Merchant of Venice

Study Guide Answers

Act I, Scene I - Venice

Vocabulary
ague – a fever and shaking caused by an illness; a fi t
argosies – large merchant ships
gaged – pledged; bound to
gear – an affair, event
gudgeon – an easily caught fi sh
portly – fi lled; fat
presages – foretells
signiors – rich, powerful men; a term of respect

1. Antonio, the merchant of the title, is sad but tells us he does not know why. What two
reasons do his friends offer for Antonio’s sadness, and what is his response?
One says Antonio must be worried about his merchandise on the seas and the money he has tied
up in it. The other says he must be in love. Antonio rejects both of those reasons.

2. Upon the entrance of Bassinio and his companions, the friendship motif is raised in a
backhanded fashion by Solanio and Salerio. What is the main point of their comments?
They will leave Antonio because an even closer friend of his approaches.

3. In Antonio’s comment about the world being a stage, how does he explain his sadness?
On the stage, Antonio’s role is to play the part of a sad person.

4. A major theme, the relationship between money and love, is first raised by Bassanio
in the line which begins, “I owe the most, in money and in love…” What is Bassanio’s
point in this comment?
Bassanio, who has wasted his own money, owes money to many people, but he owes the most
money to his friend Antonio. Antonio has given money to Bassanio freely and generously
because of his love for Bassanio. Bassanio makes it clear that he is indebted to Antonio, both in
the way of money and in the way of love (friendship).

5. What is Bassanio’s plan for getting money to pay off his debts? What is Antonio’s
response?
Bassanio wants to borrow more money from Antonio, so he can win the hand of Portia, a rich
heiress he loves. Antonio responds that he has no immediately available assets, but Bassanio can
borrow money and use Antonio for his credit.

Act I, Scene II - Belmont

Vocabulary
appropriation – an assumption
ere – before
rhenish – a type of German wine
superfl uity – excessiveness; having too much
surfeit – overindulgence
vilely – detestably, disgustingly, horridly

1. Nerissa’s idea of happiness is similar to that of the ancient Greeks. According to Nerissa,
where does happiness lie?
Happiness is found in the mean, that is, practicing moderation in all things and avoiding
excesses and extremes.

2. What is the meaning of Portia’s comment about the brain devising laws for the blood?
While reason can tell us what we should do, emotion and temperament sometimes override
reason.

3. Why can Portia not choose her own husband?

Portia is bound by her dead father’s wishes.

4. In her assessment of suitors, what qualities of mind and spirit does Portia show?
Portia is bright and witty, but not mean spirited. In her resolve to follow her father’s wishes, she
shows herself to be dutiful.

5. Near the end of the scene, Nerissa tells us that the suitors have decided to return home without
choosing a casket. Why?
While choosing the correct casket would win Portia’s hand, choosing the wrong casket would
carry a price.

6. Which former visitor to her father’s palace does Portia remember as a praiseworthy,
prospective suitor? What does her comment, “I remember him well, and I remember
him worthy of thy praise,” foreshadow?
Portia is speaking of Bassanio, so perhaps the smiles Bassanio thinks Portia had bestowed on
him do mean something. Portia’s favorable reception of Bassanio is foreshadowed by the
comment.

Act I, Scene III - Venice

Vocabulary
eanlings – lambs, kids
fulsome – lustful
imputation – negative charges, incriminations
publican – a tax collector
squandered – scattered

1. Is Shylock’s refusal to have dinner with Antonio and Bassanio based on religious or
societal grounds?
While Shylock bases his refusal on religious grounds (Jews are prohibited from eating pork),
most people would feel hurt by someone refusing to share the social bonding that is associated
with sharing food, and Shylock certainly knows this. It appears that Shylock desires to offend the
Christians.

2. In the aside that follows, what do we learn of Shylock’s real feelings toward Antonio?
For what three reasons does he feel this way?

Shylock hates Antonio:

• because Antonio is a Christian,
• because Antonio undercuts Shylock’s business by lending money without charging interest,
• and Shylock says that Antonio hates “our sacred nation, and he rails on me.”

