ACT 3, SCENE 2

Bassanio arrives in Belmont to vie for Portias hand, and she tries to delay his choice so
as to spend more time with him in case he chooses incorrectly She wishes she co!ld
teach him how to choose, and in fact "ives him cl!es in her son", #!t will not defy the
letter of the law of her fathers will $hen Bassanio chooses correctly, %ratiano reveals
that he is in love with Nerissa, completin" the third romantic co!ple of the play &oren'o,
(essica, Salerio, and a messen"er arrive from )enice, and Bassanio receives the news that
Antonio has #een arrested Portia offers to repay the de#t even twenty times over, and
Bassanio ma*es plans to ret!rn to )enice to try to resc!e his friend
+ ,ow is Portias demeanor with Bassanio different from that with her other s!itors-
$hat new side of Portia are we seein"- %ive s!pport for yo!r answer from the te.t
2 $hy the new emphasis on m!sic -
3 E.amine the end rhymes of Portias son" as well as the ima"es it incl!des ,ow mi"ht
these #e constr!ed as hints-
/ &oo* at the circ!mstances !nder which Bassanio has come to co!rt Portia 0s he the
type of man Portias father wo!ld have chosen for her- 1oes he have an !nfair advanta"e
in her hints-
2 Compare Bassanios lo"ic in selection with 3oroccos and Ara"ons ,ow does his
elimination process differ from theirs- ,ow does his description of the world also
descri#e himself- $o!ld he have #een a#le to choose witho!t Portias hints or
enco!ra"ement- $hy or why not-
4 Portia "ives Bassanio the rin" with a warnin", and Bassanio accepts the rin" with his
own pled"e ,ow is this contract or #ond similar to and different from the one made in
)enice- $hat si"nificance did rin"s have in Eli'a#ethan En"land- 1o they have the
same si"nificance today-
5 $hat news do %ratiano and Nerissa have- $hat #et do they ma*e with
Bassanio and Portia-
6 &oo* at the 7welcome8 "iven to (essica ,ow does she try to fit into Belmont society-
$hat will life #e li*e for her-
9 Bassanio comes clean a#o!t his financial stat!s :ll22;<25+= $hat effect does that
have on Portia-
+; ,ow does the news from )enice chan"e the lan"!a"e !sed in Belmont-
++ $hat does Antonios letter indicate a#o!t his feelin"s for Bassanio-
ACT3, SCENE 3
Shylock takes Antonio to jail, with Antonio pleading for mercy in vain. Solanio and
Antonio discuss whether the Duke will dismiss the case, but Antonio believes the law
will hold.
1. Why does Shylock insist on the punishment for forfeiting the bond
!. Why does Solanio think the Duke will forgive the forfeiture Why doesn"t
Antonio
#. $uch of this play has to do with %hristian vs. &ewish standards of morality.
What takes precedence in 'enetian law, where commerce is king
A%( #, S%)*) +
,ortia leaves her estate in the hands of -oren.o while pretending to stay at a monastery a
few miles away during their husbands" absence. /nstead, she gets documents and legal
clothing from her lawyer cousin so she and *erissa may go to 'enice. ,ortia promises
she will divulge her plan on the way to 'enice.
1. Why would ,ortia even consider helping Antonio
!. What does she tell -oren.o that she and *erissa will do What is their actual plan
#. What does ,ortia"s speech about their disguises say about her opinion of men
+. 0ow is she e1uipped to portray a man
2. What does &essica"s cross3dressing have in common with ,ortia and *erissa"s What
purpose does each serve
4. What disadvantages do you see with ,ortia, coming from 5elmont to 'enice What
advantages does she have
A%(#, S%)*) 2
/n a scriptural debate -auncelot tells &essica he believes she is damned for her father"s
sins, but she asserts that because of her husband, she will not be. -auncelot complains
about the conversion of the &ews, which, since they will not be forbidden to eat pork, will
raise the price of bacon. -oren.o enters and berates -auncelot forgetting a $oorish
servant pregnant. 0e and *erissa discuss ,ortia"s merits, and -oren.o comments that he
is as great a husband as ,ortia is a wife.
1. 0ow has the relationship between &essica and -auncelot changed since -auncelot
became 5assanio"s servant and not Shylock"s 0as his change in master changed his
personality )6plain.
