MERCHANT OF VENICE PROJECT, SHAKESPEAREAN WOMEN CHARACTERS, COMPARING SHAKESPEAREAN CHARACTERS WITH MODERN WOMEN

SHAKESPEARE’S WOMEN CHARACTERS INCLUDING PORTIA -THEIR CONTEXTUALITY IN MODERN WORLD

WHY DO WE HAVE TO READ SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY? WHAT CONTEXT LIES BETWEEN HIS WOMEN CHARACTERS AND THE MODERN DAUGHTERS?

These questions haunt young and adult minds alike.~~~The Internet has brought about the chances to be precocious. Most daughters are seen as rebellious today. Fathers are worried about their daughters’ security, education and above all, settlement with a good moral husband. As usual, like the father of Portia, today’s fathers also plan proper mentorship to imbibe value and loyalty in their daughters. Most of them turn Jessica while a few intelligent scholastic daughters give in to the erudition and obey father’s choice.

Let’s delve into the play itself to pick the jewel from the abyss of Shakespearean comedy…

MERCHANT OF VENICE: THE PLAY

Antonio, a leading merchant of Venice, is a wealthy, respected, and benevolent man. Among his many friends is a young man named Bassanio, who owes Antonio a substantial amount of money. Bassanio wants to repay his friend, but so far he has been unable to do so. However, he now feels that he may have found a way — but he will again need a loan from Antonio. In Belmont, there lives a beautiful and young and wealthy heiress. Bassanio anticipates that he can win her hand in marriage, but he cannot go courting as a broke. He needs to make a good impression, he has to appear at least as well off as her other wealthy suitors. Antonio tells his young friend that he would gladly lend him whatever amount of money he needs, but at the present time he himself is short of cash. All his capital is tied up in his merchant ships, which are still at sea. However, Antonio will not disappoint Bassanio. He knows of a moneylender who will probably lend him the necessary amount, and Bassanio can use Antonio's good name as security for the loan.

At Belmont, Portia speaks to Nerissa, her confidante and paid-companion. She tells her how tired she is of the constant stream of suitors, and how she wishes to be free of the nagging obligation of her father's will: Portia cannot choose her own husband; she can marry only the man who chooses the correct one of three caskets — one gold, one silver, and one lead; one contains her portrait and that one is the lucky casket. So far, none of her suitors has been able to choose the right casket. Besides, Portia has no liking for any of them. However, when Nerissa mentions the name of Bassanio, a possible suitor, Portia's mood brightens. He was once a visitor at Belmont, and Portia was impressed with him. They fell in love at first sight.

Meanwhile in Venice, Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender who harbors a secret hatred for Antonio, has agreed to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats for three months, on Antonio's bond. Foregoing his usual high interest rate, Shylock demands instead that if the day for payment falls due and the money is not returned, he may cut off one pound of flesh from Antonio's body. Antonio agrees because all of his ships are due back in Venice a full month before the bond falls due.

A romantic subplot develops when Lorenzo, a close friend of Antonio and Bassanio, falls in love with Shylock's daughter, Jessica. He manages to elope with her by disguising her as a boy, and she manages to steal with herself a good amount of her father's ducats. Of course, this infuriates Shylock, and he vows revenge.

Shortly thereafter, Bassanio and Gratiano leave for Belmont, where the "fair Portia" has just sent away the Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Arragon, two more disappointed, unsuccessful suitors. When Bassanio asks to choose one of the caskets, Portia falls immediately in love with him, and she begs him to wait a few days before choosing one of the caskets. He has fallen in love with Portia and insists on taking his chances. He rejects the gold one, then the silver one; he chooses, finally, the lead casket, and on opening it, he finds a portrait of Portia. Both he and Portia are overjoyed, and they make plans to be married at once, along with Nerissa and Gratiano, who have also fallen in love along with them too. Happiness reigns in Belmont until Salarino brings a letter from Antonio bidding him farewell since his ships have been lost at sea and since it is impossible that he will live after Shylock collects his pound of flesh. Horrified, Bassanio leaves instantly for Venice with money which Portia gives him to pay the bond.

In Venice, Shylock is no longer interested in the mere payment of the money due him. He wants revenge. A Christian stole his daughter (and she took his money), and nothing will satisfy Shylock except the legal fulfillment of the bond. In the court of justice, presided over by the Duke of Venice, Shylock faces his enemy, Antonio. Antonio is surrounded by his friends and is quietly resigned to death. On all sides, Shylock is surrounded by enemies. Bassanio pleads with Shylockto accept double the money due him, but Shylock refuses.

