The audience is first acquainted with Bassanio in the opening scene of the play, where he seeks to lend money from his disconsolate friend, Antonio.
In Act 1 Scene 1, Gratiano and Lorenzo leave Antonio and Bassanio alone. At this moment, Bassanio reveals his financial crisis. Bassanio tells Antonio “’Tis unknown to you, Antonio/How much I have disabled mine estate” and also states “To unburden all my plots and purposes/How to get clear of all the debts I owe.” Bassanio is admitting to Antonio that he has squandered his wealth. Here we perceive him to be a young man who has a habit of spending money frivolously, which builds on the idea that he is irresponsible. The audience is also displeased with Bassanio because he isn’t as solicitous as
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Bassanio makes Lancelot feel welcome as his new servant by demanding a follower of his to “Give him a livery/More guarded than his fellows’; see it done.” This makes Bassanio look like he is generous.
Shortly before Bassanio and Gratiano take a trip to Belmont, Bassanio points out to Gratiano “Thou art too wild, too rude, too bold of voice.” He isn’t unfairly criticising him, Bassanio wants to make a good impression on Portia. Bassanio needs to be entitled to a high-class status when he reaches Belmont, so that he can woo Portia. This suggests that he wants to make an effort to please her, and he is possibly worthy of her love after all.
While he is in Belmont, Portia makes an absolute declaration of love by stating “One half of me is yours, the other half yours.” At this point, Bassanio is aware of the fact that Portia is definitely in love with him. However, he feels guilty when he says “Let me choose/For as I am, I live upon the rack.” In this extended metaphor of torture, Portia replies “Then confess/What treason there is mingled with your love.” This metaphor speaks about trust and suggests that Bassanio wants to tell Portia the truth about his financial status, but he’s unwilling to because he is afraid of disappointing her. This language of intimacy proves that he cares about Portia and does not want her to lose interest in him. Yet again, this implies that he is worthy of Portia’s
This misunderstanding leads Petruchio to wring Grumio by the ears causing Grumio to plead for someone to save him. Hortensio hears the commotion in front of his door, but doesn’t mention it to either Petruchio or Grumio. Instead, he tells Petruchio of a young lady within Padua, Katherine, who Petruchio should consider courting for marriage. This behavior from Hortensio is so terrible because he is well aware of abuse Petruchio is capable of but he still sets him up with Katherine, knowing that Petruchio is likely to abuse her too. The second behavioral warning sign Petruchio shows is when arrives late to his own wedding, causing Katherine to believe she is being stood up on her wedding day. When he does finally arrive, he is dressed in ridiculous clothing with his horse lame in its hips. He is quite the spectacle to behold, much to the disappointment of Tranio and Baptista, who implore him to change into more suitable clothing. He refuses their requests and states “to me she’s married, not unto my clothes” (III.ii.119). This is the first behavioral warning sign presented by Petruchio to Baptista, showing a less charming version of him. This sharp change in
In the next paragraph Alessandra mentions that she saw Mona Lucrezia di Piero had sent him a nice letter for thanking him for the flax that he sent to her. Alessandra then says she should reward him with kind words about Filippo to Piero. This is basically saying that Alessandra thinks Mona should put in a good word for Filippo. This shows us just how much power the Medici family had during this period. In the last paragraph, Alessandra mentions that two
“In this world, it is disturbing easy for Don John and Borachio to convince Claudio, because rumors happen to be everywhere.” (xxxii)
Without money, Bassanio believes himself an unfit suitor for Portia, unable to match any of her other, richer suitors in sexual appeal. It is doubly significant that though he speaks of love and sexual
Antonio feels closer to Bassanio than any other character in The Merchant of Venice. Our first clue to this is in the first scene when, in conversation with Antonio, Solanio says, "Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman, / Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Fare ye well: / We leave you now with better company" (i. i. 57-59). Once Antonio is alone with Bassanio, the conversation becomes more intimate, and Antonio offers an indebted Bassanio "My purse, my person, my extremest means" (137). We find out later that Bassanio needs money to woo Portia, a noble heiress who Bassanio intends to marry. And though Antonio is not in a position to loan money at the time, he does not disappoint
In addition, one can also argue about Paulina’s love-hate relationship with Gerardo, as she is clearly very emotionally attached to him, yet seems as though she treats him with a sort of disrespect or harsh manner. Paulina’s strange relationship also brings the audience to question this woman’s sense of judgment, and maybe even her past. Ironically, later she refers to him as ‘my little man’, contrasting with how he called her, and making sure that Gerardo knows that he is her husband, and she’s in charge.
