DRAMA

Question 1

Analyse the following characters in the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’

with detailed references from each act.

Part (i): Antonio

Antonio is a quiet and dignified figure. He is the protagonist of the play

and is a man of unlimited kindness and generosity. Antonio is a rich and
popular man but still he suffers from inner sadness. From beginning to
the end of the play, we find Antonio asserting his personality nowhere
except while seeking loan for his friend Bassanio. In the beginning of
the play Antonio talks of his sadness in such a manner that one feels that
he is constitutionally weak or diseased and possesses no personality, no
backbone, no independence of any kind in thought , feeling or action.
One of Antonio’s most distinguishing characteristics is his generosity.
He is more than happy to offer his good credit standing so that Bassanio
can go Belmont in the latest fashions in order to woo Portia. Antonio
was too confident and boastful about his economic state. In the first
scene of the first act he boastfully says- “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.” Antonio is intensely hated by Shylock as he had received
Shylock’s borrowers by lending them money at the last minute to pay
off Shylock; and he never charged interest. Antonio’s generosity is
bondless, and for Bassanio, he is willing to go to full length of
friendship, even if it means that he himself may suffer for it. Antonio is
frank and sincere even in his hatred for Shylock and his trade of usury,
and because he is so frank and sincere, he abused Shylock in his very
face. He is perfectly frank even when he declares his hatred for the
Jewish race. He proposes in the open court that Shylock should be
converted to a Christian. His hatred for Jews is perfectly open and clear
unlike Shylock’s hatred for Christians or for Antonio. His sincerity can
be seen in the law court. He could have easily denied the bond and could
have also told the court that he had signed the bond in merry sport; and
therefore, there could be no question of any payment of the loan or even
of the forfeiture. As a Christian, Antonio shows intolerance towards the
Jews. He hates Shylock because he is usurer and even more because he
is a Jew. He called Shylock a cut-throat dog, and defamed him, spat on
his Jewish gabardine and on his beard. At the very moment that he is
seeking a loan from the Jew, he says that he would treat the Jew in the
same manner in the future in which he has been treating him in the past.
Antonio is a philosophic type of person, and that is why probably, he is
moody, gloomy, indifferent, passive and sad. Let’s see what he says in
the first scene of the first act – “I hold the world, but as the world,
Gratiano; A stage where every man must play a part, and mine is a sad
on.”

Part (ii): Bassanio

Bassanio’s role in the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is of very great

significance. He is one of the four main characters – Antonio, Shylock,
Portia and he himself – without whom the play would have been
impossible. When he makes his first appearance, we learn that he has
lost all that he had inherited, spent all that he had borrowed from his
dearest friend Antonio all through his extravagance. His indiscretion in
spending has led him to mature into a man of the world, a fortune
hunter. He is educated, cultured handsome young man belonging to a
noble family of Venice. He is the dearest friend of Antonia, the
merchant. Whenever he needs money he depends upon the generosity of
Antonio. He is a man of very sweet and amiable disposition. He is loved
and liked by all those who come in his contact. His learning culture and
handsomeness make very favourable impression on Portia – the rich
heiress of Belmont. Bassanio is seen as a practical man when he explains
to Antonio his plan to repair the loss, he had done to his possession by
making yet another investment to retrieve the previous loss. His love for
Portia is a part of his strategy to rehabitate himself in the cultured social
life of Venice. Despite of the streak of practical wisdom Bassanio is a
true and noble friend. His love for Antonio is also very poignant and
sincere. His tribute to Antonio reflects his love – “The dearest friend to
me, the kindest man, The best-condition’d and unwearied spirit In doing
courtesies; and one in whom The ancient Roman honour more appears
Than any that draws breath in Italy.” His anxiety, when Antonio forfeits
the bond, is genuine and there is something very gratifying in the
manner in which he sacrifices his newly-wedded bliss to be by the side
of his friend. Bassanio is a happy-go-lucky, fun loving man, who is
constantly seeking mirth and merriment. He is constantly in the
company of happy men, and is in sharp contrast to the sad Antonio. He
loves Antonio as a friend. He is a carefree, young Elizabethan nobleman,
for whom life is an adventure and a constant source of fun and
enjoyment. Apart from being a spend-thrift and a mercenary adventurer,
he is also a useless, idle man, who does nothing for living. He has no
profession, even though Nerissa calls him a scholar and a soldier. He has
a retinue of servants and grants them the finest liveries. His love for
Portia, though marred by his quest for money, is genuine. It is his love
which inspires him to hazard all for her sake. His love for Portia is
exhibited in his speech and action after the trial, in his embarrassment
when Portia takes her to task for having given away the ring is an
indication of his love for Portia. Finally, it can be observed that Bassanio
is an accomplished and cultured young man. He has a great practical
wisdom though he is indiscreet in his spending. He loves Antonio and
Portia very much. He is a man of honour and tolerance.
Part (iii): Portia