At this point, Portia, disguised as a lawyer, and Nerissa, dressed as her law clerk, enter the court and tell the Duke that they have been sent from Padua by a learned attorney, Doctor Bellario, to plead the defendant's case. Portia entreats Shylock to be merciful, but he will not listen. She offers the moneylender triple the amount owed him, but again Shylock will have none of it. She then solemnly informs the court that Shylock is entirely within his lawful rights. She then informs Shylock that he must be very careful. He must cutoff exactly one pound of flesh, and he must not spill one drop of Antonio's blood. If he fails, all of Shylock's lands and goods will be confiscated. Shylock hastily decides that he will accept the triple payment of the bond, but Portia says no; Shylock then offers to take only the original three thousand ducats, but again Portia refuses, reminding him that it was he himself who demanded the strict interpretation of the law. Furthermore, she says, the law has another hold on him. Since he is an alien in Venice and since he tried to "seek the life" of a Venetian citizen, all his wealth can be divided between the citizen whom he attempted to destroy and the public treasury; in addition, Shylock's own life is in peril because of what he attempted to do.

The Duke decides to spare Shylock's life, but he does give half of Shylock's money to Antonio, and he gives the rest of it to the state. Antonio says that he will not accept the money if Shylock will agree to become a Christian and if, in his will, he will agree to leave his money to his daughter, Jessica, and her new husband, Lorenzo. Shylock, broken and defeated, agrees to all these conditions and leaves the court. Overjoyed, Antonio and his friends offer to pay the young lawyer whatever they can, but, oddly enough, the lawyer wishes only for a certain ring which Bassanio is wearing. Bassanio is embarrassed because his wife gave this ring to him and asked him to wear it always. But the lawyer insists and, finally, Bassanio reluctantly gives away Portia's ring. Nerissa likewise cleverly manages to get from Gratiano a ring she gave him. The two ladies then hasten back to Belmont to tease their husbands about the rings.

When Bassanio and Gratiano, along with Antonio, return to Belmont, their wives inquire about the missing rings. Portia and Nerissa insist that the men no doubt gave the rings away to two other women. The husbands swear that it is not true, and it is not until Portia and Nerissa have put their husbands through some long, comically agonizing moments of discomfort that they confess that they themselves were the "learned doctor" and the "clerk" to whom the rings were given. Thus all ends happily, as Portia gives Antonio a letter informing him that three of his ships have arrived safely in port.

PORTIA

Quick-witted, wealthy, and beautiful, Portia embodies the virtues that are typical of Shakespeare’s heroines—it is no surprise that she emerges as the antidote to Shylock’s malice. At the beginning of the play, however, we do not see Portia’s potential for initiative and resourcefulness, as she is a near prisoner, feeling herself absolutely bound to follow her father’s dying wishes. This opening appearance, however, proves to be a revealing introduction to Portia, who emerges as that rarest of combinations—a free spirit who abides rigidly by rules. Rather than ignoring the stipulations of her father’s will, she watches a stream of suitors pass her by, happy to see these particular suitors go, but sad that she has no choice in the matter. When Bassanio arrives, however, Portia proves herself to be highly resourceful, begging the man she loves to stay a while before picking a chest, and finding loopholes in the will’s provision that we never thought possible. Also, in her defeat of Shylock Portia prevails by applying a more rigid standard than Shylock himself, agreeing that his contract very much entitles him to his pound of flesh, but adding that it does not allow for any loss of blood. Anybody can break the rules, but Portia’s effectiveness comes from her ability to make the law work for her.