3. When Shylock makes the following comments, what is his meaning?

“If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.”
If he can get an advantage on Antonio, Shylock is going to get revenge. This is a metaphor for
Shylock and Antonio wrestling, in which Shylock hopes to throw Antonio over his hip to win the
match.

4. What is Antonio’s meaning in the following passage?

“Shylock, albeit I neither lend nor borrow By taking nor by giving of excess…”
Why is Antonio’s position on lending money different from that of Shylock?
Antonio never lends nor borrows money where interest is involved. His position is that of the
typical Elizabethan who feels lending money for interest is immoral, and no Christian should
ever involve himself in such as act. Shylock, on the other hand, sees money-lending as a
business, and he sees nothing immoral in the charging of interest.

5. As Antonio presses for Shylock’s answer, Shylock reveals what he considers are some insults
he has received from the hand of Antonio. What are they?

Often, Antonio has railed against Shylock for lending out money for interest. Antonio has also
called Shylock names and has even spit on his beard and coat.

6. What is Antonio’s response to Shylock?

Antonio says he is likely to do those things to Shylock again. The proposed transaction, he says,
has nothing to do with friendship, only money.
7. How can we account for Antonio’s generosity concerning Bassanio, but his discourteous
behavior toward Shylock?
While we can say Antonio merely refl ects the anti-Semitic feelings of his time, he does seem
unnecessarily vehement and meanspirited. However, Antonio is a complex character. He loves
his friend Bassanio and is always generous concerning his friends. On the other hand, he hates
Shylock for several previously mentioned reasons, including Shylock’s money-lending practices.
Antonio must play the part not only of Bassanio’s generous friend but also of Shylock’s hateful
enemy. Therefore, he must embody complicated character traits.

8. Shylock rejects Antonio’s notion that he views Antonio as an enemy. Shylock says he
will lend the money out of friendship, without charging any interest. What bond does
Shylock propose that Antonio fulfill if the loan is not paid in ninety days? In what spirit
does he claim he makes this proposal?
If the loan is not repaid on time, Shylock suggests that Antonio forfeit a pound of fl esh.
Shylock seems to give the impression that he is not completely serious about collecting a pound
of flesh, calling the deal “merry sport.’

9. What is Antonio’s reaction? Bassanio’s reaction?

Antonio agrees to it, assuring himself and Bassanio that he will have the money to pay back the
loan well before it is due. Bassinio, on the other hand, objects. He is afraid the bond is a
dangerous one, and that Shylock has a “villain’s mind.”

10. What does Shylock say in response to Bassanio’s objection to the bond?
Shylock claims that a pound of fl esh is of no value to him and that Bassanio wrongs him if he
supposes that he would ever try to collect on this. The audience, of course, knows this is a lie.

11. Why is the following line an example of an ellipsis?

“My ships come home a month before the day.”
Some information seems to be missing, yet the reader can supply the missing information by
noting the context of the line. The line can be understood as: “My ships come home a month
before the day [that this note will come due].”

Act II, Scene I - Belmont

Vocabulary
livery – a uniform, clothing
valiant – brave
1. Of what condition does Portia inform the Prince of Morocco, and what is his response?
Portia informs him that if he chooses to take his chances of winning her and picks the wrong
casket, then he must promise to leave immediately and never to marry.

Act II, Scene II - Venice

Vocabulary
allay – to relieve
cater-cousins – not great friends
cudgel – a club
demurely – shyly
ergo – therefore
frutify – certify
sand-blind – dim-sighted
sonties – saints

1. By what decision is Launcelot Gobbo torn? Which way is his conscience pulling him?
Launcelot is thinking about leaving the employ of Shylock. His conscience tells him he should
remain true to his contract with Shylock, but, in his heart, he wishes to leave.

2. Usually servants and other lower-class people are comic figures in a Shakespearean play.
Their language is always in prose, not verse; frequently they muddle their words and engage in
word play and puns. Does Launcelot Gobbo seem to fit this picture?

Opinions may vary, but most students will agree that the conversation between Launcelot and
his father is meant to be a comic scene filled with misused language and puns.

