QUIZ 1 MERCHANT OF VENICE
2:46 PM
1. What is the setting of the story? What are the people like, the culture etc.?
2. We meet Antonio in the first scene, who exactly is he and what is his worries that he faces early on?
3. We also meet Bassanio a friend of Antonio, what does he ask of Antonio? Explain.
4. Portia worries about finding a husband, so what does she decide to do that she thinks will be best solution to her problem? Explain.
The setting of the story takes place in the 16th century Venice, Italy. During this time era, people seem to be very trusting of each other compared to the present. To illustrate, when Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan in order to woo Portia's heart, Antonio immediately agreed to it and even offered all of their resources. From this we can assume the culture of this setting, is very trusting. However, it also seems to be a culture where only the privileged can thrive. To illustrate, Antonio who is very wealthy is able to loan/guarantee to anyone and even stated that everybody would be willing to do so because, of his reputation. However, other people won't be able to do that because, they don't have as much power as Antonio.
Antonio is a rich venetian/merchant who is very sad for unknown reasons. Even his first lines mention that he does not know what it is made of, where it is from, why he is sad, and just in general doesn't know the sadness that he bears.
Bassanio asks Antonio for a large amount of money in order to woo Portia and visit her in Belmont (I'm not too sure how to spell this but, something like that). However, this wasn't his first time for asking such a large amount of money and still hasn't redressed his past debts. So, by loaning/guaranteeing him money one last time he also promises that they'll make up past and current debt.
Portia resolves this problem by asking her maid, Nerissa to place a wine glass on the wrong casket at the time of the casket game (if you choose the right casket out of the gold, lead, and silver you'll win her) to sway the suitors that are, 'wrong' to her to lose. This way it will eliminate the wrong suitors and leave with the 'right' suitors. Which will solve her worries about finding a husband.
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