Portia rejects the stuffiness that rigid adherence to the law might otherwise suggest. In her courtroom appearance, she vigorously applies the law, but still flouts convention by appearing disguised as a man. After depriving Bassanio of his ring, she stops the prank before it goes to far, but still takes it far enough to berate Bassanio and Gratiano for their callousness, and she even insinuates that she has been unfaithful.....Portia is the romantic heroine of the play, and she must be presented on the stage with much beauty and intelligence. Of her beauty, we need no convincing. Bassanio's words are enough; thus we turn to her love for Bassanio. Already she has given him cause to think that it is possible that he can woo and win her, for on an earlier visit to Belmont, Bassanio did "receive fair speechless messages" from her eyes. And when Nerissa mentions the fact that Bassanio might possibly be a suitor, Portia tries to disguise her anxiety, but she fails. Nerissa understands her mistress. Portia is usually very self-controlled, but she reveals her anxiety concerning Bassanio a little later when he has arrived at her mansion and is about to choose one of the caskets. She has fallen in love with him, and her anxiety and confusion undo her. "Pause a day or two," she begs, for "in choosing wrong, / I lose your company." She thus makes sure that he knows that it is not hate that she feels for him.Bassanio's correct choice of the casket overwhelms Portia. She wishes she had more of everything to give Bassanio: "This house, these servants and this same myself / Are yours, my lord: I give them with this ring." She willingly shares all she owns with Bassanio. Once master of her emotions, she has fallen completely under the spell of love's madness. Love is a reciprocal giving and receiving, and so it is with perfect empathy that she sends her beloved away almost immediately to try and save his friend Antonio. They will be married, but their love will not be consummated until his friend is saved, if possible.Portia's second characteristic that is most readily apparent is her graciousness — that is, her tact and sympathy. Despite her real feelings about the Prince of Morocco, Portia answers him politely and reassuringly. Since the irony of her words is not apparent to him, his feelings are spared. She tells him that he is "as fair / As any comer I have look'd on yet / For my affection." She shows Morocco the honor his rank deserves. But once he is gone, she reveals that she did not like him. "A gentle riddance," she says; "Draw the curtains."

When the Prince of Arragon arrives, Portia carefully addresses him with all the deference due his position. She calls him "noble." But after he has failed and has left, she cries out, "O, these deliberate fools!" To her, both of these men are shallow and greedy and self-centered; yet to their faces, she is as ladylike as possible. Lorenzo appreciates this gentle generosity of spirit; when Portia has allowed her new husband to leave to try and help his best friend out of his difficulty, he says to her: "You have a noble and a true conceit / Of god-like amity." In the courtroom, Portia (in disguise) speaks to Shylock about mercy, but this is not merely an attempt to stall; she truly means what she says. It is an eloquent appeal she makes. Her request for mercy comes from her habitual goodness. She hopes, of course, to soften his heart, knowing the outcome if he refuses. But the words come from her heart, honestly and openly and naturally.

Finally, of course, what we most remember about Portia, after the play is over, is her wit and her playfulness. Even when Portia is complaining to Nerissa about the terms of her father's will, she does so wittily: "Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?" And then she ticks off, like a computer, the eccentricities of the six suitors who have arrived at Belmont to try for her hand. They are either childish, humorless, volatile, ignorant, too fantastically dressed,weak, or have a drinking problem. She is clearly glad to be rid of them all when it is announced that they are departing. We recall too the humorous way that she imagines dressing like a man and aping the mannerisms of all of the men she has observed in her short life. She bets Nerissa that she can out-man any man when it comes to swaggering and playing the macho bit: "I have within my mind / A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks, / Which I will practise." Men are as transparent as stale beer to her; she revels in turning the tables and having a bit of fun even while she is on a daring mission to try and save Antonio's life. And even in the courtroom, when Bassanio extravagantly offers his life for Antonio's, Portia quips in an aside that "Your wife would give you little thanks for that, / If she were by, to hear you make the offer."

The entire ring plot is Portia's idea, and she and Nerissa relish the prospect of the jest at their husbands' expense. Bassanio swears over and over that he never gave his ring away to another woman (and he is more than a little embarrassed to admit that he gave it to another man), but with a fine sense of comedy, Portia plays the role of the "angry wife" just as well as she played the role of the "learned young lawyer" at Antonio's trial.

Only when Portia first falls in love with Bassanio does she lose all self-control; once she regains control of herself, she takes matters in hand until the very end of the play, and there she displays total command of the situation. "You are all amazed," she tells them, and then she shows them a letter from Padua, explaining everything, and she gaily invites them inside where she will continue to explain and entertain. She is a delightful creature, one of Shakespeare's most intelligent and captivating heroines. 

JESSICA

Portia is generally considered the de facto heroine of William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, while the play’s second-most prominent female character, Shylock’s daughter Jessica, is largely ignored in feminist criticisms of Merchant of Venice. This might be due to Portia’s more evident adherence to the formula Shakespeare used in his comedies to create the class of characters we now view as modern feminist ideals: she is witty, confident, brave, and altruistic, and Jessica is none of those things. Portia is also part of the main plot, while Jessica’s marriage is a subplot that could be perceived as inconsequential, although in light of the turn of events immediately after, it has been argued that Jessica’s actions caused Shylock to have acted even more harshly than he otherwise would have.