3. As father and son speak to Bassanio, Bassanio becomes exasperated. What makes this scene
comic?
Launcelot and his father both speak at once, interrupting each other, and neither gets to the
point.

4. What are some malaprops you note in Old Gobbo’s comments?

Gobbo uses “infection” for “affection” and “defect” for “effect” and “impertinent” for
“important.”

5. When Gratiano asks Bassanio if he may accompany him to Belmont, what is Bassanio’s
response?
Bassanio tells Gratiano that he may go with him, but Gratiano needs to tone down his wild and
noisy behavior.

Act II, Scene III - Shylock’s house, Venice

Vocabulary
(No Vocabulary)
1. A frequent subplot in comedies has is that of lovers who defy a parent and elope. What further
twist to this subplot is there in Jessica’s proposed elopement?
Jessica, who is ashamed of her father’s blood, will not only elope but will also desert her
father’s religion by converting to Christianity.

2. In this regard, contrast Portia and Jessica. Why do you suppose Shakespeare’s audience
would not have thought less of Jessica?
Portia is viewed as a commendable person because she is a dutiful daughter who follows her
dead father’s wishes. Jessica, although she defies her father, is not condemned, and this may be
due for two reasons:
• The anti-Semitic feelings of the Elizabethan audience would help to condone Jessica’s
denouncing of her Jewish faith.
• Jessica’s defi ance of her father and her conversion to Christianity are inspired by her love for
Lorenzo.
Shakespeare’s audience would not have viewed Jessica’s actions as ignoble.

Act II, Scene IV - Venice

Vocabulary
(No Vocabulary)

1. The conversation at the opening of this scene seems to make little sense until we learn that the
young men are preparing for a masque. What is a masque, and what do they need a torchbearer
for?
A masque is a party in which everyone attends wearing a costume. The conversation suggests
that a torchbearer will complete the costumed scene they intend to present on their arrival.

2. What further action do we learn Jessica plans to take when she leaves her father’s house?
What is Lorenzo’s reaction to this news?
Jessica plans to steal Shylock’s gold and jewels when she leaves. Lorenzo is pleased and says if
Shylock gets to heaven it will be thanks to Jessica. This comment appears to again reflect the
anti-Semitic attitude of the Elizabethan society.

3. In what two senses may we take Lorenzo’s comment that tonight Jessica will be his
torchbearer?
Literally, Jessica will dress as a torchbearer for a part in a masque, but symbolically, she will
also lead the way to their future together.

Act II, Scene V - Shylock’s house, Venice

Vocabulary
fife – a type of flute
foppery – silliness
gormandise – to eat greedily
masque – a masquerade, costume party
prodigal – extremely wasteful

1. Who is “the prodigal Christian,” and why does Shylock accept a dinner invitation that
he has previously declined?
Bassanio is the “prodigal Christian” because he is wasting the money that he has just
borrowed. Shylock is going to his house to enjoy watching him waste the money for which
Antonio has pledged a pound of his fl esh.

2. What sense of foreboding does Shylock have about leaving the house?
Shylock feels that there is some problem brewing that could adversely affect his money.

3. What final instructions does Shylock give Jessica? How do these comments seem to aid in
justifying Jessica’s behavior and decision?
Shylock tells Jessica to lock up the house tightly and to shut out even the music and joyful sounds
from the street. Living with Shylock must be a restrictive life, so this aids in justifying Jessica’s
decisions and behavior.

4. What message does Launcelot pass to Jessica?

Launcelot tells Jessica that the elopement between her and Lorenzo is planned for that
evening.

Act II, Scene VI - Shylock’s house, Venice

Vocabulary
abode – a delay
scarfed – decorated with
untread – retrace

1. From the window, Jessica throws the casket to Lorenzo; it contains Shylock’s wealth. As she
does, she says that she is glad it is night because she is ashamed of her exchange:
“But love is blind and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit…”
What becomes clear only in the last line of that speech? To what exchange is she
referring?
For the evening’s getaway, Jessica has dressed as a boy. It is this folly to which she refers, and
the “exchange’ to which she refers is her altered appearance.

