Question 3.

What light do these verbal exchanges throw on the characters of the speakers?
Answer:
Shylock here appears as a man of inflexible resolve, while Bassanio is trying his
best to prevail upon Shylock to give up his resolve which is to cut off a pound of
Antonio’s flesh. Bassanio pleads for a humane view of the situation, but Shylock
hates Antonio so much that he compares that man to a serpent. Antonio, intervening
in the conversation between Bassanio and Shylock, tells Bassanio that it is futile
to argue with Shylock because Shylock is as merciless and savage as the wolf which
kills and eats up a lamb. Thus Antonio knows what kind of a man Shylock basically
is.

Question 4.
Who is Barrabas? Why is he preferred in comparison to a Christian? Briefly state
why Shylock hates Christians?
Answer:
Barrabas was a murderer whose story figures in the Bible. He was set free while
Jesus Christ. was sentenced to be crucified, Murder is a sin which is particularly
rare and highly contemptible r act amongst the Jews. Yet Shylock says that he would
have preferred to see Jessica married to a descendant of Barrabas rather than to a,
Christian.
Shylock has his cogent reasons to hate Christians. The first reason is that the
Christians hate him y just because he is a Jew. They hate him because he does the
business of money-lending. He earns his profit by charging interest on the loans he
gives to people. The Christians disapprove . this business of money-lending for
profit. Shylock has been insulted by Christians often at the stock exchange where
merchants gather to do business. One of the Christians, Antonio, lends money to
people and his loans are interest-free. This harms the business interests of the
Jew. Thus, these are the many reasons why Shylock hates Christians.

Question 3.
Who was Daniel?
Answer:
Daniel is the name of a Biblical personage. According to the Biblical account,
Daniel was a man of exceptional wisdom. He delivered judgments which were unique in
their wisdom and their justice.

Question 2.
What has been laid down in the laws of Venice?
Answer:
The law of Venice say that if a foreigner has tried directly or indirectly to take
the life of any native citizen of Venice, the victim shall be entitled to get one
half of the property of the defaulter. The other half will be attached by the state
treasury. The life of the defaulter would be at the mercy of the Duke.

Question 6.
“Watch me like Argos,” Explain the reference about Argos.
Answer:
Portia wants Bassanio to watch her carefully, i.e. with a hundred eyes, as Argos
watched Argos in classical mythology was a person with hundred eyes. Only one of
his eyes slept at a time. For this reason, Juno directed him to keep watch over
another goddess with whom Jupiter had fallen in love.