Short Answer Type Question:(answer
the following question in not more than 30 words. )
Q .1) What is
Merchant of Venice?
Ans. Shakespeare has written 37 plays
in all. The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy. It was published in 1600.
Q.2) What is the
main theme of the play ‘The Merchant Of Venice.’?
Ans. The victory of justice over
wickedness is the main theme of the play ‘The Merchant Of Venice’.
Q .3) Who is
Portia?
Ans. Portia is the central character
in the play ‘The Merchant Of Venice.’ She is the actress of the play. She is a
doctor of law. She is beautiful, honorable, witty, self confident and dutiful.
Q .4) Who was
Antonio? Why was he unhappy?
Ans. Antonio was a merchant. He was
unhappy because he had not enough money to marry with Portia.
Q .5) Why was
shylock full of hatred for Antonio?
Ans. Shylock was a Jew and he knew
that Antonio was full of hatred for the Jews. He also criticized for lending
money at a very high rate of interest. So Shylock hatred Antonio.
Q .6) What was the
bond against which Antonio borrowed money from shylock?
Ans. Antonio borrowed money from
shylock against the bond that if the money was not paid back, shylock would
have the right to cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh.
Q .7) Why was
Antonio not able to pay shylock’s money back?
Ans. Antonio not able to pay shylock’s
money back because his ship was wrecked and he was ruined.
Q.8) Why was Shylock
willing to give money to Antonio?
Ans. Shylock
was willing to give money to Antonio because he wanted to get an opportunity to
take revenge against Antonio if he could not pay the debt.
Q.9) Who was
Bassanio?
Ans. Bassanio was thye friend of
Antonio. He loved Antonio very much. In return of his love Antonio borrowed
money from Shylock and helped Bassanio in marrying Portia.
Q.10) Who was the Judge
in the trial? How did he want to calm down Shylock?
Ans. The Duke was the judge in the
trial. He wanted to calm down Shylock by appealing him to be merciful and kind
to Antonio but it was useless.
Q.11) Why did
Antonio borrow money from Shylock?
Ans. Antonio wanted to help his friend
Bassanio who wanted to married with Portia. But Antonio had no money at that
time so he borrowed money from Shylock.
Q.12) What are the
views of Portia about mercy in the court scene?
Ans. Portia glorifies mercy in the
court. She describes mercy as the divine virtue. In her opinion mercy is a
natural quality. Which blesses all.
Q.13) Why did
Jessica run away from her house?
Ans. Jessica, the daughter of Shylock,
wanted to marry a Christian and defamed Shylock’s family.
Q14) Why was
Jessica not afraid of her father’s sin?
Ans. Jessica was not afraid of her
father’s sin because she was sure that goodness of Lorenzo would save her.
Long Answer Type
Question:
Q.1) Give a
character sketch of Portia?OR
What qualities do
you find in the character of Portia?
Ans. Portia is the chief character in
the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by
‘William Shakespeare’. Indeed ‘this is Portia who changed the play’. She is blend of beauty and magical
personality.
1. Dominating
character – If
we look upon other character of the play we find that Portia is the dominating
character in the play. Her personality is the combination of both the masculine
and feminine qualities. She is really the pivot of the play.
2. Her beauty - Portia is one of the most
beautiful heroines of Shakespeare. The prince of Morocco is infatuated by
Portia’s beauty. Bassinio is also attracted to her.
3. Witty – Portia is a lady who has witty as
well as wit. this is really a rare quality in women. She delivers eloquent
speech in the court and praises the noble quality of mercy.
4. Dutifulness – Portia is a women of duty and
honor. She is the women believing in all the qualities which enhance the
dignity of noble men.
5. Sense of justice
– Portia has
great sense of justice. In the court she defends Antonio on the ground of
mercy. She elaborates the quality of mercy and dignifies mercy as a divine
quality when mingled with justice.
Q.2) Give a
character sketch of Antonio?
Ans. Antonio is a significant
character in the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. He is in the play from
beginning to end. Indeed the play has been named after Antonio. The qualities
in his character are given below.
1. Nobility –Antonio is a man of noble
virtues. He is generous and kind hearted. He is free from ill will and is
always ready to help other in need.
2. A man of
struggle – Antonio
is a man of real strength. He is really indifferent to pleasure and pains. He
takes them naturally. In the beginning his melancholy when he says,
‘In
sooth, I know not why I am sad.’