Jessica is basically a modest girl even though she takes the initiative in eloping with Lorenzo. It is because she is feeling desperate that she decides to quit her father’s home; and she goes to the extent of arranging for a boy’s clothes so that she can disguise herself as a boy in order to join Lorenzo when the masked procession is passing through the street. At this time she tells Lorenzo that she is feeling very ashamed of her boy’s disguise, and that she is glad that he cannot see her in this disguise because of the darkness of the night. When Lorenzo asks her to carry a burning torch to light the way for the maskers, she says that she cannot “hold a candle to her shames”, meaning that she would not like to be seen by anyone in her boy’s disguise. Jessica is Shylock’s daughter and at the start of the play is living in his house. She is in love with a Christian, Lorenzo. Jessica is the daughter of the Jew, Shylock, but a daughter who is ashamed of having that man as her father. She finds the atmosphere of her father’s home to be suffocating and almost intolerable. She is a sensitive girl having an artistic temperament; and she is unable to endure the narrow-mindedness, the miserliness, and the tyrannical nature of her father. Although her father is a fanatical Jew who is intolerant of Christians, she falls in love with a Christian and runs away from home with a bag full of her father’s money and jewels. Her conduct in running away from home and stealing her father’s cash and jewels is certainly objectionable in the extreme. However, we feel inclined to take a lenient view of her conduct because we know that her father is really a close-fisted and suspicious man with a dictatorial nature and that he imposes all kinds of restrictions on his daughter’s movements. Jessica knows that her father will never give his consent for her to marry a Christian and so she plans to secretly escape one night in order to run away with Lorenzo, marry him and convert from Judaism to Christianity.

Jessica impresses the Christian Lorenzo as a very beautiful, wise, and faithful girl; and she strikes us as a charming girl with a strong sense of humour and a poetical nature. Lorenzo tells his friends that he would “place her in his constant soul”, meaning that he would always remain loyal to her. For his sake, she doesn't mind giving up her own religion and becoming a Christian.

The two characters come from vastly different backgrounds, and their characters cannot be divorced from their circumstances. While Portia manages to marry the man she loves, Jessica’s elopement can be considered a step taken in light of her father’s uncompromising nature, and the religious discord between the two communities. 

COMPARING OTHER FEMALE CHARACTERS

Portia is wealthy heiress from Belmont, and her beauty is matched only by her intelligence. Bound by a clause in her father’s will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. More importantly, she is the cleverest character in the play. It is Portia, in the disguise of a young law clerk, who saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife. Portia proves herself to be highly resourceful, and her effectiveness comes from her ability to make the law work for her. Portia rejects the stuffiness that rigid adherence to the law might otherwise suggest. In her courtroom appearance, she vigorously applies the law, but still flouts convention by appearing disguised as a man. Her intelligence is what turns the arc of the story and leads the climax to a happy conclusion. Apart from her mental agility, we also see she is extremely generous.

Shakespeare presents his most liberated female protagonist in Much Ado About Nothing. Beatrice is refreshingly forward. She is articulate and opinionated like Kate, intelligent, like Portia, and as selective when it comes to men as her predecessors, but there is a freedom of spirit about Beatrice that Kate and Portia lack. Additionally, Beatrice is not restricted by patriarchal influence. Uncle Leonato exhorts little, if no, control over a niece who declares she will not take a husband until “God make men of some other metal than earth” (II.i.55-56), for she has no intention of making “an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl” (II.i.57-58). Indeed, Beatrice exhibits such an emphatic disregard for rigid social conventions that it would appear almost as if Shakespeare found himself reluctant to have his female protagonist fall prey to any form of male superiority.

Shakespeare begins to mature when he creates Portia in the Merchant of Venice, and he shows a peak of maturity through Helena in his problem play, All’s Well That Ends Well. Despite the few years between these two plays and the development of characters during Shakespeare’s maturation period, he makes two very similar female characters. They understand love more than their lovers, and they see potential in the men they have chosen that no one else seems to notice. They exhibit similar character traits, but they use their qualities in different ways to achieve the same purpose. Both Portia and Helena display intelligence, love, and grace in choosing their husbands.