Portia is the romantic heroine of the play and she is presented on the
stage with beauty and intelligence. She is the lady of Belmont, richly left
by her father. Bassanio describes her to Antonio as – “In Belmont is a
lady (Portia) richly left; And she is fair, and, fairer than that word, Of
wondrous virtues”. He adds to his description the following- “Her name
is Portia; nothing undervalued To Cato’s 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.” Portia is the lady of high birth,
of great beauty, and well-endowed with good things of this world. She is
correspondingly cultured and refined. She produces powerful impression
on our minds with her personal charms, brilliant intellect, sparkling wit,
her modesty, humility, generous disposition, her self-confidence, sense
of duty and honour. She is very well educated and is multilingual. She
could speak Latin, French and Italian although she had a poor
pennyworth in English. Above all she has a true concept of love as
consisting in an arduous desire to seek and promote the happiness of all
around her. Her psychological insight into human characters can be
noticed when she represents some opinions about some of her suitors,
which are particularly witty. Portia is shown as a dutiful daughter, she is
determined to obey her dead father, and act according to his will in
every respect although she does not like the conditions mentioned in the
will. Although well nurtured Portia is prejudiced against the black
people and we come to know this when she says- “if he have the
condition of a sage and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should
shrive me than wive me”, about the Prince of Morocco. She being
economically independent after the death of her father, could easily
dishonour his will which put restrictions upon her marriage by the
lottery of caskets. She could have easily told Bassanio the secrets of the
caskets but she did not violate her father’s will. Portia’s modesty and
humbleness can be seen when she describes herself as an unschooled,
unlessoned and unpracticed woman and goes on to make a complete
surrender of herself to the man who has won her as his wife. When she
hears the bad news about Antonio, she at once sends away Bassanio to
Venice with sufficient money to help Antonio in this difficult position.
We also find how Portia sacrifices her own pleasures, her money, the
company of her husband and even goes to the length of playing the role
of the lawyer in the court of law in order to save her husband’s friend.
Her intelligence is shown when she counsels Bassanio to leave at once
for Venice to help his friend Antonio. This proves that she is able to
think and act quickly when the situation demands it. She shows her
presence of mind when she is dressed up in male costumes, to act out the
roles of a learned lawyer. Her conduct during the trial scene reveals
rhetorical brilliance and a court room alertness which could only come
with years of experience and inherited ability. Portia is truly well-bred
and so she does not have an exaggerated sense of her own importance.
She does not make her subordinates feel her superiority. Finally, it can
be observed that Portia represents the fair and gracious influence which
nature has showered on her- the choicest gifts of unblemished character,
rare beauty, intellectual attainment, rich heritage, and training of a wise
and virtuous father, noble birth and refined environment. Life of her has
been very full of sunshine. And what she imbibes from her
environments, she radiates in full measure for the benefit of all those
around her- “You drop manna in the way of starved people.” And
Lorenzo is correct.