Act 1 Scene 1 as an Effective Opening to Othello The play begins in a dark street in Venice and the audience is thrown into a heated debate between Iago, a soldier and Roderigo, a wealthy Venetian. Roderigo is rejecting, 'Tush, Never tell me', what Iago has just said and is angry as Iago has not informed him that Desdemona has eloped with Othello, a black general hired by the city of Venice to protect it from the Turks. Iago has been apparently helping Roderigo win Desdemona's, daughter of the rich merchant Brabantio, heart, in return for money 'Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine'.
According to her social context, “Barbara’s function (within the Unisoni) seems to have evoked the traditional association between music-making and sexual license.” Although unfair to assume what was not chosen by Barbara, it is hard to deny that the possibility that Barbara was also a courtesan. By looking at her music, one can see, through her choice of subject, text, and love themes, that she must have been, “highly skilled in the art of love as well as music.” It was typical in this era to assume the connection between love affairs and music-making for women performers and composers, as women were, “celebrated for their physical attributes, their beauty and their voices.” It is clear that Giulio’s plan for Barbara was that she would not only be a musician and composer, but a courtesan as well.
Obedience is another factor that constitutes courtly behavior in the story. Lancelot battles arduous combats and suffers severe wounds for the love of Guinevere. However, once throughout his voyage he falters in his obedience to her love, when he comes across a dwarf, driver of a cart, the dwarf tells Lancelot to ride in the cart in exchange for information on Guinevere’s whereabouts; Lancelot hesitates momentarily before leaping into the cart. Lancelot regrets this moment of hesitation and scolds himself, he argues “…Reason, who does not follow love’s command, told him to beware of getting in and admonished him…Love ordered and wished [he would ride in the cart]…; since love ruled his action, the disgrace should not have mattered.” 2 Lancelot is deeply ashamed and never falters
Perhaps the most foolish characters readers could come across in The Decameron were Friar Alberto and Monna Lisetta. Boccaccio masterfully parodied the Church by introducing Friar Alberto as a former con man who moved to Venice and became a priest: already, Boccaccio has criticized the vetting process for potential religious officials. Monna Lisetta, the next character introduced, is a vain, airheaded devotee of the angel Gabriel. By having these silly characters meet in a religious setting, Boccaccio mocked the Catholics of his day, especially once Friar Alberto used his credibility as a “man of God” to trick the gullible Monna Lisetta into having sex with “Gabriel,” who would be possessing the friar’s own body. Boccaccio could hardly be more derisive toward the Church than with this “tragic” story.
Lancelot is valiant, faithful and humble. When Lancelot is in Lionesses, he competes with other guys. He
Portia is describing to Brutus that by excluding her from his secret, that she has been reduced to his concubine. Brutus responds to Portia's statement by stating, "You are my true and honorable wife, /As dear to me as are the ruddy drops/That visit my sad heart,"(II, I, 311-313). Brutus shows that despite, his depressed state, he still loves and cares for his wife showing the mutual relationship Brutus and Portia share that is based on love.
In the beginning of this play, we are introduced to a melancholic Antonio, who claims he does not know why he is sad, but his friends Solanio and Salerio suggest that he is worried about whether or whether not his ships will make it back, which can make or break his wealth. At this point in the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend reveals that he is not only broke, but in serious debt. Bassanio says he owes Antonio “the
Even though it is natural to share vulnerability with loved ones, Brutus’ personal troubles lead him to keep his secrets and feelings from his wife Portia as well. She senses that Brutus is anxious and is putting on an act when he is around others. “No, my Brutus, / You have some sick offense within your mind, / Which by the right and virtue of my place / I ought to
Portia: Portia, being one of the main characters and the romantic heroine of the play, must be presented to the audience as a graceful, beautiful and intelligent person. We all know she’s beautiful, that needs no convincing. Portia is usually a fairly self-controlled person who likes to keep problems between her and her trustworthy lady-in-waiting, Nerissa. However there are certain times when she lets slip that she is an anxious person for example when Bassanio arrives at her mansion and is about to choose a casket. She has fallen in love with him and is having great difficulty in trying to conceal that fact. Her anxiety and confusion is what makes her lose her composure. Portia’s other appealing characteristic- probably one of the most apparent- is her graciousness, her amazing way of handling a situation with tact and