Nerissa 

Nerissa is Portia’s waiting woman and friend. They have a close relationship and Nerissa both teases and advises her boss. She also assists Portia in helping to get Antonio freed and goes with Portia to Venice, dressed as a lawyer’s clerk. Nerissa is Portia’s lady-in-waiting, verbal sparring partner, and friend. She is a merry wench.Fully supportive of her mistress in all, she has high hopes that Bassanio will return to Belmont. She agrees to marry Gratiano on condition that Bassanio succeed in the task of the caskets. When this is accomplished, she is quite happy to do so. At his request, she takes care of Jessica when the latter arrives at Belmont. She joins Portia in dressing up as men to save Antonio’s life, playing the part of a law clerk. Hearing Gratiano swear that he’d prefer her dead if that might save Antonio’s life, she is not best pleased, and in return convinces Gratiano to give her (as the law clerk) the ring that she gave him (as herself) which he had sworn never to remove. On his return to Belmont, she rants at him upon hearing it, and manages to twist him around her little finger, swearing that she’s slept with the clerk before doing so with her husband. Nerissa falls in love with Bassanio’s friend Gratiano, who asks for her hand in marriage after Bassanio ‘wins’ Portia. She lives in Belmont. She has been working for Portia since Portia’s father was alive. She has a close friendship with Portia.

IMPLICATION IN MODERN WORLD

This angle examines The Merchant of Venice from a social viewpoint. It explores the types of social control on the two daughters, Portia and Jessica, and studies the ways of their resistance. In the play,the male-dominated society controls the two daughters through the rules and traditions of the Venetian society, and the daughters resist theserules and traditions through writing, cross-dressing, sexuality, and elopement. Therefore, through analyzing the two female characters in this play, this paper provides a literary analysis on the ways and means by which the two daughters are controlled, and at the same time it presents the ways that empower the daughters' resistance.

Shakespeare serves two father-daughter pairings in the play. Portia’s relationship with her father, though not perfect, was probably the most healthy of the three, even though she presently resents her father’s method of securing her happiness. Portia’s father constructed his will to protect her from fortune hunters and to ensure that she married a man who would value everything Portia is and not merely her money and beauty; however, it is also possible to see in his actions a lack of faith in Portia’s good sense—he doesn’t trust her to make a wise choice on her own. Portia is obedient and loyal to her father even after his death, though, undeniably, she feels frustration and resentment, which she vents by insulting her suitors when they are out of earshot. Nevertheless, she honors her father’s wishes even when the quality of her suitors tempts her to use sabotage. When faced with “the young German, the duke of Saxony’s nephew” as a marital prospect, Portia asks Nerissa: “For fear of the worst, I pray thee set a deep glass of Rhenish wine on the contrary casket, for if the devil be within and that temptation without, I know he will choose it” (1.2.94–97). Fortunately, Portia is not put to the test, since this troublesome suitor leaves without venturing a guess at the caskets, and whenever Portia considers rebellion (as she does when she says, “And the worst fall that ever fell, I hope I shall make shift to go without him” [1.2.88–90] and “I will do anything, Nerissa, ere I will be married to a sponge” [1.2.97–98]), Nerissa is there to remind her of her duty: “If he should offer to choose, and choose the right casket, you should refuse to perform your father’s will if you should refuse to accept him” (1.2.91–93). Portia is later strongly tempted to cast a few hints in Bassanio’s direction about the correct casket, but she refuses to dishonor herself and disobey her father even though she risks losing the only suitor she can stand. Verbalizing her faith in her father’s wisdom, she tells Bassanio, “If you do love me, you will find me out” (3.2.41).

Jessica, in contrast, is the least loyal of the children in the play, meeting secretly with Lorenzo and allowing him to court her, lying to her father, abandoning him, and stealing from him; she’s hardly the docile, obedient daughter that Shylock takes her for. Although she feels some pangs of guilt (“Alack, what heinous sin is it in me / To be ashamed to be my father’s child! / But though I am a daughter to his blood, / I am not to his manners” [2.3.16–19]), Jessica rejects her father, his way of life, and his religion—though not, interestingly, his wealth, a great deal of which she takes along with her.

The Internet has brought about the chances to be precocious. Most daughters are seen as rebellious today. Fathers are worried about their daughters’ security, education and above all, settlement with a good moral husband. As usual, like the father of Portia, today’s fathers also plan proper mentorship to imbibe value and loyalty in their daughters. Most of them turn Jessica while a few intelligent scholastic daughters give in to the erudition and obey father’s choice.

DISCLAIMER: Images have been taken from Google sites

A QUESTION OF TRUST, CBSE ENGLISH LITERATURE CHAPTER, Q ANSWERS, ANALYSIS, SUMMARY

 A Question of Trust

How was Horace Danby arrested for the robbery of the jewels in a house at Shotover Grange? Do you think his own foolishness was liable for this arrest? Give reason.

