Scene 1
Important points and themes (both isolated and pertaining throughout)
- Prince of Morocco anticipates the enthnic prejudices that fairer
skinned people may have and his talk of skin colour and red blood
reduces human beings to meat which makes the reader recall the
pound of flesh shylock wants from ant. Also, the Prince of Morocco’s
words establish a basis of equality among all people.
- Portia refuses that she judges someone on the basis of their looks,
rather she judges them on the basis of their words and deeds. So
even though she might secretly harbour ethnic prejudices, she also
has a need for maintaining public appearances.
- Portia also compliments him, but the reader understands that in
reality it is a sarcastic quip (based off of her mocking the other suitors
in 1.2). The Prince of Morocco does not know this, showing that
interpretation is a matter of context.
- Portia also explains the terms of her father’s riddle which shows the
strict, legal structure of it. It makes one wonder why he would choose
such a riddle and later in the play when his riddle does lead her to
find the best husband - one can only wonder how he could be so
certain in gambling away his daughter’s hand in marriage. This
makes Portia’s father an enigmatic character.
- Also by delaying the choosing of the caskets by the Prince of
Morocco, Shakes makes the eventual reading and interpretation
more dramatic and suspenseful.
- Morocco, unlike the other suitors, proves his valiance in his
willingness to risk so much for Portia's love.
, Scene 2
Important points and themes (both isolated and pertaining throughout)
- We are introduced to Lancelot Gobbo, a clown character, who is in
service of Shylock, The Jew. He finds himself in a moral dilemma. On
one hand, he has his conscience, which pushes him toward
obedience to Shylock, his master, whom he has served for years. On
the other hand is his prejudice, which he describes as a kind of fiend,
which sees Jews as devils. (If he followed his conscience, he would
have to serve Shylock, who he describes as devil incarnate; and if he
were to run away then he would be following the advice of the devil
himself aka his prejudice.) His conscience tells him to stay for he is
the son of a good father (or rather a good mother for his father
cheated on his mother). His prejudice - the fiend - urges him to run
away because Shylock is a miserly man who abuses his servants.
- Lancelot’s dilemma between listening to his conscience or prejudice
may be Shakespeare trying to shed a light onto the hatred people of
all social classes harboured towards Jews. Lancelot Gobbo chooses
to listen to “the devil” (his prejudice, the fiend) rather than continue to
serve Shylock.
- Lancelot meets his father - ‘Old Gobbo’ - the very same man he
described as a low-life. He decides to take advantage of his father’s
blindness and plays a cruel trick on him, by convincing him that his
son is dead. This cruel scene, in which a child abuses his parent,
foreshadows how Jessica will abandon her father, despite him having
done her no wrong. Old Gobbo’s blindness is an interpretive
handicap: he literally cannot see things. Shylock will also fail to see
his daughter’s unhappiness and escape plan before it's too late.
- Important question of identity - when Lancelot says that if he works
for the Jew any longer, he will become a Jew himself. Can one
become a Jew, or is Jewishness inborn and inescapable? Perhaps he
means that if he works for Shylock any longer, his miniscule
reputation in society that he has somehow managed to preserve
Important points and themes (both isolated and pertaining throughout)
- Prince of Morocco anticipates the enthnic prejudices that fairer
skinned people may have and his talk of skin colour and red blood
reduces human beings to meat which makes the reader recall the
pound of flesh shylock wants from ant. Also, the Prince of Morocco’s
words establish a basis of equality among all people.
- Portia refuses that she judges someone on the basis of their looks,
rather she judges them on the basis of their words and deeds. So
even though she might secretly harbour ethnic prejudices, she also
has a need for maintaining public appearances.
- Portia also compliments him, but the reader understands that in
reality it is a sarcastic quip (based off of her mocking the other suitors
in 1.2). The Prince of Morocco does not know this, showing that
interpretation is a matter of context.
- Portia also explains the terms of her father’s riddle which shows the
strict, legal structure of it. It makes one wonder why he would choose
such a riddle and later in the play when his riddle does lead her to
find the best husband - one can only wonder how he could be so
certain in gambling away his daughter’s hand in marriage. This
makes Portia’s father an enigmatic character.
- Also by delaying the choosing of the caskets by the Prince of
Morocco, Shakes makes the eventual reading and interpretation
more dramatic and suspenseful.
- Morocco, unlike the other suitors, proves his valiance in his
willingness to risk so much for Portia's love.
, Scene 2
Important points and themes (both isolated and pertaining throughout)
- We are introduced to Lancelot Gobbo, a clown character, who is in
service of Shylock, The Jew. He finds himself in a moral dilemma. On
one hand, he has his conscience, which pushes him toward
obedience to Shylock, his master, whom he has served for years. On
the other hand is his prejudice, which he describes as a kind of fiend,
which sees Jews as devils. (If he followed his conscience, he would
have to serve Shylock, who he describes as devil incarnate; and if he
were to run away then he would be following the advice of the devil
himself aka his prejudice.) His conscience tells him to stay for he is
the son of a good father (or rather a good mother for his father
cheated on his mother). His prejudice - the fiend - urges him to run
away because Shylock is a miserly man who abuses his servants.
- Lancelot’s dilemma between listening to his conscience or prejudice
may be Shakespeare trying to shed a light onto the hatred people of
all social classes harboured towards Jews. Lancelot Gobbo chooses
to listen to “the devil” (his prejudice, the fiend) rather than continue to
serve Shylock.
- Lancelot meets his father - ‘Old Gobbo’ - the very same man he
described as a low-life. He decides to take advantage of his father’s
blindness and plays a cruel trick on him, by convincing him that his
son is dead. This cruel scene, in which a child abuses his parent,
foreshadows how Jessica will abandon her father, despite him having
done her no wrong. Old Gobbo’s blindness is an interpretive
handicap: he literally cannot see things. Shylock will also fail to see
his daughter’s unhappiness and escape plan before it's too late.
- Important question of identity - when Lancelot says that if he works
for the Jew any longer, he will become a Jew himself. Can one
become a Jew, or is Jewishness inborn and inescapable? Perhaps he
means that if he works for Shylock any longer, his miniscule
reputation in society that he has somehow managed to preserve