Act II, Scene VII – Belmont

Vocabulary
cerecloth – a cloth used in embalming
immured – imprisoned

1. The Prince chooses the gold casket. What is the message he receives?
The scroll tells him “all that glitters is not gold,” meaning that appearances can be deceiving.
Act II, Scene VIII - Venice
Vocabulary
amorous – devoted
miscarried – failed; wrecked

1. Why do Shylock and the Duke, the chief legal official, go to search Bassanio’s ship?
Shylock suspects that his runaway daughter is on the ship.

2. Shylock’s reaction to his daughter’s elopement is probably a comical scene for the
Elizabethans. How does he behave?
Shylock runs around screaming about his lost “ducats” (money and jewels) and his lost
daughter, apparently giving equal weight to both losses.

3. What ominous comment does Solanio make about this development and how it will
affect Antonio?
Solanio states that Antonio needs to keep the due date on the loan or else Shylock will make him
pay with the pound of fl esh.

4. In this regard, what news has Salerio heard that worries him? Why?
Salerio has heard that a Venetian ship has sunk, and he hopes it is not Antonio’s or else
Antonio will have a hard time repaying the loan.

5. How is the bond of friendship, love, and money further developed in this scene?
Bassanio has said that he will hurry back from Belmont, so he can repay Antonio, and
Antonio tells him not to rush but to concern himself with the courtship of Portia.

Act II, Scene IX - Belmont

Vocabulary
alighted – dismounted
anon – immediately
chaff – straw
commends – compliments
courteous breath – fl attery
injunctions – commands, directions
martlet – a type of bird
merit – excellence
new-varnish’d – glossed over
pries – investigates
solemnized – performed
1. We finally learn all three conditions that a suitor agrees to when he makes a choice of
caskets. What are these three conditions?
The three conditions are as follows:
• In making the wrong choice, a suitor will never reveal what his choice was.
• He will never marry anyone else.
• He will leave Portia’s house immediately.

2. What is Arragon’s choice? What does he find in the casket, and how does he seem to
respond?
Arragon chooses the silver casket and finds the picture of a fool. At first, he is taken aback,
believing himself undeserving of such an insult. Upon further reflection, however, he recognizes
himself as the fool, stating he came with one fool’s head and now leaves with two.

3. What news does the servant girl bring, and what is Portia’s witty response?
The servant highly praises the new suitor who is on his way, and Portia jokingly says,
“I am half afeard
Thou wilt say anon he is some kin to thee.”

Act III, Scene I - Venice

Vocabulary
aloof – apart, away from
amity – friendships, relationships
deliverance – a rescue
entreat – to beg
fl edged – left the nest
magnifi coes – noblemen
monarch – a king, ruler
oration – a speech
plies – offers
ratifi ed – approved
surfeit – overindulgence
trebled – tripled
1. At the beginning of this scene, what is foremost in Shylock’s mind?
Shylock is concerned about his daughter’s flight.

2. What does Salerio mean when he says of Jessica:

“That’s certain [she will be damned] if the devil may be her judge.”
Salerio believes that God would not damn Jessica for her actions, which suggests that he views
Jessica and Lorenzo as honorable. Only the devil would damn someone for acting honorably.

3. In response to Salerio’s comment about Antonio’s bond of a pound of fl esh, Shylock

makes one of the most famous speeches in this play. What is the main point of this
speech, and what is your reaction to it?
Shylock, and all Jews, share a common humanity with Christians. Like Christians, Jews are
touched by the same things. Violence against a person because of race or religion can only
happen only when people fail to recognize any common humanity between people. Answers will
vary.

4. How justified do you think Shylock is for wishing to seek his “pound of flesh”?
Opinions will vary.

5. Tubal tells Shylock of a second ship lost by Antonio and of Jessica’s extravagant
spending almost in the same breath. For what reason do you suppose Shakespeare
presents these two items in this mixed fashion?
The presentation serves to heighten Shylock’s burning desire for revenge, which increases at
each mention of his daughter’s perfidy, something that he blames in part on Antonio and other
Christians.

