Workbook answers: Act 1 Scene 3

ANNOTATION 1.

(i) Antonio was bound for ‘three thousand ducats’ for ‘three months’
and if the bond would forfeit, Shylock would be entitled to take the
penalty of an exact pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body he
pleased. Antonio was confident that he would be able to pay back
Shylock much ahead of the stipulated time and so signed the fatal
bond. He had misjudged the evil intentions of the Jew.

(ii) Bassanio asks Shylock if he would help him by lending the money to
him. Bassanio asks if the Jew would oblige to do this favour.

(iii) Shylock says that Antonio is a good man. By this connotation

‘good’ he means that the latter is sufficient or financially adequate
and could be the surety for paying back the loan of three thousand
ducats.

(iv) Shylock enumerates the several dangers that Antonio’s ships could
face. Ships were made of mere planks of wood, open to any kind of
damage at sea; the mariners were but mere mortal human beings.
Antonio’s ships were subject to risks like ‘water rats’, which could
damage goods and merchandise on the ships. Just like there are ‘land
thieves’ there were water thieves or pirates who could be a
potential threat to every merchant ship. Besides, there were the
dangers of the huge killer waves, tempest or storms and perilous
rocks which could wreck any ship.

(v) Antonio had several ships sailing in various directions. He knew that
his ships would be coming back with thrice three times the sum of
the bond, a month before the date of the expiry of the bond. Inspite
of knowing that his ships were subject to various risks at sea, he
signed the bond. His wealth was not contained just in one ship, he
had many ventures in various directions of the world. He was
confident that he would definitely be able to pay back the loan much
before the stipulated time.
ANNOTATION 2.

(i) Publicans were tax collectors, who were generally oppressive. They
were detested by the Jews because they were agents of Rome, who
collected taxes also from the Jews. Publican is thus a natural term of
contempt and hate. Shylock compares the merchant to a fawning
publican, meaning a flattering tax collector. Shylock hated Antonio
because the latter was Christian, he lend money without charging
interest and he hurled abuses on him.

(ii) Shylock had a long standing grudge against Antonio because the
latter was a Christian and looked down on the Jewish race with
contempt. Besides, he used to lend money without interest, thus
bringing down the rate of interest in Venice. Antonio rebuked and
insulted Shylock at several occasions at the Rialto. Antonio had
called the Jew a ‘cut throat dog’ and spat on him. He had criticized
Shylock’s business and his ‘well deserved gains’, which he termed
unfair interest. Shylock thus has been waiting for an opportunity to
lay hands on the merchant and take revenge.

(iii) Same as the above bit (ii)

(iv) Sacred nation refers to the holy Jew community. Antonio had
criticized Shylock for his money lending practice, he called him a
‘misbeliever’ and ‘cut throat dog’. He had spat on Shylock’s ‘ Jewish
gaberdine’ and had kicked the latter as one would kick a mongrel.

(v) Shylock could not raise the amount of three thousand ducats
immediately but says that Tubal, a rich Jew of his race would furnish
him with the money. Shylock wanted to execute the bond as soon as
possible and not lose this opportunity of taking revenge on Antonio.
It reveals the crafty, unscrupulous and wicked mind of Shylock.
ANNOTATION 3.

(i) The topic referred to is lending money for interest. Jacob was the
second son of Issac, who became the third successor of Abraham.
Abraham was the founder of the Jewish nation and Jacob’s
grandfather.

(ii) Laban was Jacob’s uncle. Jacob and Laban entered into an agreement
that Jacob would receive as his wages the lambs which were born
with spots or stripes. During the breeding season, Jacob arranged
some wooden rods in such a manner that the shadows of the rods
 would fall on the sheep. Consequently, most of the lambs were born
spotted or striped and thus they became Jacob’s property.

(iii) Taking interest means to charge a specific amount on the money

given as loan, for a specified period. While receiving money as
payment or remuneration for one’s labour (or service) is well
deserved.

(iv) Antonio says that all the sheep and rams being spotted or striped was
controlled by the hand of God. Jacob had no power to cause it to
happen and thus all these animals becoming his property was a
mere luck and does not justify interest. ( Antonio tells Shylock that
it was a matter of chance in Jacob’s case. He had no control over it,
but providence guided and governed the event. It was not a matter
in the hands of man, lie charging of interest.)