Part (iv): Shylock

Shylock is one of the most vivid and memorable characters in ‘The
Merchant of Venice’ His function in the play is to be the obstacle.
Shylock is the play’s antagonist. Shylock has inherited inhumanity and
vindictivity from his forefathers who had suffered grievously at the
hands of the Christians for centuries. His inhumanity is also due to
Antonio’s personal ill-treatment to him. Then again, because Antonio
has been always lending money to the needy people free of interest,
Shylock has been throughout suffering great financial loss. This loss of
business is the real cause of Shylock’s inhumanity, which exhibits only
to Antonio. Shylock appears to be extremely suspicious. He suspects his
own daughter infidelity. He suspects Christian because he believes that
the Christians are as treacherous as the Jews. He Suspects his own
domestic servant Launcelot. He suspects Antonio that he will not sign
the bond in which a pound of flesh is laid down as the penalty for the
failure of payment of the loan in time. He suspects Duke of partiality
when he appeals to him for mercy. He suspects Portia when she tells him
that according to Venetian law, his life would be at the mercy of the
Duke. Shylock is very superstitious as before going to Bassanio’s place
for dinner he says- “There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest, For I
did dream of money-bags tonight.” Shylock’s passion for money is very
intensive and at some point in the play it overpowers his duty towards
her daughter and he says- “Why there, there, there, there! A diamond
gone cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! two thousand ducats in
that; and other precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my
foot, and jewels in her ear! would she hearsed at my foot, and the ducats
in her coffin!” Shylock’s personality lies in his intelligence, his
shrewdness, his courage and determination. His strength of personality
also lies also in his aggressive nature, in his singleness of purpose in life,
and in his bull-dog’s tenacity to whatever he undertakes to do. He is
consistent throughout the play, whether in his trade of usury or in his
revenge against Antonio, or even in his domestic relations either with his
daughter or with his servants. Shylock is an orthodox Jew from every
point of view. His language and culture are based on the Old Testament.
He always swears by Jacob’s staff, by the holy Sabbath, et cetera. He
defends usury by quoting the example of Jacob and his clever mother.
He abuses Launcelot as “the offspring of Hagar.” He hates pork because
Christ put the devil into the body of the swine. While going to attend the
dinner at Bassanio’s place he warns Jessica against the foolish Christians
who conduct their masque through the streets dancing and singing. Then
again, he becomes extremely furious when he comes to know that his
daughter, Jessica, has fled away with a Christian, Lorenzo. He is a
devote follower of his own Jewish religion. He regularly meets the
members of his tribe in the synagogues. Except in business transactions
Shylock does not have any communication with the Christians. He
openly declares- “Yes, to smell pork; to eat of the habitation which your
prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into. I will buy with you, sell
with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not
eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.” He does not like the
way Jews are treated by the Christians. In his speeches he tells why he
hated Christians and especially Antonio- “How like a fawning publican
he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian; But more, for that in low
simplicity He lends out money gratis and brings down The rate of
usance here in Venice.” He adds– “He hates our sacred nation; and he
rails, Even there where merchants do congregate, On me, my bargains,
and well-won thrift, Which he calls interest.” In another speech he says-
“many a time and oft In the Rialto you have rated me, About my moneys
and my usances.” He adds on- “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit on my Jewish gaberdine”. He continues- “You that did void
your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger dog.”
Shylock is undoubtedly the most cunning character in the play. His
cunningness is exhibited when he entraps Antonio with the bond and
assures him at the same time that the bond is just a merry sport and not a
serious engagement or contract. Shylock’s cunningness has been further
sharpened by Antonio’s personal hatred, ill-treatment and financial
injuries which Shylock had suffered at the hands of Antonio. But
Shylock’s cunningness fails at two places. Firstly, when he goes to
attend dinner at Bassanio’s place and her daughter Jessica runs away
with is jewels and money to marry a Christian Lorenzo even after his
warnings to be very alert and cautious. Secondly, at the trial scene, his
cunningness fails him when Portia by her superior intelligence and
knowledge of law and wit, completely outwits him. Shylock is
undoubtedly a man of remarkable intellect. The manner in which
Shylock defends his own case without the help of any lawyer, the
manner in which he replies to Portia at every point of law, the manner in
which he sticks to his point without begging anybody’s favour- is indeed
worth praising. Shylock’s sharp intellect means not only his power of
understanding law or its arguments but also his power of understanding
the psychology of the persons with whom he has to deal either in trade-
relations or any other relationship. Therefore, it can be observed that
Shylock is a complex and enigmatic character. He arouses contrasting
emotions among critics, for he has been labeled a villain as well as a
hero. He stands for the sterner code of life, by which men might extract
an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He is true to his nature till the very end.
He lives his life fighting and bargaining. He also falls fighting and
bargaining.
POETRY
Question 1

What is the poet’s attitude towards television in the poem “Television”?