Act III, Scene II - Belmont

Vocabulary
naughty – worthless, bad
prove – ascertain; find it so

1. Why does Portia not want Bassanio to rush into making a choice?
Portia wants to spend time with Bassanio; if he chooses quickly and loses, he will have to leave
right away.

2. While Bassanio ponders over the three caskets, he makes a speech. State the main point of the
speech and Bassanio’s action at the conclusion of the speech.
The point of Bassanio’s speech is that outward beauty says nothing about what is beneath and,
in fact, outward beauty can be a snare that entraps. He concludes by choosing the lead casket.
3. As he addresses the casket, Bassanio says,
“…thou meager lead,
Which rather threat’nest than dost promise aught,
Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence…”
To what is he referring?
The inscription on the lead casket about risking all could be a threat. In addition, the lead casket
is plainer than the silver or gold casket. However, Bassanio is intrigued by what may be inside
this plain casket, rather than by its outward appearance.

4. Upon opening the casket, Bassanio is overjoyed at seeing the picture and reading the
scroll, yet he is anxious. Why?
Bassanio thinks he has won Portia, but he needs to have her confirm this before he will
rejoice.

5. With her response, some critics believe that Portia emphasizes the motif of “love as a
form of money.” What could be pointed out in this respect?
In addition to mentioning her wealth and wishing it were even greater so that she would have
more to give Bassanio, she speaks of herself in the terms an accountant might use: “to stand
high in your account… exceed account…full sum of me,” etc.

6. What is the significance of the ring that Portia gives to Bassanio?

Portia sees the ring as representing all of herself and all of her wealth. We sense some
foreshadowing when she warns Bassanio that he must never “part from, lose, or give away” the
ring.

7. What information do Gratiano and Nerissa give to Portia and Bassanio?

Nerissa and Gratiano announce that that they, too, will be getting married as a result of
Bassanio’s correct choice. Shakespeare’s plays frequently contain multiple marriages.

8. Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio enter. What news does Salerio bring?
Antonio has not met the conditions of the bond, and Shylock is insisting on receiving the
pound of flesh.

9. What is Portia’s response to this news?

Portia says that Bassanio should offer Shylock twice or twenty times the 3000 ducats
Antonio owes to get Shylock to erase the debt.

10. What is Antonio’s one request of Bassanio?

Antonio requests that Bassanio come to Venice to say goodbye to him before Antonio is to die.

Act III, Scene III - Venice

Vocabulary
gaoler – a jail keeper
intercessors – mediators
relent – to weaken

1. Shylock, repeating several times that he will have his bond, appears intent on getting
revenge on Antonio. Given his strong feelings, do you think he will settle for twenty
times the amount of the debt?
It seems hard to believe that a man who is as greedy as Shylock is pictured to be would not
accept twenty times the amount. However, it must be remembered that Shylock vehemently hates
Antonio for several reasons mentioned previously. To Shylock, this bond represents more than
just money. It is a means for him to wield power over his enemy and to exact revenge for
Antonio’s mistreatment of him. It seems that Shylock will never give in, no matter how much
money is offered.

2. Explain Antonio’s point in the passage that begins, “The Duke cannot deny the course of
law…”
Antonio’s point is that the Duke has to abide by the contract, or Venice will lose its reputation as
a city that honors contracts. It is Venice’s reputation that has brought it wealth and power, and
this reputation is not something the city can afford to lose.

Act III, Scene IV - Belmont

Vocabulary
accoutred – dressed
frays – fi ghts, battles
lewd – dirty (sexual connotation)
lineaments – physical features
semblance – a representation; duplicate

1. After commending the care of her house to Jessica and Lorenzo and telling them that
she plans to seclude herself and Nerissa in the country to await their husbands’ return,
what does Portia tell her servant?
Portia tells Balthasar, her servant, to deliver a letter to her cousin, Doctor Bellario.

