ST.

FRANCIS SCHOOL
CLASS - X
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
ACT III SCENE III

PASSAGE 1

i. Whom are these lines addressed to?

Ans. These lines are addressed to Antonio by Shylock. Shylock speaks these lines when
he meets Antonio in a street in Venice. Antonio is accompanied by the jailor.

ii. Explain the line: “Thou call’dst me dog before thou hadst a cause.”

Ans. Shylock has a grievance against Antonio. He tells us that Antonio called him a
dog even when he had no reason for this. Shylock had not done any harm to him. Even
then Antonio abused him.

iii. What characteristic trait does Shylock reveal in his speech?

Ans. This speech of Shylock reveals that he is very revengeful. Now that he has caught
Antonio ‘upon the hip’ he is going to be extremely cruel and merciless.

iv. How does Antonio react to Shylock’s speech when he finishes it?

Ans. When Shylock finishes his speech Antonio begs of him to let him speak. But
Shylock gives him no time to speak.

v. Explain the lines: “Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond/ To come
abroad with him at his request.”

Ans. Shylock is angry with the jailor also. He admonishes him by calling him foolish
and good-for-nothing fellow. He wonders why the jailor, simply on the request of
Antonio, has brought him outside the jail.

PASSAGE 2

i. What is the occasion for Antonio’s speech?

Ans. Antonio, Salanio and Salarino have just met Shylock in the street. Antonio has
tried to make a request to Shylock but the latter has been insisting on having his ‘bond’.
Now that Shylock has gone, Salerio says that Duke will never grant Shylock this
penalty. In reply to him Antonio speaks these words.

ii. At what place does Antonio speak these lines?

Ans. Antonio speaks these words in a street of Venice where he meets Shylock. The
jailor, on his request, has brought him out to talk to Shylock.

iii. Comment on Antonio’s state of mind.

Ans. The worries and losses which Antonio has suffered recently have almost broken
his back. He has become so thin and weak that he can’t pay a pound of flesh as penalty.
He is totally hopeless and disgusted with life. He says that his only desire is to see
Bassanio before his death.

iv. Why is Shylock referred to as a ‘bloody creditor’?

Ans. Shylock is referred to as a bloody creditor because he is bent on shedding the
blood of Antonio on the forfeiture of the bond. So revengeful has he grown that his
thirst for blood and flesh of Antonio cannot be quenched by any means. That is why he
is called ‘bloody creditor’.

v. What does Antonio pray for?

Ans. Antonio prays to God that Bassanio might come to see him ‘discharging his debt’,
i.e. dying for the sake of his dear friend. Then he does not care whether he lives or dies.

ACT III SCENE IV

1. i. What instructions does Portia give to Lorenzo?

Ans. Portia entrusts to Lorenzo the responsibility and management of her

household till her husband Bassanio returns from Venice.

ii. Explain the lines: “I have toward heaven breathed a secret vow/ To live in
prayer and contemplation.”

Ans. This line means that Portia has taken a solemn vow to heaven that she will
live in prayer and meditation, with no other attendant except Nerissa, till the return of
her husband.

iii. What characteristic traits does Portia reveal in her speech?

Ans. These lines reveal that Portia is a woman of quick decision and determined
action. Having decided that she will go to Venice to save the life of her husband’s friend,
she does not bother about her household even. She leaves the management of the
house to Lorenzo.

iv. What is a monastery? Why does Portia want to stay there?

Ans. Monastery is a convent. Portia says that she will live in a convent and spend
her time in prayer and meditation till her husband returns.

v. How does Lorenzo react to Portia’s instructions?

Ans. Lorenzo happily agrees to obey Portia’s honoured commands and stay in
Belmont in the absence of Portia and Bassanio.

2. i. What instructions does Portia give to Balthazar?

Ans. Portia instructs Balthazar to take her letter and go to Padua and deliver the
letter to her cousin Dr. Bellario. He should also bring to her the papers and robes that
Dr. Bellario would give him.

ii. Who is Doctor Bellario?

Ans. Doctor Bellario is the cousin of Portia. He lives in Padua. He is an authority

on legal affairs.

iii. Explain the lines: “What notes and garments he doth give thee/Bring them....”

Ans. These lines mean that whatever papers and robes Doctor Bellario would give
him, Balthazar should bring them to Portia.
 iv. What opinion do you form of Portia from her speech?

Ans. From this speech we come to know that Portia is very intelligent and a
practical woman. She understands the urgency of the matter. That is why she asks
Balthazar to go as fast as he can and do the work assigned to him.

v. How does Balthazar react to Portia’s instructions?

Ans. Balthazar assures Portia that he would go with all convenient speed and
perform the duty assigned to him.

ACT III SCENE V

1. i. Whom are these lines addressed to? What is the occasion for Jessica’s
speech?

Ans. These lines are addressed to Jessica’s husband Lorenzo.

The two are staying in Belmont in Portia’s house. Portia and Bassanio are
away to Venice. Lorenzo asks his wife to say how she likes Bassanio’s wife. To this
Jessica gives the reply in these lines.

ii. How does Jessica heighten the character of Portia?

Ans. According to Jessica, she likes Portia very much. She lacks words to express
her appreciation for Portia. We have known Portia’s charm and sweetness from the way
she treated people. This praise from Jessica to whom Portia must have been very
courteous and obliging further enriches the character of Portia.

iii. Explain the line: “He finds the joys of heaven here on earth.”

Ans. Jessica says that Bassanio who has the good fortune of getting such a noble
wife, should live a morally upright life, for she has got through her all the joys of heaven
on earth. Perhaps it is a hint that Bassanio’s life in the past has not been up to the
mark. He has been indulging in frivolities.

iv. What opinion do you form of Jessica from her speech?

Ans. When Lorenzo humorously points out that just as Portia is a matchless wife,
he is also a matchless husband to Jessica. Jessica banteringly contradicts him and
pretends to be dissatisfied with this way. From her speech, we get a comic touch about
the non-serious domestic quarrel between newly-married man and wife.

v. What does Jessica say about Lord Bassanio?

Ans. Jessica gives her argument that if by not living uprightly Bassanio does not
appreciate this heaven on earth, then after death he will have no right to come to heaven
above. It means that if Bassanio does not merit the joys of heaven by leading a pure life
and make Portia happy then in heaven he should not expect any happiness.