Merchant of Venice Act IV Discussion Questions
- Does Antonio actively want to sacrifice himself in order to save Bassanio?
- What would Antonio's motivations be for sacrificing himself?
- Does Portia not actually know "which is the merchant here and which the Jew"?
- Does Portia intend to punish Shylock from the very beginning, or does she come up with her plan (following "Tarry a little, there is something else...") on the spur of the moment?
- If Portia lays a trap for Shylock, trying to pin him down to the exact letter of the law throughout the courtroom scene, what are we to make of her lovely speech about showing mercy?
- Knowing the depth of feeling that exists between Antonio and her husband, would Portia be better off if she let Shylock take Antonio's life?
- Is Bassanio truly ready to sacrifice Portia on the altar of his love for Antonio, or is he making a bluff, certain his offer will not be accepted
- Bassanio's ring gets invested with more an more meaning as the scene goes on. What does Bassanio's ring symbolize at the beginning of the scene? What does it come to symbolize or represent at the end of the scene? What does Antonio make the ring symbolize?
Some questions may have been taken or adapted from the following site:
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~sflores/345merchant.html