Act III, Scene V - Belmont

Vocabulary
(No Vocabulary)

1. This scene does not seem to advance any of the plots. What is its apparent purpose?
This scene is a comic relief interlude. Launcelot, playing the typical fool, teases Jessica and
engages in word play with Lorenzo.
Act IV, Scene I - Venice
Vocabulary
abject – wretched
acquitted – found innocent, not guilty
adversary – an enemy
attribute – a characteristic
carrion – dead
charter – a legal document
coffer – the treasury
commiseration – pity
contrive – to conspire
epitaph – the writing on a tombstone
exposition – an explanation
fretten – to agitate
gallows – a structure built and used for hanging criminals
impediment – an obstacle
inexecrable – unwavering; relentless
manifest – evident
mercenary – motivated by material gain, monetary
obdurate – infl exible
penance – misery
perjury – a false testimony (usually deliberate)
pillar – an individual with a highly responsible or authoritative occupation (the judge)
precedent – __________a decision made by a judge that may be used in similar cases
privy – a legal term in which one of the parties has an interest in the same case
recant – to withdraw
reverend – worthy of adoration
sceptre – a ruling authority
scruple – a reservation, qualm
temporal – earthly
tenor – the precise wording of a legal document
trifl e – something of little value

1. What do the Duke and the others expect of Shylock?

Everyone in the courtroom seems to expect that at the last minute Shylock will relent and, in a
show of mercy, give up his demand for the pound of flesh.

2. What reason does Shylock give for not showing mercy to Antonio?
Shylock says he has no reason, other than an abiding hatred of Antonio.

3. What is the point Shylock makes about the Venetian slaves?

While the Duke and others beg Shylock to show mercy to Antonio, they are all slave owners, who
show no mercy to their slaves. They would, he says, point out to him that, by law, the slaves are
theirs to do with as they please. In the same way, he will hold Antonio to the law. Shylock is
pointing out how selective Venetian mercy is.
4. Why has the Duke sent to Padua for an opinion, and what answer does he receive?
The Duke asks Dr. Bellario, a learned judge in Padua, for his legal opinion. Bellario responds
by sending a young colleague with his answer.

5. What is the main point of Portia’s comments in her “quality of mercy” speech?
Portia eloquently explains that, though justice is on Shylock’s side, he should show mercy. She
adds that nobody would be saved if we were all shown only justice.

6. Why does Portia say she cannot, as Bassanio suggests, “do a great right [by doing] a
little wrong”?
Portia says she cannot set a precedent in the law or else many errors would follow from that
first bad example.

7. Shylock rejoices by saying of Portia, “a Daniel! O wise young judge.” This is an allusion to
the biblical story of Daniel and Susanna; how can this statement be ironic?
Susanna was a woman who was charged indecency by two men. They brought charges against
her out of malice. The young Daniel, saves Susanna’s life by proving the charges untrue.
Portia’s referencing that case does not seem to bode well for Shylock.

8. After Shylock once again demands justice, the court prepares the knife and the scales.
What comment does Bassanio make that Portia hears? What does Portia say?
Bassanio states that he will give up anything, even his wife, if that will save Antonio. Portia says
that it is a good thing his wife cannot hear him say that.

9. As Shylock prepares to get his pound of flesh, what condition does Portia put on him?
Portia states that Shylock must not shed one drop of Antonio’s blood while obtaining the
pound of flesh.

10. How does Portia defend this decision?

Portia says that Shylock is going by the letter of the law and the letter of the contract, and so is
she. There is certainly nothing in the contract that allows Shylock to shed Antonio’s blood.

11. What does Portia mean by this line?

“Soft—
The Jew shall have all justice;…
He shall have nothing but the penalty.”
Portia says that Shylock cannot now accept three times the 3000 ducats he had once been
offered. All he is entitled to receive by law is the pound of flesh, and he gets that or nothing.

12. As Shylock prepares to leave court with nothing, Portia stops him. Why does she say that
Shylock must beg mercy from the Duke?
In seeking to deprive Antonio, a Venetian citizen, of his life, Shylock, as an alien, has broken the
law.

