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The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers

The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers – In this post, I am providing the Answers of The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare. Let’s begin…

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1.

Q. A. Who is Antonio and what does his friend Bassanio tell him?

Answer: Antonio is a wealthy merchant in Venice. His friend Bassanio tells him about his love for Portia, a rich heiress. Bassanio needs money to court her properly and asks Antonio for a loan. However, Antonio’s wealth is tied up in his ships, so he offers to borrow money on Bassanio’s behalf.

Q. B. What are Portia and her waiting maid Nerissa discussing?

Answer: Portia and her waiting maid Nerissa are discussing the various suitors who have come to try their luck at winning Portia’s hand in marriage. They talk about the qualities and flaws of each suitor and express their frustration over the unusual method Portia’s father devised for choosing her husband.

Q. C. What is the lottery of the three caskets? Who devised it and for whom?

Answer: The lottery of the three caskets is a test devised by Portia’s late father to determine who will marry her. Suitors must choose between three caskets—one gold, one silver, and one lead. Each casket contains a message, but only one contains Portia’s portrait. The suitor who picks the casket with her portrait will win her hand in marriage.

Q. D. Describe any one suitor who has tried unsuccessfully to win Portia’s hand.

Answer: One suitor is the Prince of Morocco. Confident in his own worth, he chooses the gold casket, believing that it represents what every man desires. However, inside the gold casket, he finds a skull and a scroll, indicating he has chosen wrongly and lost his chance to marry Portia.

Q. E. Who is Shylock and what does Bassanio want from him?

Answer: Shylock is a Jewish moneylender in Venice. Bassanio approaches him to borrow 3,000 ducats so that he can finance his journey to Belmont and court Portia. Since Antonio has promised to guarantee the loan, Bassanio seeks Shylock’s help in securing the funds.

Q. F. What practices of Shylock as a moneylender does Antonio disapprove of?

Answer: Antonio disapproves of Shylock’s practice of charging interest on loans, which he considers morally wrong. Antonio believes that lending money should be an act of generosity, not a business to make a profit, and he often publicly criticizes Shylock for this.

Q. G. What are the terms of the bond that Antonio enters into with Shylock?

Answer: The terms of the bond state that Shylock will lend Antonio 3,000 ducats for three months. If Antonio fails to repay the loan on time, Shylock is entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh, cut from any part of his body that Shylock chooses.

2. The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers

Q. A. What do Launcelot Gobbo and Old Gobbo want from Bassanio?

Answer: Launcelot Gobbo, a servant of Shylock, wants to leave his job and work for Bassanio. Old Gobbo, Launcelot’s father, supports this request and hopes that Bassanio will take Launcelot into his service. They seek Bassanio’s favor for this employment.

Q. B. Who is Jessica and what is she planning to do?

Answer: Jessica is Shylock’s daughter. She is planning to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian, and convert to Christianity. She plans to take a substantial amount of her father’s wealth with her when she leaves.

Q. C. Name the persons who help Jessica escape from her father’s house.

Answer: Jessica is helped in her escape by Lorenzo, who is her lover, and by his friends Gratiano and Salerio. They assist her in leaving Shylock’s house during the night while disguising herself as a boy.

Q. D. What do the three caskets proclaim? Which casket does the Prince of Morocco choose?

Answer: – Gold Casket: “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”
– Silver Casket: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.”
– Lead Casket: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.”

The Prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket, believing that Portia, whom many men desire, must be in the gold casket. However, he finds a skull and a scroll that tell him he has chosen incorrectly.

Q. E. What are the three things a suitor must swear to before choosing a casket?

Answer: A suitor must swear:
1. That he will never reveal to anyone which casket he chose.
2. That if he chooses wrongly, he will never propose marriage to any other woman.
3. That if he chooses wrongly, he will immediately leave Portia’s estate and not bother her anymore.

3. The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers

Q. A. What is being rumoured at the Rialto?

Answer: It is rumoured at the Rialto, the central marketplace of Venice, that Antonio’s ships have been lost at sea. This is concerning because Antonio’s wealth is invested in these ships, and if the rumours are true, he might not be able to repay his debt to Shylock.

Q. B. Who is Tubal and what is the task that Shylock has given him?

Answer: Tubal is a Jewish friend of Shylock and also a moneylender. Shylock sends Tubal to search for his daughter Jessica, who has run away with Lorenzo and taken a significant amount of Shylock’s wealth. Tubal is to gather information about her whereabouts and the money she has taken.

Q. C. What happens when Bassanio chooses the casket?

Answer: When Bassanio chooses the casket, he selects the lead casket, which contains Portia’s portrait, signifying he has won her hand in marriage. Portia is delighted, and they celebrate his success.

Q. D. Why does Portia give Bassanio a ring? And what does she warn him not to do?

Answer: Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a token of her love and fidelity, symbolizing their commitment to each other. She warns him never to lose the ring or give it away, as doing so would signify the end of their love and marriage.

Q. E. Why does Antonio send a letter to Bassanio and what does the letter say?

Answer: Antonio sends a letter to Bassanio to inform him that all his ships have been lost, and he is unable to repay Shylock. The letter says that Antonio’s life is in danger because Shylock intends to claim the pound of flesh as per their bond. Antonio expresses that he is ready to face his fate and asks Bassanio to come and see him one last time.