(v) Jacob was the third in the line of heirs, first being Abraham, second
Issac. Issac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the elder son of
Issac and so legally the third possessor but Jacob’s mother played a
trick to make Jacob the third heir.

ANOTATION 4.

(i) Antonio asked Shylock if the latter would finally oblige him and
Bassanio, by giving them the loan. The Rialto is the Venetian Stock
Exchange where merchants and money lenders met and transacted
business.
(ii) Shylock says that Antonio had ill treated him several times. The latter
had spat upon the Jew’s gabardine and beard, called him a
‘misbeliever’ and a ‘cur’. He had kicked the Jew like one kicks a stray
dog . Shylock says he has reacted very patiently to every insult of
Antonio.
(iii) Shylock says that her bore and tolerated every insult done by
Antonio with patience as that is the badge of his race. The shrewd
Jew was actually waiting for an opportune time to take revenge on
Antonio.
(iv) Antonio seemed to be a threat to Shylock financially. The former lent
out money to the needy without charging any interest, thus bringing
down the rate of interest in Venice. This affected the money lending
business of Shylock. Besides, Antonio treated Shylock with contempt
as he was a Jew. (the hostility between the Jews and the Christians
in the Elizabethan Age).
(v) Antonio needed to borrow money to furnish his dear friend Bassanio
to go to Belmont to woo the rich heiress, Portia. Since he did not
have the said amount at that point of time nor any commodity, he
had to borrow the money from the moneylender. Shylock was
prepared to lend the money to Bassanio, with Antonio being the
surety. He would never lose this opportunity as it would enable him
to take revenge of Antonio, an evil desire which he so desperately
wanted to execute.

ANNOTATION 5.
(i) Same answer as Annotation 2. Bit ii.
(ii) The ‘present wants’ refer to the three thousand ducats that
Antonio required immediately to equip Bassanio for his trip
to Belmont. The speaker is willing to supply the wants
provided Antonio signs the bond as the guarantor, who
would be responsible to pay back the amount of the loan on a
specified date. If the forfeiture was not paid back on the
specified date, then a penalty would be imposed on Antonio,
which would be a pound of flesh cut off from any part of his
body as would please Shylock.
(iii) Antonio storms Shylock saying that he would not change his
behavior towards him because the latter would have a
transaction with him. Antonio would keep on the same
behavior of insulting and abusing the Jew in future. He tells
the Jew to lend him the money how he would lend out
money to any other enemy rather than a friend and how he
would exact a penalty if the money was not returned on the
stipulated time. Shylock is willing to lend the money without
interest because he wanted to desperately trap Antonio in
signing the fatal bond, which would enable him to revenge.
(feed fat his ancient grudge).
(iv) ‘This is kind I offer’ means that Shylock was being kind lending
the money without charging any interest on it. He proposes to
Antonio to accompany him to the notary and sign a bond
wherein the forfeit to be paid would be a pound of flesh from
any part of Antonio’s body.
(v) The third person present in the scene is Bassanio. He does not
want Antonio to sign the fatal bond for him. He is hesitant to
agree to the terms of Shylock as he did not trust the kind
words of a villain. He tells Antonio that he would rather
dwell in his necessity ( that means remain poor) rather
than put his dear friend into such a dangerous bond
ANNOTATION 6.

(i) A notary is a lawyer who has the authority to execute legal dealings
and agreements. Shylock wanted Antonio to go with him to the
notary and sign a single bond. Antonio would be the only one
signatory of the agreement and if the bond was forfeited, he would
be the one to pay the penalty.

(ii) Single bond – agreement in which Antonio would be the only

signatory. Merry sport – a non serious commitment , more
like a pleasant joke.

(iii) Bassanio tells Antonio that he would not allow the latter to sign
such a bond on his account. He added that he would rather remain
poor with his needs than to endanger Antonio in any way.

(iv) Antonio is confident that there was no danger in signing the

agreement with Shylock because he was sure that his ships would
be back with thrice three times the wealth and much before the
expiry of the bond. He was sure that they would be able to pay back
the money and not be penalized. This attitude of Antonio shows that
he was not only overconfident about his business ventures but also
very generous towards Bassanio.

(v) Shylock insists on the penalty of a pound of flesh, as he is

desperately searching for a chance to take revenge on Antonio. He
desires to punish the merchant to satisfy his grudge against him.
This absurd demand only shows his intense hatred and malice
against Antonio and Christians and his evil intentions to hurt and
destroy the noble merchant. He could think of nothing else but
revenge.