Merchant of Venice Act III Discussion Questions
- Shylock lists his reasons for hating Antonio. What are those reasons, and which of those reasons has Antonio confirmed by his own statements or behavior?
- Is Antonio's behavior wholly anti-Semitic, or is it directed against Shylock specifically?
- Shylock makes the interesting statement that he "never felt [the curse against the Jewish nation] until now," which is suggesting that only now is he truly feeling the sting of anti-Semitic hostility. Does this line make us sympathize more with Shylock, or does it make us pull back from him and wonder if he only cares about himself?
- Which event -- Jessica's elopement, or her theft of the jewels and money -- torments Shylock more?
- The most famous speech in this play is Shylock's "I am a Jew." In this speech, he appeals to a common ethos, our universal humanity. Throughout the speech until right before the end, Shylock points out that Jews bleed just as Christians; that they are warmed and cooled just as Christians are. Finally, at the end of the speech, he asserts that this common human experience leads to a common desire for revenge. Do we find his logic persuasive?
- Again, to what extent does Shakespeare buy into the anti-Semitism of some of his characters? Are we meant to sympathize with Shylock?
- Readers of this play find their sympathies both for and against Shylock undergo rapid change, sometimes from line to line (or even word to word). Chart where we feel more and less sympathy with Shylock throughout this act. Why has Shakespeare appealed so powerfully to values we all share and yet at the same time, made it difficult to sympathize wholeheartedly with this character?
- Throughout this play, we see a conflict between the "letter of the law" and its spirit. Portia wishes she could teach Bassanio how to choose the right casket, but she will not break the letter of the law her father has devised for her. Why does she then decide to give him clues?
- Without the clues Portia gave him, which casket might Bassanio have chosen? Justify your answer.
- Does Portia know that Bassanio is after her money? If she does, why does she want him as a husband? If she does not, why do her casket hints so clearly steer him away from choosing gold or silver?
- Lines 97-101 describe almost exactly Bassanio's own self-presentation. He is a bankrupt several times over who appears in Belmont gilded with borrowed wealth, putting on a show that is hardly necessary given the terms under which Portia will be betrothed. He is literally all show and no substance, and fortunately for him, he knows this about himself and uses it as an object lesson in interpreting the casket riddle correctly (with some help from Portia). Is Bassanio the sort of man Portia's father would have chosen?
- Given that Bassanio evidently visited Belmont before Portia's father died, is it possible that the casket contest was set up to weed him out specifically?
- Lorenzo and Jessica are thieves and outlaws, sought by the state of Venice for larceny. Why does Portia puts them in charge of her household?
- Lancelot invokes scripture (Exodus 34:7) to prove that Jessica must be damned for her father's sins. Jessica invokes 1 Corinthians 7:14 to prove that she will not. Ezekiel 18:20 appears to say just the opposite of Exodus 34:7. It seems that not only the devil can cite scripture to his own purposes (1.3.94); anyone can. Does the scripture contradict itself, or can it simply be interpreted to one's liking? Lancelot (like Feste in Twelfth Night) is an expert at playing with words and their meanings. If words, intentions, and meanings are undependable (even the words of scripture) what good are bonds and contracts, professions of love, the laws? Will any discourse bend to one's will? Can anyone "for a tricksy word/ Defy the matter" (59-60). If so, then the whole world could fall into chaos. The play raises this possibility but must somehow contain it or the play itself is no better than nonsense.