Merchant of Venice: Act 1 Questions

6.4.16

Act 1-2
  1. What is the setting of the story? What are people like, the culture, etc.?
    1. The setting of the story is in Venice (obviously), but the first two scenes take place in a more noble/rich area of Venice as the characters that are first introduced appear to be rich.
  2. We meet Antonio in the first scene, who exactly is he and what is his worries that he faces early on?
    1. Antonio is a sad man whose sadness is owed to an unknown thing. Technically, he is someone who has money and has loaned them to certain people such as Bassanio. From a technical point of view, Antonio worries about the money that he invested as a merchant. If that money is not returned, he will lose a lot of money. From a figurative perspective, he worries about what is making him feel sad.
  3. We also meet Bassanio a friend of Antonio, what does he ask of Antonio? Explain.
    1. Bassanio asks of Antonio for a loan; money. Bassanio wants to appear rich for Portia.
  4. Portia worries about finding a husband, so what does she decide to do that she thinks will be best solution to her problem? Explain.
    1. Portia thinks that Bassanio is the best solution to solving the problem of finding a husband because he is the man that she desires and vice-versa. They both like the attributes each other possess.
Act 2-3
  1. Revisiting the Portia situation, why is the choosing of a man suitable for her out of her hands?
    1. His father’s dead will was for Portia to choose a man suitable for her but only from a select group of candidates. Bassanio, the man she desires, is not within this pool.
  2. Who is Shylock? What is his importance in the story thus far?
    1. Shylock appears to be a wealthy businessman who lends money and profits from loaning said money through interest. It’s quite important so far in the story to Bassanio in particular because of the fact that he is in need of three thousand gold coins over the course of three months. It gets Antonio involved too, because he is essentially the “insurance” to Bassanio’s lavish request.
  3. What is the agreement Shylock and Antonio come to terms with?
    1. Shylock and Antonio came to agree upon Shylock lending Antonio three thousand gold coins whose amount will be paid back within three months time.
  4. Why is Shylock so hesitant of this agreement with Antonio?
    1. Shylock is hesitant to agree with Antonio because of Antonio’s current state. Being a merchant, he has various ships at sea and as such, they all can be subjected to the dangers of the world; pirates looting their ship, nature’s tyranny through storms, etc. But what also appears to be a very major divide between the two is religion. Antonio is Christian, while Shylock is Hebrew/Jewish.
  5. Would you trust Antonio? Why or why not.
    1. Despite Antonio’s best intentions, I do not like the risk in which he is taking. If this wealth is at risk or being lost, that’s just bad decision-making; putting all eggs into one basket. Sure, it can bring back a substantial amount of wealth back, but I feel the risk is too great. In addition to this, Antonio despises Jews such as Shylock through mockery and disrespect, and although it doesn’t relate to trust very much, I wouldn’t prefer to be affiliated with individuals that condone such hatred.
Reflection Question
I believe that the phrases “Friends don’t make good business partners” and “You should never live with your best friends” are often said because there’s a lot of personal things that can really get in the way of and shroud one's’ judgement. Bias, for example, is a very strong one.
I think that from a technical/economic perspective, Shylock/Antonio doing business with each other is good. It promotes interaction between the two so that future transactions can be trusted and made with each other. From a figurative perspective, it’s not so great. It sounds as if the two were friends once, but then religion and business divided them both. It’s not best to stir fire.

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