3. his grudge for
shylock – Antonio
is full of great grudge for shylock because Shylock is a Jew and lends money at
a very high rate of interest. Antonio compares Shylock with a Dog. He comments,
“I am as like to call thee a dog so again,
To spit on thee
again, to spurn thee too.
4. His flaws – Antonio has some flaws too. He
hates all the religious except Christianity. He is so simple that he fails to
see through the tricks of Shylock on an illogical condition.
Q.3) Give a sketch
of Bassanio?
Ans. Bassanio is an important
character in the play. He is married to Portia, the heroine of the play. He is
the friend of Antonio.
1. His personality
- Bassanio is a man of impressive personality.
His charms of personality of attract all. Portia praises him by saying, “he of
all men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon was the best deserving a fair
lady.”
2. Spend thrift – Bassanio is a spend thrift man.
His friend and servant flatter him because of his extravagant nature. He gives
his good clothes to his servants. He gives free food to friend and servant and
he is pleased by his generosity.
3. A true friend – Bassanio is a man who values
friendship above everything in life. He loves Antonio and is full of great
respect for him. About Antonio he speaks
“The greatest
friend for me, the kindliest man.”
Again he says to Antonio
“Antonio, I would sacrifice, myself, my wife, dear to me as life and
all the world to save you from the devil.”
4. Wise – Bassanio is a wise man who takes
life wisely. He shows wisdom in selecting the right casket and winning the hand
of Portia.
Q.4) Give a
character sketch of Shylock?
Ans. Shylock is a negative character
in the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. He
is misery money lender and a rich Jew of Venice.
1. His personality
– Shylock is a
physically strong. He has sharp eyes and long hair. He is intellectual. He has
suspicious nature. He is really a hypocrite.
2. Greedy and
selfish – Shylock
is selfish and greedy. Money is really his religion. When his daughter Jessica
runs away with her lover with his gold, Shylock does not lament for her so much
as for his gold.
3. His hatred for
Antonio – Shylock
is full of hatred for Antonio
because Antonio is a Christian. He loves the Jews In his opinion. “Endurance of
wrong is the characteristic of the whole Jewish race”.
4. Scheming and
revengeful – Shylock
is a scheming and revengeful person. He is very cunning. He lends money to
Antonio with an evil plan in his mind. He takes Antonio in his faith and
cunningly makes him sign the bond.
Shylock is a wicked person but he has some good qualities too. He is
firm, bold and’ intelligent but he uses these qualities wrongly.
Q .5) Why did
shylock hate Antonio?
Ans. Shylock is a significant
character in the play. His hatred is the chief theme of the play. His hatred
for Antonio is deep rooted. The hatred reason are given below:
1. Antonio was a Christian and shylock was a Jew.
Antonio had a strong faith in his religion. Shylock hates Antonio because he is
a Christian and he shows his strong faith in his religion.
2. There was business deal between Shylock and
Antonio. Antonio was an honest and hard working trader. He used to lend money
others at normal rate of interest. He was ready to help the needy but Shylock
was a different kind of man. He lent money at very high rate of interest. Shylock
did not like Antonio’s habit of helping the needy. So Shylock hated Antonio.
3. Antonio damn shylock for charging so much
interest. He scolded shylock in public. This was an insult for shylock. So he
was full of hatred of Antonio.
Q .6) What are the
views of Portia about the quality of Mercy?
Ans. The Merchant Of Venice is one of
the best and most popular plays of Shakespeare. This play appeals to all to
merciful and forget the feeling of revenge. Portia, The heroine of the play
define the virtue of mercy and tries to
be merciful on Antonio as a blessing of Shylock.
Mercy- A Noble
Virtue: Portia
is trying to change the mind of Shylock. She says that mercy is noble and
natural quality which can never be forced. It flows freely from the heart of
the man as the rain falls freely from the sky upon the earth. It is beneficial
for both- the giver and the receiver.
A divine virtue: Portia disclose the prestige of
Mercy. She says that it is a divine virtue. It is the quality, always lives in
God’s heart. It is more powerful than any other quality in the world. She also
says to judge specially that The decision of a king becomes divine and popular
when Mercy is mixed in to Justice.
So Shylock should have mercy on
Antonio.