MERCHANT OF VENICE ACT1 SCENE 1 LINE BY LINE SUMMARY ANALYSIS ICSE LITERATURE DRAMA

 Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 1

Summary

While Walking along a street in Venice, Antonio (the "merchant" of the title) confesses to his friends Salarino and Salanio that recently he has been feeling unreasonably sad. They have noticed it gnawing at him. They suggest to Antonio that he is probably worried about the safety of his huge investments in the sailing merchant ships of his, which are exposed to storms at sea and attacks by pirates, shallow sand-heaped sea or mountainous rocks just below the sea surface. Antonio denies his obsession with his investment and also denies that he is in love. Hence, there is nothing to explain Antonio's pensiveness. 

Salarino concludes that Antonio's melancholy  must be due to the fact that Antonio is a person of a natural sad disposition. At this point, their friends Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano join them, and after an exchange of courtesies, Salarino and Salanio excuse themselves. This sets an important message for us that Bassanio is the closest friend of Antonio and therefore, lingering longer in their presence tentamounts to obstructing their personal conversation. Gratiano takes a long look at his old friend Antonio and playfully chides him for being so solemn and so unduly silent. Gratiano says that he himself never has "mood swings'. In contrast to Antonio, Gratiano is determined to always "play the fool” and enjoy his life. Lorenzo intimates that sometimes Gratiano goes to the xtremes. He is far too talkative. He and Gratiano depart, promising to meet at dinner time.

Left alone with Antonio, Bassanio assures him that he should not worry about Gratiano's critical remarks. Antonio then changes the subject abruptly; he asks Bassanio for more information about the certain lady to whom Bassanio has sworn "a secret pilgrimage." Bassanio does not answer Antonio directly. He rambles on about his "plots and purposes" and about the fact that his debts have risen high. 

Antonio requests his friend to be specific. He promises to help him if it is within his capacity. Bassanio then reveals his love for the beautiful, rich and virtuous Portia, an extremely wealthy young lady who lives in Belmont, a heiress to some rich legacy. He says that her blond appearance and her fortune have made her an object of desire. In fact,  she is being courted by "renowned suitors" hailing from all corners of the world. Bassanio appears confident that if he may spend as much money as is necessary to impress the lady at first sight, he could be successful in his courtship. Antonio understands Bassanio's predicament, but Antonio has a problem of his own. Since all his investments are laden in his seven merchant ships, his cash in hand is insufficient for further engagement at this time. As a solution, however, Antonio authorizes Bassanio to try to raise a loan using Antonio's good name as collateral for credit. 

 

Analysis

The first task confronted by any playwright in his opening scene is his "exposition" of that play. He must identify and explain the situation of the characters to the audience. Shakespeare accomplishes this task of informative exposition very subtly in the opening fifty-six lines of dialogue between Antonio, Salarino, and Salanio.

 

We come to know that Antonio is a wealthy merchant. But, he is worried for some unknown reason which makes him sad and he himself can not identify the source of this persisting melancholy. Little later there enters a group of his friends— Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano — who represent the lively, lighthearted youthful life of Venice. We are also informed that Antonio has many shipping enterprises. They run mercantile risks. Although he is not worried about them now, the idea is subtly suggested to us that the risky ventures on the high seas may miscarry. We should recall this matter when Antonio finally decides to in-debt himself to Shylock on Bassanio's behalf.

 

In this opening scene, Shakespeare elaborates the characters and the atmosphere of the play. Antonio is shown as being "sad," afflicted with a melancholy which he is clueless of. We are not sure if Antonio bears a consistently sad character. Is his sadness due to his knowledge that he is soon going to lose the companionship of his old friend Bassanio? Or is his depression due to an ominous foreboding that he has an approaching disaster? Gravity of Antonio looms large before the lightheartedness of his companions.

Suspense builds up with the outset of the dark and threatening moments. To the contrary, it is to be noted that The Merchant of Venice is a romantic comedy. Shakespeare introduces the chorus characters - Salanio and Salarino. It can not be denied that they are not important. They speak the same idea somewhat corroborating one another. They represent an element of youthful whimsy. 

 

Salarino begins with a flight of fancy. Antonio's ships are described as being like "rich burghers on the flood" and like birds, flying "with their woven wings." While exaggeration is a part of mood building for the audience, subjectively, it aims at helping Antonio lighten his mood.

Antonio is surrounded by the frolicsome language and whimsy of the two young friends. On one hand, there looms the real dangers that the merchant of Venice (Antonio) will face. On the other hand, the world of youth and laughter will be part of the love stories of Bassanio and Portia, Lorenzo and Jessica, and Gratiano and Nerissa.

Further, gentle garrulity is seen at the entrance of three more young courtiers of Antonio — Bassanio, Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Gratiano is ebullient and talkative. He is quite aware of his effervescence. He tells Antonio that he will "play the fool".  His willing accomplice is Lorenzo. Salanio or Salarino, Gratiano, and Lorenzo will play more major roles in the development of the romantic plot and subplot of the play.

Opening scene introduces Bassanio and his courtship of Portia. This will constitute the major romantic plot and also set the "bond story" rolling. Bassanio comes directly to the question of money so that the foundation of the bond story can be laid down. Bassanio is extremely careless in spending his money and very casual about repaying his debt. He displays no scruples about making more requisitions of a friend who has already so selflessly done much for him. 

Probably, this was probably the custom of Venice at that time. Bassanio is behaving as any young man of his station might be expected to behave. A youthful, lovelorn man is broke. There is a strong bond of friendship between the two men. Interestingly, neither of them seems to be unduly concerned about money at this point; one is a wealthy merchant and the other, a carefree young lover.

Both Bassanio and Portia recognize the necessity of money, but neither of them considers money to be of primary concern in life. In their world of romantic love and cultivated culture and poetry, they don't seem attaching any importance to money. Shakespeare is setting up this point of view to contrast later with Shylock's money oriented point of view. For Shylock the moneylender, money constitutes his only defense against his oppressors.

The opening scene is a precursor to establish the importance of money and its prudent use in contrast to youthful splurging that inevitably puts one in danger and takes away the security of old age.