13. What prompts Shylock to say,

“You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth sustain my house”?
Shylock’s point is that if the court is going to take all his money, it might just as well take
his life.

14. When his and Shylock’s positions are reversed, what mercy does Antonio show?
Antonio says that Shylock might keep one half his goods, providing that he becomes a
Christian and leaves his wealth to his daughter and son-in-law after he dies. (The modern
reader must keep in mind that an Elizabethan audience thought that only Christians could be
saved. If you forced someone to become a Christian, you were doing that person some good.)

15. At the end of this scene, what happens regarding the rings of Bassanio and Gratiano?
At Bassanio’s urging, Portia asks for the ring he wears, but Bassanio says he cannot part with it.
Finally, however, he sends Gratiano to the lawyer with the ring. Portia ends up with Bassanio’s
ring and Nerissa, acing as the law clerk, successfully acquires Gratiano’s ring.

16. Throughout this scene, the Christians ask Shylock to be merciful toward Antonio. When the
situation is reversed, how merciful do you think the Venetians are toward Shylock?
Answers will vary.

Act IV, Scene II - Venice

Vocabulary
(No Vocabulary)
1. At the end of this scene, what does Portia’s aside to Nerissa portend for Act V?
The reader suspects that in Act V, both women will be angry at their husbands for giving
away their rings.

Act V, Scene I - Belmont

Vocabulary
bounds – leaps
cherubins – angels
concord – harmonies, melodies
cutler – one who creates, repairs, and sells knives
feign – to imagine
inter’gatories – those questions asked in court that the defendant is obliged to answer
paltry – measly
patines – tiles
prating – talkative, chatty
riveted – fascinated
scant – to limit, stop
shrew – a type of mouse
slander – to defame; to make negative comments about a person’s reputation
tucket – a trumpet
vehement – forceful, chatty
wanton – playful
wedlock – marriage
zeal – enthusiasm

1. What sense do you get of Lorenzo and Jessica in this scene? How do you feel about
Jessica at this point?
Lorenzo and Jessica seem to be very happy and very much in love. At this point, audiences who
might have been put off by Jessica’s stealing her father’s money may be a little more kindly
disposed toward her.

2. Earlier, Nerissa spoke of the harmonious life as a life of moderation. What does Lorenzo
suggest is the relationship of music, harmony, and life?
Lorenzo suggests that music can be a quieting, peaceful influence on life. He points out that
there is a harmony in nature, and we are at our best when our life is in harmony.

3. What is Lorenzo’s response when Jessica says, “I am never merry when I hear sweet
music”?
Lorenzo’s fi rst line is open to interpretation, but it is clear from his examples that he does not
think of music in terms of wild entertainment but rather as a serene and calming experience.
4. As Portia approaches, what is her comment on music and how does that comment fi t in with
the comment about the brightly shining candle?
She says that an appreciation of music is relative to the setting in which we find ourselves. A
point also made is how a candle shining brightly in the darkness is opposed to the candle’s
brightness being dwarfed by the light of the moon.

5. Without the stage directions that tell us that Gratiano and Nerissa are arguing in the
background, Gratiano’s comment about the ring seems to have no motivation. What are
they arguing about? Of what does Nerissa accuse him?
Gratiano is not wearing the ring Nerissa has given him. She accuses him of having given the
ring to a judge’s clerk who will “ne’er wear hair on’s face.” In other words, she claims he gave
the ring to another woman.

6. Playing the outraged wives to their advantage, Portia and Nerissa threaten to be
unfaithful to their husbands if they ever meet up with the lawyer and his clerk. With
this, Gratiano threatens the clerk. Is there a double meaning in Gratiano’s comment?
Gratiano threatens to “mar the young clerk’s pen.” Given Gratiano’s vulgar character and the
pleasure that the groundlings took in comments with double meanings, his comment certainly is
meant to be taken two ways. In a Shakespearean play, if a comment sounds as if it could have a
double meaning, it almost certainly does.

7. What does Portia reveal at the end of the play.

She reveals her role as Balthazar, the lawyer, the news that Antonio’s ships are not sunk, and
that he is not bankrupt.