Merchant of Venice Workbook Answers Act 2, Scene 8 – ICSE Class 9 & 10 English


Read the above passage and answer the following questions

Question 1.
What is your reaction to SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s lamentations the streets?
Answer:
SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s lamentations gives us the impression That Shylock has gone almost crazy on account of the losses he has suffered. His daughter has run away with a Christian, and she has also taken away a substantial portion of his money and his jewels. Shylock is feeling deeply grieved by his daughter’s conduct. He is unable to exercise self-control; and he gives way to his grief and bitterness publicly in the city streets. He does win some of our sympathy on this occasion but he also appears to be a comic figure by the way in which he cries: “My daughter! Fled with a Christian! 0 my Christian ducats!”

Question 2.
What does SALANIO mean by his last speech in this extract from the play?
Answer:
SALANIO means to say that Antonio should take care to repay the loan in time. If Antonio fails to repay the loan, he would have to pay a heavy penalty which, in terms of the bond, would be a pound of his flesh.

Question 3.
Does Antonio really “pay for this”? If so, how ; and if not, why not?
Answer:
Antonio comes very near to paying the penalty, but escapes from actually doing so. He comes very close to paying it because the judge has admitted the validity of the bond and has held that Shylock is entitled to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The judge has even asked Antonio to prepare his bosom for Shylock’s knife. However, Antonio escapes this sad fate because the same judge then declares that Shylock is entitled only to a pound of Antonio’s flesh and is not authorized to shed any blood in the process of cutting the flesh. No blood has been mentioned in the bond, says the judge. And so Antonio escapes an evil fate.

Question 4.
What is your opinion of the conduct of Shylock’s daughter as described here by Shylock?
Answer:
Shylock’s daughter, whose name is Jessica, has behaved in a most unfilial manner. She has brought disgrace and dishonour to her father by running away from home; and her conduct becomes all the more reprehensible because she has run away with a Christian man while she ” herself is Jewish. However, we have to take a lenient view of Jassica’s conduct because Shylock has been behaving like a very tyrannical father and because Jessica has been feeling a prisoner in her father’s house. Shylock has never shown any tenderness towards her; and she has been- feeling miserable with him Thus there is some justification for her running away from home,- though we are certainly not inclined to forgive her entirely.

Question 5.
Does Justice find the girl, as demanded by Shylock?
Answer:
No, justice is unable to find the girl. Actually Jessica and her lover Lorenzo have escaped from Venice into Genoa where the Venetian police could not have chased,them

Question 6.
What Is your reaction to SALANIO’s account of Shylock’s condition?
Answer:
From SALANIO’s description we learn that Shylock is shocked and has become mad on the account of the losses he has suffered. His daughter has run away with a Christian and has taken way a big portion of his money and jewels. Shylock is feeling deeply grieved by his daughter’s conduct. He is unable to exercise self-control and gives way to his grief and bitterness publicly in the streets.

Question 7.
What light does Shylock’s first speech throw on the character of Shylock?
Answer:
The above mentioned speech of SALANIO presents Shylock as a miser and greedy man. In his « , madness also he harps upon the idea of his lost wealth. He is hurt not so much by the loss of his daughter as by loss of his wealth.

Question 8.
What does SALANIO’s last speech in the extract mean?
Answer:
SALANIO means to say that Antonio should pay the loan taken by him in time. If he fails to repay the loan in time he would have to pay a heavy penalty which would be a pound of his flesh.

Question 9.
What opinion do you form of Shylock’s daughter as described here by Shylock?
Answer:
Shylock’s daughter Jessica has behaved in a most unfilial manner. She has brought disgrace and disrepute to her father by running away from her home. Her conduct becomes more reprehensible because she has run away with a big portion of Shylock’s wealth.

Question 10.
Does Justice find the girl as demanded by Shylock?
Answer:
No, justice is unable to find the girl. Actually Jessica and her lover Lorenzo have escaped from Venice.

Question 11.
Who is the kinder gentleman referred to?
Answer:
The kinder gentleman is Antonio.

Question 12.
What was the parting advice given to Bassanio?
Answer:
Antonio advised Bassanio not to come till the completion of his work. He also asked him not to bother about the bond. He should rather keep cheerful and keep busy in his love affairs.

Question 13.
What assurance was given by Bassanio to his friend?
Answer:
Bassanio assured Antonio that he would return as soon as possible.

Question 14.
How did Bassanio’s friend feel on parting from Bassanio?
Answer:
Bassanio’s friend felt very sad on parting from Bassanio. Tears welled (came) up in his eyes.

Question 15.
What idea does this passage give you about the friendship between Bassanio and his friend?
Answer:
They were very fast friends.

Question 16.
What idea of Antonio’s character does this passage give you?
Answer:
Antonio is here depicted as a very kind-hearted man and as being very devoted to Bassanio. He is here shown to be more interested in Bassanio’s welfare and in Bassanio’s happiness than in his own safety. Antonio feels Bassanio’s separation from him to be something very painful to him.

Question 17.
Where is Bassanio going and why?
Answer:
Bassanio is going to Belmont in order to try to win Portia as his wife.

Question 18.
What is SALARINO’s and Salonio’s attitude towards Antonio as reflected in this passage?
Answer:
SALARINO and SALANIO are here shown to be great admirers of Antonio. SALARINO says that Antonio is the kindest gentleman living on the earth; and SALANIO says that Antonio’s feeling of friendship for Bassanio is very ardent and perfectly sincere. In SALANIO’s opinion, “Antonio loves the world only for Bassanio’s sake. Both SALANIO and SALARINO now decide to do something to relieve Antonio of the sadness which he is experiencing on account of Bassanio’s departure from Venice.

Question 19.
Give reasons for SALARINO’s view of Antonio’s kindness and for Antonio’s hatred and ill-treatment of Shylock?
Answer:
Antonio is certainly a kind-hearted man. He has been lending out money gratis; and he has even saved some debtors from the Jew’s forfeitures. But he had always held the Jew in contempt and has always ill-treated him. The fact is that Antonio is a fanatical Christian who hates the Jewish religion and who is, for that reason, intolerant of Shylock. But he hates Shylock even more for * another reason. Shylock is a usurer, a miser, and a hoarder of money who exploits needy persons wanting loans. Antonio strongly disapproves of Shylock’s practice of charging excessive rates of interest on the loans which Shylock gives to the needy persons, and thus exploiting the financial difficulties of those persons.

Question 20.
Give the meanings of the following words and phrases :

(a) the very riping of the time
(b) ostents of love
(c) his embraced heaviness

Answer:

(a) The very riping of the time-when one’s plans have matured; when the purpose has been achieved.
(b) Ostents of love-signs of love; tokens of love; shows of love; manifestations of love.
(c) His embraced heaviness-the sadness which he has accepted as his due. The word “heaviness” , in this context means sadness caused by a weight on the mind. In the present case it is Bassanio’s departure from Venice which has begun to weigh upon Antonio’s mind. The word “embraced” has been used to mean “accepted” or “received” or “acquired”.