Act I Scene II

PORTIA

If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men’s cottages princes' palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions. I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree. Such a hare is madness the youth—to skip o'er the meshes of good counsel the cripple. But this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word “choose!” I may neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I dislike—so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

PORTIA

You think it’s that easy? If doing good deeds were as easy as knowing how to do them, then everyone would be better off. Small chapels would be big churches, and poor men’s cottages would be princes' palaces. It takes a good priest to practice what he preaches. For me, it’s easier to lecture twenty people on how to be good than to be the one person out of twenty who actually does good things. The brain can tell the heart what to do, but what does it matter? Cold rules don’t matter when you’ve got a hot temper. Young people are like frisky young rabbits, and good advice is like a crippled old man trying to catch them. But thinking like this won’t help me choose a husband. Oh, the word “choose” is strange! I can’t choose who I like, or refuse who I dislike. I’m a living daughter still controlled by the wishes of her dead father. Isn’t it a pain that I can’t choose or refuse anyone, Nerissa?

Q. 1 With whom is Portia talking and what does she complain? What reason of Portia's sadness  does Nerissa tell? What does Nerissa remark?

And. Portia is talking to Nerissa  and  she complains to her that she feels sick of this world. Nerrisa tells Portia that her sadness is due to the fact that she leads a life of luxury. Nerissa remarks that those who, like Portia., own too much money, are as unhappy  as those who have too little.

Q. 2 What is Nerissa sermonizing? For what does Portia praise Nerisa ?What does  Portia, say about Nerissa's Neriss's philosophical remarks?
And. Nerissa is sermonizing on her philosophy of life, Portia praises Nerissa for her practical wisdom.  About Nerissa's philosophical remarks, Portia says that it is much easier to say wise things than to do them.

Q3 What would happen if practicing the things were as easy as saying?
And. If practising the things were as easy as there would have much greater happiness in the world than there is now because small places of worship like chapels would have  become churches, I.e.,would have attracted more people and this would have led to a greater piety,  and more kindness being shown the poor. In this way,  the happiness of the poor would have transformed their cottages into palaces.

Q.4 In Portia's opinion who is a good priest?What does she think  about preaching and practicing ?

And. A really good priest is one who himself practices what he  preaches, as one usually  finds it much easier to  teach others to  follow  the  right path  than to follow it oneself. Reason may dictate certain wise courses of action but one's impulses usually ignore such dictates.

The Merchant of Venice Act I Scene I

The Merchant of Venice Act I Scene I

GRATIANO

75You look not well, Signor Antonio.

You have too much respect upon the world.

They lose it that do buy it with much care.

Believe me, you are marvelously changed.

GRATIANO

You don’t look well, Antonio. You’re taking things too seriously. People with too much invested in the world always get hurt. I’m telling you, you don’t look like yourself.

Q. 1 Who accompanies Bassanio? Who is called Antonio's most noble kinsman? Who bids farewell to Antonio?

Ans. Bassanio is accompanied by Gratiano and Lorenzo. Bassanio is called Antonio's most noble kinsman. Salanio and Salarino bid  Antonio farewell.

Q. 2 What does Antonio say to Salanio and Salarino at Bassanio's approach?

Ans. At Bassanio's approach, Antonio says to Salarino and Salanio that they are very valuable to him and he repeats them very much, but now he thinks that they have some urgent work to do, so they should take the opportunity of the arrival of these friends to leave him.

Q. 3 What does Lorenzo say to Bassanio before leaving him?What does he request him?

Ans. Before leaving Bassanio, Lorenzo says that he has met Antonio, so he and Gratiano  should also take his leave and request him to keep in mind where they must at the dinner time.

Q. 4 Whose arrival give Salarino and Salanio a pretext for making a rather hasty departure.? What role does Gratiano take on?

Ans. The arriaval of Bassanio , Gratiano and Lorenzo give Salarino and Salanio a pretext for making a rather hasty departure. Gratiano , then takes himself a role of lecturing Antonio in a humorous way on the subject of his melancholy.

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

Act IScene I

SALARINO

Your mind is tossing on the ocean,

There, where your argosies with portly sail,

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Like signors and rich burghers on the flood—

Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea—

Do over peer the petty traffickers

That curtsy to them, do them reverence

As they fly by them with their woven wings.

SALARINO

You’re worried about your ships. Your mind is out there getting tossed around on the ocean with them. But they’re fine. They’re like huge parade floats on the sea. They’re so big they look down on the smaller ships, which all have to bow and then get out of the way. Your ships fly like birds past those little boats

. Q. 1. What does Antonio say in earlier passage?

Ans. In earlier passage, Antonio says that he is very sad , and he can not find the reason for his sadness. He also tells him that the feelings of sadness oppresses his spirits and that he is not aware of how he become worried and how he got its melancholy mood.

Q. 2 What difficulty does Antonio experience due to his sadness? In what way does Salarino compare the state of Antonio's mind?

Ans. Antonio's sadness makes him such a stupid person that  he experiences great difficulty in understanding whether he is his own self. Salarino says that his mind is tossing like a ship on the high seas where his ships,laden with merchandise are sailing.

Q. 3 What kind of images does Salerino seek to divert Antonio's mind?
Ans. Salarino seeks to divert Antonio's mind by a series of humorous and fantastic images. He compares his argosies to rich citizens look down upon common people as they walk along the Venetian streets. He also compares the pageantry of festive occasions on land with that on sea. The common point of the comparison is that, just as ordinary people bow to rich and pot-belied citizens, the big vessels of Antonio look down upon small trading vessels at sea.

Q. 4. What does Antonio's melancholy foreshadow?
Ans. Antonio's melancholy foreshadows the impending calamity that is to overtake him in the trial-scene. It is the shadow of the future moving towards him. It is also to be noted that part of this melancholy also touches Portia and other minor characters with the single exceptions of Gratiano. All the unaccountable sadness strikes a tragic note and suggest the unhappiness which is to affect the characters temporarily.


Q. 5. a. Explain the following lines:
             "That curtsy to them ,do them reverence.
               As they fly by them with their woven wings."

         b. For what does the word "argosy"stand ? Explain it.

Ans. a. The small ships, as they roll and rock against the naughty waves, seem to salute his ships as they sail past, stable and solid because of their superior bulk.

b. The word "argosy" means a large merchant-vessel. It is named after the Italian town of Ragusa, once a famous centre of maritime trade.