!. Why does -auncelot use wordplay as humor What effect does his humor have
#. What do &essica and -oren.o think of ,ortia Why is their opinion important enough
for Shakespeare to show
A%( +, S%)*) 1
Shylock refuses to dismiss the bond, even for repayment of twice the original loan. (he
Duke tries to reason with Shylock, asking him to have mercy in order to gain mercy, but
Shylock argues that, since he has purchased his pound of flesh, it is his to do with as he
likes. ,ortia and *erissa show up disguised, respectively as a young lawyer and a clerk,
just as the Duke is ready to allow Shylock to claim his bond. ,ortia acknowledges the
bond, but appeals to Shylock with her 71uality of mercy is not strained8 speech. When he
refuses, ,ortia says the law must be upheld, but asks him to reconsider mercy. Still, he
demands his bond. As Shylock prepares his knife and the scales on which to weigh the
flesh, Antonio bids a passion3filled farewell to 5assanio, who declares that he would give
up his wife to keep Antonio alive, to ,ortia and *erissa"s chagrin. As the sentence comes
down, ,ortia reveals the loopholes in the law9 not a drop of blood may be spilled with the
taking of the pound of flesh: and precisely a pound of flesh may be taken, no more or
less. ;therwise, all his possessions will be confiscated by the state of 'enice. When
Shylock backpedals, trying to take the payment rather than the bond, ,ortia shows no
mercy. <urthermore, since Shylock has essentially plotted murder, his property will be
split between Antonio and the state, and he is subject to the death penalty. (he Duke
allows him to live but re1uires that not only should Shylock"s property be willed to
-oren.o and &essica but that Shylock become a %hristian as well. Shylock assents,
saying, 7/ am not well8. Antonio and 5assanio offer to pay the disguised ,ortia and
*erissa for their help. (hey refuse, but ,ortia agrees to take Antonio"s gloves, asking
5assanio for his wedding ring. 5assanio initially refuses, but recants, sending =ratiano to
deliver the ring.
1. What is Antonio"s mood going into the trial
!. What comparisons does Antonio make concerning 5assanio"s arguing with
Shylock
#. 0ow is others" treatment of their slaves comparable to Shylock"s treatment of his
>pound of flesh," according to Shylock 0ow does this argument test 'enetian law
+. /f the courts do not uphold Shylock"s claim, what does that mean for the laws
of 'enice
2. 0ow do those in the courtroom react to Shylock 0ow would you describe their
behavior 0ow is their behavior similar to and different from behavior towards
him in the streets of 'enice <ind evidence from the te6t for your comparison.
4. What appeals does ,ortia make in petitioning Shylock to have mercy What
effect do these appeals have on Shylock
?. Why is Shylock so adamant about the law and in his refusal to grant mercy,
despite the offer of double and triple repayment What is greater than his
religion and his love of money
@. Does it surprise you that ,ortia upholds the law instead of bending it in this case
Why or why not
A. What does it mean for Shylock to call ,ortia a 7Daniel8
1B. Why does Shylock refuse to get a doctor to attend to Antonio
11. What effect do 5assanio"s pleas have
1!. What is Antonio"s reaction to the trial
1#. 0ow does =ratiano respond to the proceedings
1+. 0ow does ,ortia save Antonio"s life
12. What is the legal punishment for conspiring against a 'enetian"s life
14. What mercy does the Duke show 5efore he gives his punishment, the Duke
tells Shylock that he will 7see the difference of our spirit8 Cl.#4?D. What is the
spirit of the 'enetians, and by e6tension, %hristians
1?. What about Antonio"s mercy What are his conditions
1@. 0ow does Shylock feel about the outcome of the trial 0ow do you feel about it
1A. Was this a fair trial )6plain.
!B. What do the 'enetians gain from Shylock"s conversion to %hristianity Why
would this punishment be viewed as a virtuous one
!1. What new insights do ,ortia and *erissa have into their husbands" natures as
a result of this trial
!#. Why would ,ortia ask 5assanio for the ring he had promised not to give away
What does this say about her character
!+. What e6cuse does 5assanio give the disguised ,ortia for not initially giving her
his wedding ring
!2. 0ow easy is it for Antonio to change 5assanio"s mind What does Antonio say
5assanio should value more than the ring
A%(+, S%)*)!
,ortia and *erissa deliver the deed for Shylock to sign. =ratiano catches up to
deliver 5assanio"s ring to them. *erissa decides to get =ratiano to give up his ring,
and both plot to make the men sorry they ever did.
1. What does the fact that both 5assanio and =ratiano give their rings away say
about relationships between men and relationships between men and women
!. 0ow serious will the conse1uences of giving the rings away be 0ow do you
know
#. What is Shakespeare"s intent in bringing in the ring plotline here What purpose
does it serve
A%(2, S%)*) 1
/n ,ortia"s garden -oren.o and &essica compare themselves to famous romantic
couples of myth and literature. When servants inform them of their masters" arrivals,
-oren.o asks for music with which to greet ,ortia, noting its power to charm.
,ortia and *erissa arrive, warning the servants not to mention their absence. Epon
his return 5assanio introduces the women to Antonio. ,ortia and *erissa 1uarrel
with 5assanio and =ratiano respectively about their missing rings, withholding their
husbands" marital privileges until they have their rings back. /n fact, both women
confess they slept with the lawyer and his clerk to retrieve their rings.
5efore the men are too shocked at their wives" 7unfaithfulness,8 ,ortia shows them
a letter from her lawyer cousin e6plaining their roles in saving Antonio"s life. /n true
romantic form, Antonio"s ships miraculously return, -oren.o and &essica learn they
will inherit Shylock"s fortune, and everyone retires to bed as morning comes.
1. 0ow does the dramatic shift in setting affect the tone of the play at this point
!. Why does Shakespeare return us to -oren.o and &essica What can we glean about
their relationship Are they a good match )6plain your answer.
#. 0ow is this scene the comic inverse of the courtroom scene from /', i.
+. 0ow is ,ortia"s intelligence an asset to her marriage 0ow is it a hindrance
2. Does this play have a 7happily ever after8 ending Why or why not What
contributes to that feeling What detracts from it