Q. F. What does Shylock want from Antonio after he fails to follow the terms of the bond?

Answer: After Antonio fails to repay the loan, Shylock demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh, as specified in their bond. Shylock insists on this gruesome penalty, seeking revenge for the wrongs he feels Antonio has done to him.

Q. G. What do Portia and Nerissa plan to do?

Answer: Portia and Nerissa plan to disguise themselves as a lawyer and his clerk, respectively. They intend to go to Venice and appear in court to help Antonio by using their knowledge of the law to outwit Shylock and save Antonio’s life.

4. The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers

Q. A. Who are the people at court and why are they gathered there?

Answer: The people at court include the Duke of Venice, Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano, and others. They are gathered for the trial where Shylock is seeking to enforce the bond that entitles him to a pound of Antonio’s flesh because Antonio has failed to repay the loan.

Q. B. Why does Shylock not show mercy towards Antonio? What are the reasons he gives?

Answer: Shylock does not show mercy because he harbours a deep resentment towards Antonio. Shylock cites several reasons: Antonio has publicly insulted him, criticized his money-lending practices, and undermined his business by lending money without interest. Shylock wants revenge for these slights and insists on the bond’s terms.

Q. C. Who are Doctor Balthazar and the clerk and why do they come to the court dressed as young men?

Answer: Doctor Balthazar is actually Portia in disguise, and the clerk is Nerissa, also in disguise. They come to court dressed as young men to act as legal representatives in Antonio’s trial. Portia, as Balthazar, aims to use her wit and knowledge of the law to save Antonio.

Q. D. What judgement does the doctor pronounce on Antonio? What does he ask Shylock to do?

Answer: Initially, Portia, disguised as Doctor Balthazar, acknowledges that Shylock is legally entitled to his pound of flesh according to the bond. However, she then stipulates that while Shylock can take his pound of flesh, he must do so without spilling any of Antonio’s blood, as the bond does not mention blood. This makes it impossible for Shylock to proceed.

Q. E. How is the case turned around at court? What is the judge’s verdict?

Answer: The case is turned around when Portia points out that while Shylock is entitled to the pound of flesh, he must not shed any blood, nor take more or less than an exact pound. Furthermore, since Shylock sought to take a life, he is guilty of conspiring to murder a Venetian citizen, which is a crime. The judge’s verdict ultimately allows Antonio to be free, and Shylock is punished.

Q. F. What is Shylock accused of having done under Venetian law?

Answer: Shylock is accused of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen (Antonio). Under Venetian law, this means that Shylock’s wealth could be confiscated, and his life could be at the mercy of the Duke.

Q. G. What does Antonio ask Shylock to do to make up for endangering Antonio’s life?

Answer: Antonio asks that Shylock be spared the death penalty and instead demands that Shylock convert to Christianity. Additionally, Antonio requests that Shylock’s wealth be divided: half to go to the state and the other half to remain with Shylock, to be given to Lorenzo and Jessica upon Shylock’s death.

Q. H. Why do both the doctor and the clerk demand the rings from Bassanio and Gratiano?

Portia and Nerissa, disguised as the doctor and the clerk, ask for the rings as a test of their husbands’ loyalty and commitment. They had previously given these rings to Bassanio and Gratiano, making them promise never to part with them. By asking for the rings, they want to see if their husbands would honor the promise or not.

5. The Merchant Of Venice Questions & Answers

Q. A. Why is Nerissa, dressed as the judge’s clerk, going in search of Shylock?

Answer: Nerissa, dressed as the judge’s clerk, is actually seeking to find Shylock to have him sign a deed of gift, which would formalize the transfer of Shylock’s wealth to Lorenzo and Jessica, as agreed in the court.

Q. B. What secret does Portia not want the servants to reveal to Bassanio?

Answer: Portia does not want the servants to reveal that she and Nerissa were the ones disguised as the doctor and the clerk who saved Antonio in court. She plans to keep this a secret to surprise Bassanio later.

Q. C. Where are Bassanio and Gratiano’s rings and why are Portia and Nerissa angry?

Answer: Bassanio and Gratiano gave their rings to the doctor (Portia) and the clerk (Nerissa) as a token of gratitude, not knowing it was their wives in disguise. Portia and Nerissa are angry because their husbands broke their promises by giving away the rings, which were supposed to symbolize their loyalty.

Q. D. Whose ring does Portia ask Antonio to give to Bassanio?

Answer: Portia asks Antonio to give Bassanio a ring, which is actually the same ring Bassanio gave away to the disguised Portia. This act reveals the identity of the disguised doctor and clerk and the true nature of the test.

Q. E. What news does the letter from Bellario contain? And what news does Portia give to Antonio?

Answer: The letter from Bellario informs the court that he is unable to attend due to illness and has sent a learned young lawyer, Doctor Balthazar (Portia in disguise), to handle the case instead. Portia later reveals to Antonio that his ships, which were thought to be lost, have safely returned to port, indicating his financial troubles are over.