Answer 1

In the poem television the poet, Roald Dahl, talks about the
consequences and adverse effects of prolonged watching of television on
children. He is a mouthpiece of wise men of the society who are deeply
concerned for the young children who watch television in excess. The
poet is addressing young parents and advising them not to allow their
tiny tots to go near the television sets. He thinks that the better option is
not to buy a television in the first place. The poet feels that a television
is detrimental for children, uninformative and affects their critical
thinking and personality. The poet thinks that television is an ‘Idiot box’
and has used derogatory terms for television in the poem such as –
‘idiotic thing’, ‘monster’, ‘ridiculous machine’, ‘nauseating’, ‘foul’,
‘unclean’, ‘repulsive television screen’. The poet thinks that television is
the most useless machine and does not contribute in a child’s growth in
any way rather it rots the sense in the heads of the children. He thinks
that television is a mass murder that is found at multiple places around
the globe, simultaneously and silently killing the imagination of
numerous children all over the Earth. The television is clogging and
cluttering the young minds and preventing new ideas to enter the brains
of the younger generation. The television is making children more dull
and more blind with every second passing while watching it. Gaping at
the television for long continuous hours prevents children to understand
a fantasy or a fairyland and their brain becomes as soft as cheese which
is easily pliable and influenced by the ghastly junk shown on its screen.
Children are unable to think and they only see foul things on a foul
television screen. The poet has used several figures of speech throughout
the poem, such as metaphors and exaggeration/hyperbole to showcase
his disgust.

Question 2

State giving reasons whether television could be completely disposed of

as an idiot box that fills you mind with junk.

Answer 2

Yes, television not only can be but it should be completely disposed of

as it is an ‘Idiot box’ which fills our mind with junk. The television
producing factories should be permanently sealed and, in their place,
book printing factories should be set up. Television is harmful till the
same extent for the people of all age groups although young children
like us are the ones who mostly come into its influence and are
hypnotized by it. Young children lol, slop and lounge about the
television and stare at the nauseating, foul, unclean, repulsive television
screen until their eyes become very weak. They keep sitting and staring
at the television until they are hypnotized and drunk with the shocking
ghastly junk shown on the television. It rots the sense in children’s head
and kills their power of imagination. It clogs and clutters their mind and
makes them more dull and nearly blind. They are not able to understand
a fantasy or a fairyland as their brains become as soft as cheese and are
pliable and easily influenced by the shocking ghastly junk shown on the
television. Children’s power of thinking and rust and freeze as they do
not use it much and blindly believe whatever is shown on the television.
Hence, television is really harmful and should be disposed of
completely. I agree with the poet, Roald Dahl, that young children will
be agitated for some time when that ridiculous television machine will
be removed from their homes but after sometime when there will be
nothing else to do the will come back to books and start to read. Since
all the television manufacturing factories will be sealed forever by then
there will be no way going back and children will continue to read and
play and grow into a more intelligent and better person day by day.
There will be no television and the future generations will also thank us
for our revolutionary step.

Question 3

Is there a balance that one can maintain between watching television and
reading a book? Give arguments to support your point of view.

Answer 3
No, I think that one cannot maintain a balance between watching
television and reading a book. It is so because the excessive curiosity
that is generated inside us by the visual and auditory stimulus by
watching television overpowers the curiosity budding inside us by
reading a book. A person can spend most of his time either watching
television or reading a book but he/she can never maintain a balance
between the two. For example, if a person starts to watch a television
show or series or movie, he will ever be curious about what happened
next. Like this he will start to spend more and more of his time in
watching television. He will surf for more and more television shows
like the one he watched earlier and slowly and gradually he would make
it a habit of watching television for a prolonged period. Once someone
catches this habit of watching television for long hours there is no way
back. At this point the ratio of watching television and reading books is
disturbed. On the other hand, if a person starts to read a book, he will
also be ever curious to know what happened next. He will spend hours
and hours reading a book. Although reading a book is a very good habit,
the ratio of watching television and reading a book will be disturbed. As
I stated earlier auditory and visual stimulus are stronger so a person
reading a book may at some point of time be bored and catch a habit of
watching excessive television rather than completing his book. Nearly
every student finds it difficult to maintain this balance. He/she can not
simultaneously read a book and watch television. Thus, in the end I
would like to quote the bitter truth of this world – “You can do anything,
but not everything.”
PROSE
Question 1

