Merchant of Venice Questions and answers.

What did Portia say about mercy?

In reply to the question of Shylock why he should be compelled to show mercy to Antonio, Portia says that one shows mercy spontaneously and not out of a compulsion. According to her, it is a virtue that shows itself as spontaneously as the rain that drops from the sky to the ground on its own.  She opines that it is a virtue that brings out the inherent greatness of the person who shows it and proves beneficial to the person to whom mercy is shown. Then she says that the crown of the king and the scepter that he wields are indicative of his worldly powers, striking terror in the hearts of the subjects. But when he shows mercy, it shows the divine quality of the king.

What did the Duke say to Shylock at the beginning of Act four?

After the Duke had called Shylock, he played on his emotions, trying to make him soften his obdurate stand on the penalty of Antonio. He told him that the general opinion about him was that he would not be as tough as he appeared to be. He said that he would be expected to put on his act of cruelty till the end but when the actual time of execution would ripen, he would turn around in a dramatic manner. He would not only give up the demand for the penalty but also forgive the defendant Antonio a part of the principal amount of three thousand ducats. He would do it out of his sense of compassion and humanity that would be aroused by the severity of the miseries of the merchant. According to the duke, such a feeling of compassion was natural as the present condition of the merchant buffeted by misfortunes would arouse pity even in the stony and savage hearts of Turks and Tartars not known to be familiar with acts of kindness.

 What did Bassanio say referring to the words of the letter sent by Antonio? What did Bassanio say praising his friend?

In reply to Portia’s question, Bassanio said that the letter sent by Antonio was his body and the words were like the wounds inflicted on the body of his friend Antonio from which blood was oozing steadily.

Bassanio paid a glowing tribute to his friend Antonio, giving Portia an idea of his estimate of his friend. He said that he was well conditioned and did not ever fail to do acts of kindness. He was a man in whose character all the qualities of ancient Roman dignity coalesced (combined) more than any person alive.

Why did Antonio tell Salerio that the Duke could not prevent the law from taking its own course?

Antonio told Salerio that the Duke could not prevent the law from taking its own course due to some compulsions. According to him, the foreigners living in Venice were entitled to some privileges. Any attempt to deprive them of their right to justice would damage the credibility of the impartiality of the legal system prevailing in the city. Besides that the profits arising out of the transaction of trade in the city belonged to all the nations, thus strengthening their claim to justice.

What was Shylock’s warning to the Duke against denying justice to him?

Shylock warned the Duke of the danger looming large before the city of Venice. He said in a tone of severity that if he was denied justice, the freedom of the city of Rome would be Jeopardized (endangered) or any attempt to deny him justice would pose a threat to the freedom of the city of Venice.

What did Portia say about friendship referring to the one between Bassanio and Antonio?

Portia does not fail to take cognizance of the nature of friendship existing between Bassanio and Antonio. She  says that when two friends spend a great deal of time together, talking to each other, they should be understood to have been bound by a strong bond of love as their hearts are bound by ‘an equal yoke of love’ the way oxen are bound by a yoke. In sharing such a common bond of love their souls resemble each other in terms of their characteristics and behaviour.