say that if he had business ventures abroad, then he would also be worried about their safety. He would be always studying maps to learn about sea ports and roads: and how to take care of his business venture all the while. (iii) The opening scene enlightens us on some possible dangers which merchant ships may face at sea such as strong winds or storm, sand banks, pirates or sea robbers and dangerous rocks and icebergs. The opening scene Prepares us for the future when, Antonio’s ships do not arrive on time. This gives Shylock the Opportunity to get his revenge on Antonio. (iv) Soon after the conversation between Antonio and his friends, Bassanio joins Antonio to confide in him, his plans regarding his marriage with the girl he had fallen in love with. He further requests him to loan him some money so that he could go to Belmont to pursue Portia. (v) Antonio says that his business venture does not depress him as he is financially sound and strong. He has not based his fortune on one ship only nor on any single location. He is certain that his ships, laden with merchandise, will soon arrive and bestow him with immense wealth. Consequently, he is of the opinion that his business dealing is not the reason for his melancholic disposition.1-(i) A very beautiful and rich lad ia lives i Belmont. ly named Portia lives in Bassanio had got interested in her as he has received many silent and beautiful Messages of love from her. He feels that she is in love with him and therefore wants to pursue her. (i) Bassanio informs Antonio that Portia’s reputation as a rich, beautiful and a wonderful lady has spread far and wide. As a result, a number of eligible bachelors are coming to Belmont to try their luck at the lottery of caskets to win her as their wife. He tells him that he also wants to try his luck to marry Portia. (iii) Bassanio describes Portia as a rich and a beautiful lady in Belmont. She has wonderous virtues and qualities of head and heart. According to him, Portia of Belmont is no less than the well known Portia, the daughter of the Roman Senator Cato and the wife of the very famous Brutus. (iv) Bassanio tells about Portia to Antonio so that he can get three thousand ducats from him. He wants to get the san to go to Belmont in style to win Portia. Bassanio succeeds in his plan by choosing the right casket at the lottery of caskets and gets married to Portia. (v) Jason, as referred by Bassanio, was one of the greek heroes who crossed many dangers in search of the golden fleece. He put his life at risk to look for the golden fleece. Such a reference is used by Bassanio to point out that many courageous and brave people like Jason are coming from different parts of the world, risking everything of their to get/win Portia who is as rare and precious as the golden fleece.3. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Salanio and Salarino are Antonio’s friends. They find Antonio to be inexplicably sad. They are worried about Antonio for they find Antonio to be always sad. They try to guess the reason behind his sadness and find different reasons. For Salanio. Antonio feels sad as he is worried about his ships while Salarino thinks he is sad because he is in love. Antonio denies that he is worried about his ships as he claims that he has more than one ship that goes to many different parts of the world. His claims come out to be false later as when it is reported that his ships are wrecked, he goes bankrupt. Salarino in his attempts to reason Antonio’s sadness claims that Antonio might be sad because he is in love. These claims are denied by Antonio who wonders how he came up with such an absurd reason. His reaction to the suggestion shows him to be a practical and unromantic kind of a person. Salarino refers to the two headed Roman God, Janus, only to point out that there are two kinds of people in this world the serious and the non-serious. By such a reference, he suggests that Antonio belongs to the serious category. Antonio’s melancholy sets the keynote of the play. It comes out as baffling but an innate characteristic of Antonio’s character. His melancholy comes out as omnious and prepares us for the future troubles that the characters might face. Thus, this melancholy has a dramatic quality which sets the tone of the play wherein we get to know that Antonio is being tried in the court for not paying back the loan to the cunning Shylock within a given period. So he has to pay him by a pound of flesh from his body. Therefore, Antonio’s melancholy is carried out till the end of the play to finally bring a happy resolution.4 (i) Antonio has learnt that Bassanio is taking a journey (if (iit (iv (v ) ) ) for the sake of a lady and desires to know who the lady is. Instead of answering Antonio’s questions, Bassanio points out his ways of squandering money to maintain his lordly lifestyle. He states that he owes Antonio a lot of money which he took as loans in the past and declarers that he hopes to pay them all soon. Antonio is a selfless friend and a generous person. Despite the fact that Bassanio had not cleared his debts, Antonio is supportive of his plans and is ready to help him with his money, body and all that he has. Bassanio refers to his childhood sport of arrows in which he would find his lost arrow by shooting another in the direction of the lost one. He refers to this game to tell Antonio, that if he takes another loan from Antonio, then he would be able to get much more money by his new plan such that he would be able to pay his old as well as the new loan. Bassanio informs Antonio about his new plan. He tells him that, with the new loan, he would present himself as a suitable suitor to a beautiful rich lady of Belmont named Portia. He further tells him that various suitors from different lands will come to win her hand. Bassanio comes out be a careless and an extravagant man. He appears to be selfish in his plan to marry a tich lady with the hopes of becoming rich himself. This view of Bassanio’s character however, slowly fades away as the play advances. His qualities as a sincere friend and a devoted husband comes to the fore. He not only chooses the right casket allowing him to marry Portia but also leaves to help his dearest friend Antonio who he is in trouble, and Bassanio can help with money.Ss (at the beginning of this scene, Antonio is in a sad mood, but is unable to find a reason for his sadness. Antonio’s friends Salarino and Salanio suggest the reason as Antonio being worried about the safety of his merchant ships, which are at the mercy of the oceans. Gratiano, another of Antonio’s friends, suggests that the reason is that Antonio attaches a lot of importance to the opinion of the world about himself or that he wants to appear as a wise man. (ii) Immediately after this conversation, Antonio promises Bassanio that he is willing to stand as guarantor for any loan to be taken by Bassanio from any other person. (iii) Bassanio told Antonio that there was a young lady in Belmont who had inherited a huge amount of money from her dead father. She was beautiful and a good person. Bassanio was much impressed with her golden hair. He felt that she liked him, as sometimes the expression on her face when she saw him expressed this. He told Antonio that her name was Portia. Famous and important men had come from all over the world to try and marry her. He knew that if he had enough money, he could win her hand in marriage. (iv) Antonio was unable to lend Bassanio the money that he needed because, at that time, all his fortunes were tied up at sea with his merchant ships having gone out to trade his goods. Antonio proposed to help Bassanio by standing as guarantor for any loan to be taken by Bassanio from any other person. (v) The above extract reveals that the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio is one of best friends, in which Antonio is willing to go to any lengths to help Bassanio. Later in the play, this relationship is tested by Antonio's willingness to die for his friend Bassanio when Antonio’s ships do not return in time for repaying the loan and Shylock demands his ‘pound of flesh’.