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The Merchant Of Venice Act -2, Scene - 5 workbook answers


 

Extract 1

 Shylock

I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:
There are my keys.– But wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me;
But yet I’ll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal Christian.– Jessica, my girl, 
Look to my house.– I am right loath to go: 
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags tonight.
 

1. Why does Shylock accept the invitation to dinner? On what grounds did Shylock refuse to accept an invitation to dinner earlier in the play?

Ans:Shylock accepted the invitation because he intended to squander Christian's money by attending the supper. When Bassanio asks him to dinner in Act I, Scene 3, he declines to eat with Christians since they eat pork.

2.Why is Shylock unhappy to accept the invitation this time too? Who is the prodigal Christian? Give the significance of a the word: prodigal.

Ans:Shylock is hesitant to accept the invitation this time as well, since he has a feeling that something bad is about to happen. He had a dream about money-bags the night before, which was regarded as a terrible omen. Bassanio is known as the prodigal Christian because he is a squanderer who spends money he has borrowed from Shylock extravagantly. The prodigal son, as described in the Bible, squandered his inheritance by living lavishly and irresponsibly.

3.Give the meaning of:

 a) I am not bid for love

b) I am right loath to go
 
Ans:
A)I am not invited our of love.
B)I hate to accept the invitation to dinner. 

4. How do Jessica and Lorenzo take advantage of Shylock’s absence from home during dinner?

Ans:Jessica and Lorenzo devise a scheme to elope when Shylock is away from home. Jessica takes advantage of the opportunity to flee the house with her father's money and jewellery. Lorenzo takes advantage of the opportunity to organise a masquerade in which Jessica will serve as the torchbearer, allowing them to simply elope.

5. What sort of a bad omen did Shylock have which made him think that there is some evil being plotted against him?

Ans:The night before, Shylock had a dream about money bags. Dreaming about money and various coins was thought to be a bad omen. This made Shylock believe that something bad was being planned against him.
 
 
 
 
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Extract II

Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck’d fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street,
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish’d faces;
But stop my house’s ears, I mean my casements:
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house.– By Jacob’s staff, I swear
 I have no mind of feasting forth to-night;
 

 

 1. Who is the speaker of the above lines? To whom is he giving his advice? Why should the doors be locked?

Ans:The above lines are spoken by Shylock. Jessica, his daughter, is receiving this guidance from him. When Launcelot tells him about the masquerade, he is worried that the merriment may get out of hand. He despises their nonsense. As a result, he asks Jessica to lock the house's doors so that no sounds of stupid displays might enter his solemn residence.

2. Where is the speaker going? What reason does he give for his going out? Who was Jacob? Why does the speaker swear by Jacob’s staff?

Ans:Bassanio's dinner party is where the speaker will be. He's going out for dinner because he despises Christians and wants to eat the extravagant's food, Bassanio. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, the Jewish race's founder. Shylock's ancestor, Jacob, possessed a staff that was a benefit to him, according to the Bible. Jacob boasts in Genesis 32:12 that he crossed the Jordan River with only a staff and returned with companies of men.

3. Give the meaning of: 

a) Clamber not you up to the casements 
b) Sound of shallow foppery

Ans:(a) Do not climb up to see from the windows.
(b) Shrill notes of the fife

4.Who are the ‘Christian fools with varnished faces’? What were they planning against the speaker? What warning did the speaker have of it earlier?

Ans:The Christians who took part in the masquerade at Bassanio's dinner party are referred to as "Christian fools with varnished faces." They intended for the speaker's daughter to elope with a Christian, Lorenzo, using the speaker's money and jewellery as a down payment. This was foreshadowed by the speaker in the form of a 'dream where is on money bags and coins.'

5. Summarize the advice of the speaker in your own words. Does the person to whom the advice is given, follow the speaker’s advice? Why?

Ans:He tells Jessica to lock his doors and not to go to the casement if she hears the drum and the wry-neck fife squealing, and he advises her to gaze at the ignorant Christians. Jessica's father, Shylock, gave her the advice. She ignored the advise and took advantage of the masquerade to elope with Lorenzo.
 
 
 
 
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Extract III

 
Shylock

The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder,
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than the wild-cat; drones hive not with me;
Therefore I part with him; and part with him
To one that I would have him help to waste 
His borrow’d purse. — Well, Jessica, go in: 
Perhaps I will return immediately:
Do as I bid you; shut doors after you: Fast bind, fast find;
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind. [Exit]
 

 

1.What is meant by the ‘patch’ in the extract? What reasons does Shylock give to Jessica for parting with Launcelot?

Ans:  In the passage, the word 'patch' refers to a clown, idiot, or jester. Shylock claims that he is sending Launcelot to Bassanio because he will aid Bassanio in his squandering of borrowed funds.

2.Whom does Shylock wish to be ruined? Why?

Ans:Shylock wants Bassanio to be destroyed because he wants to exact revenge on Antonio, which he can do if Bassanio and Antonio do not repay the debt by the deadline.

3. What does Shylock mean by saying, ‘drones hive not with me’?

Ans: Shylock is implying that lazy people cannot live with him with the aforesaid comments. Shylock claims that Launcelot is too indolent to be his servant, so he hires him to work for Bassanio.

4.What is meant by the ‘borrowed purse’? For what purpose was it borrowed?

Ans:The three thousand ducats borrowed by Bassanio from Shylock on the basis of Antonio's bond are referred to as the 'borrowed purse.' The money was borrowed so that Bassanio might travel to Belmont and marry Portia after winning the casket lottery.

5. (a) Why does Shylock ask Jessica to shut doors? Give the meaning of: Fast bind, fast find.

(b) Describe briefly how Shylock becomes an instrument of fate in this scene.  

Ans:

(a) Shylock requests that Jessica close the doors to keep the masquerade revellers out of his home. He uses the phrase 'rapid bind, fast find,' which suggests that if you lock something up, you'll be able to find it quickly. (Leave secure and you'll find everything secure.)

(b) Shylock becomes an instrument of fate in this scene, advancing the plot's motion. On the one hand, his desire for vengeance against Antonio is shown when he attends the supper to assist in the consumption of Bassanio's borrowed funds. He disregards his religious beliefs, which banned him from eating with Christians. Because of his vindictive disposition, he even disregards warnings of oncoming danger. Jessica took advantage of the situation by fleeing home with money and jewellery and eloping with Lorenzo, a Christian. As a result, fate has enlisted the help of Shylock to carry out its objectives. 


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