Describe the Red Indians’ attachment to their land as in ‘Chief Seattle’s

Speech’

Answer 1

Chief Seattle emphasis on the Red Indians’ attachment to their land by

saying that “the very dust upon which his paleface brothers’ stand
responds more lovingly to the Red Indians’ than theirs because the bare
feet of Red Indians’ is rich with the blood of their ancestors and it is
conscious of the sympathetic touch” Chief Seattle argues that “To the
Red Indians’ the ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their resting
place is hallowed ground. You (White People) wander far from the
graves of your ancestors seemingly without regret.” He further says that
“Your (White Mans’) dead cease to love you and the land of their
nativity as soon as they pass the portals of tomb and wander away
beyond the stars. They are soon forgotten and never return. Our dead
never forget this beautiful world that gave them being. They love its
verdant valley’s, its murmuring rivers and other natural elements and
our dead often return from the happy hunting ground to visit, guide,
console and comfort the Red Indians. Therefore, after the last Red Man
shall have perished and the memory of my tribe will become a myth
among the white man, when your children’s children think themselves,
alone in the field, store, or the shop they will not be alone. The deserted
streets of your cities and villages will be thronged with the returning of
hosts that once filled them.” Thus he says that, “Every part of the soil is
sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley has
been hallowed by some or happy event in days long vanished. Even the
rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along
the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with
the lives of my people.” Through these lines and abstracts, Chief Seattle
in his speech describe the attachment of Red Indians’ with their land.

Question 2

Comment on the hostilities that existed between the tribal people and the
white people.

Answer 2

Chief Seattle talks about various kinds of hostilities, like he says- “Youth
is impulsive. When our young men grow angry at some real or
imaginary wrong, and disfigure their faces with black paint, it denotes
that their hearts and black, and that they are often cruel and relentless,
and our old men and old women are unable to restrain them. Thus, it
has ever been. Thus, it was when the white man began to push our
forefathers ever westward. But let us hope that the hostilities between us
may never return. We would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Revenge by young men is considered gain, even at the cost of their own
lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who
have sons to lose, know better.” Chief Seattle next compares the present
and past of the Red Indians, He says “The white people are many. They
are like the grass that covers vast prairies. My (Red Indians) people are
few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain The Red
Man has no longer has rights that he needs a respect, and the offer may
be wise, also, as we are no longer in need of an extensive country. There
was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-
ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed
away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.”

Question 3

What solution does Seattle find to put an end to the Hostilities?

Answer 3
Seattle says that “The great and good White Chief send us word that he
wishes to buy our land but is willing to allow us enough to live
comfortably. This indeed appears just, even generous, for the Red Man
no longer has rights that he needs respect, and offer may be wise also,
as we are no longer in need of an extensive country.” Chief Seattle states
the good purpose of the return offer by saying that, “The great and good
father sends us word that if we do as he desires, he will protect us. His
brave warriors will be to us a bristling wall of strength, and his
wonderful ships of war will fill our harbours, so that our ancient
enemies far from the northward- the Haidas and Tsimshians- will cease
to frighten our women, children and old man.” Chief Seattle gives an
analogy to explain his community’s pitiful situation which is as follows,
“Day and night cannot dwell together. The Red Man has ever fled the
approach of the White Man, as the morning mist flees before the
Sunrise. However, your proposition (the treaty) seems fair and I think
my people will accept it and will retire to the reservation you offer them.
Then we will dwell apart in peace, for the words of the Great White
Chief seems to be the words of the nature speaking to my people out of
dense darkness. It matters little where we pass the remnant of our days.
They will not be many. The Indian’s night promises to be dark. Not a
single start of hope hovers above his horizon. Sad- voiced winds moan in
the distance. Grim fate seems to be on the Red Man’s trail, and
wherever he will hear the approaching footsteps of his fell destroyer and
prepare stolidly to meet his doom, as does the doe that hears the
approaching footsteps of the hunter.” After this Chief Seattle elucidates
the important and significance of their land to the Red Indian’s and their
ancestors and he concludes by saying “We will ponder your proposition
and when we decide we will let you know. But should we accept it, I,
here and now, make this condition that we will not be denied the
privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our
ancestors, friends and children because every part of the soil is sacred
in the estimation of my people.”