Antonio’s cash is tied up in his ships, but he allows Bassanio to borrow money on his behalf. In Belmont, Portia complains that her dead father’s will prevents her from choosing her own husband.
Themes The conflict of love and money
I … thrift I feel I’m going to make
The opening scene contains many references to a major theme of the play: the clash between the pursuit of love and the desire for wealth. In Bassanio’s pursuit of Portia, the two come together.
at sea invested in my ships commodity goods
r Find quotations in Scene 1 that highlight the importance of love or money. In each case, explain what the quotation suggests about the speaker’s attitude to either love or money. Then write a paragraph exploring the conflicting viewpoints presented.
Stagecraft
a huge profit
racked even to the uttermost stretched to the limit
furnish thee provide for you to go presently immediately To have … sake on my credit or for the sake of friendship
Belmont: Portia’s home The action of the play must move swiftly from the financial, all-male world of the public places of Venice to the female world of Belmont (literally ‘fair mountain’), which is Portia’s home. a Using the illustration of Shakespeare’s stage on page 189, suggest a few simple ways to convey to an Elizabethan audience that this next scene takes place in ‘the garden of Portia’s house’. b Think about how you might evoke the wealth and splendour of Portia’s home in a modern production. Study the images on pages vi, 90,165 and 183, then write up or sketch your design ideas in your Director’s Journal. c As you read on, look out for the way Shakespeare alternates scenes that are played out in public areas in Venice, and those that have intimate domestic locations. Can you think of any reasons why the play might unfold like this?
1 Portia’s weariness – like Antonio’s sadness? (in pairs)
troth faith
surfeit overfeed seated in the mean of average wealth
superfluity … longer too much good living ages us; having just enough makes us live longer
divine priest The brain … decree the head is
Portia’s opening words in Scene 2 echo Antonio’s at the start of Scene 1.
overruled by the heart
r Share a quick reading of Scene 2 and identify possible reasons for Portia’s comment that she is ‘aweary of this great world’. (For example, Nerissa tells Portia that riches don’t bring happiness: people can be made sick by having too much.) Compare your conclusions about Portia’s state of mind with your observations about Antonio’s sadness in the first scene.
meshes nets
12
But … husband all this talking won’t help me find a man