Horace Danby never acted recklessly in a hurry while committing a theft. He planned thoroughly before robbing a safe every year. His previous thefts were absolutely successful. Before burgling into a house at Shotover Grange, he made detailed and fool-proof preparations. 

But, he proved a novice in comparison to the young lady in red. She, in a very confident and cogent way, ingrafted the trust that she was the lady of the house. She made him open the safe without his gloves on and handover all the jewels to her. She escaped with the jewels and Horace’ fingerprints were detected at the crime scene and he was arrested. He pleaded before the investigation that the wife of the owner of the house had asked him to open the safe for her. The real lady of the house appeared on the scene. She was not the young lady in red but a grey-haired woman of sixty. She said that Horace’s story was nonsense. Only then, Horace came to know that he was outwitted by a con-woman in red who was also a thief like him.

Give a description of Horace Danby.

Horace Danby was apparently a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty years old, but he was unmarried. He was a locksmith and an expert burglar. He was very successful in his business. He was usually very well and healthy except for attacks of hay fever. But he was not completely honest in his crime business. He would make a detailed study before embarking on a crime. He was never caught.

How did Horace come to know of the details of the house?

Horace had been studying the house for the past two weeks. Moreover, a magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of the room. There were also the details of a secured safe hidden behind the safe.

Whose voice rang behind Horace about the special treatment of his hay fever?

When Horace was perpetrating burglary and was about to open the safe, he heard a female voice. She asked if he suffered from cold or hay fever, for he was sneezing to his own embarrassment. She remarked that he could get rid of the hay fever with special treatment. He must find out what plant gave him that disease. She also advised Horace to see a doctor.

Narrate the unexpected meeting of the young lady in red and Horace.

When a voice behind advised Horace to find a suitable treatment of his hay fever, he was startled. It was a quiet, kindly voice but one with firmness in it. A young woman, quite pretty and dressed in red, was standing there. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments. She said that she had not expected to meet a burglar at her own house.

How would Horace satisfy his wish of reading books after he was arrested?

After Horace was arrested, he became the assistant librarian in the prison and satisfied himself of voracity of reading books.

Horace stated that he robbed only those who had a lot of money. Was he really a threat to society? Did he lack the qualities of a good citizen? 

Horace was not seemingly a threat to society. He never physically harmed anyone. He stole for a very good reason. He used to rob a safe once every year to pursue his hobby of getting rare and expensive books to read. He was not a professional thief and because he was never arrested and convicted, no one knew him as a criminal. He was considered a good and honest citizen by everyone. He was about fifty years old and unmarried. He had all the qualities of a good citizen. He was not a criminal or a typical thief. He did so only to fulfill his wish to buy and read rare books and maintain himself throughout the year.

Though Horace planned everything meticulously, why did he fail?

Though Horace planned everything meticulously; he failed because of the smart con-woman. She an imposter. She posed as if she was the owner of the house and convinced him to open the shelf as she did not set any password for the shelf, but she needed a few jewels to wear for the show. Horace got trapped in her plot.

How did the flowers cause him trouble?

Horace Danby had an allergy against flowers, especially during pollen season. The flowers were there at the crime scene where he was burgling the safe. He started sneezing. It was an unwanted, embarrassing sound loudly emitted by him. The only cure for it was to stay away from those path flowers.

How did Horace plan to loot the house at Shotover Grange?

Horace Danby never committed theft in a hurry. All his previous operations were flawless and successful. He robbed a safe every year. This money was enough to see him through for a year. He planned his latest robbery in a house at Shotover Grange in all details. For two weeks, he had studied the house, its rooms, electric wiring, paths and its garden. He also observed that two servants working there had gone to movies. He saw them go. He came out from behind the garden wall. He had packed his tools carefully in a bag on his back. He had noticed the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside. He put on a pair of gloves, took the key and opened the house. He always put on a pair of gloves before committing a theft. A magazine article had described the house with all the rooms. It also mentioned that a painting hid a safe. He collected all these details and made all preparations to make his latest theft without leaving a clue.

What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil his hobby?

Horace’ only hobby was to read expensive and rare books. He used to rob a safe once every year in order to arrange money for his hobby. He used to get those books from an agent. Rest of the money would see him through for the year.

Morality-Based-Question: Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?

“Ends do not justify means”, this is a very old and time tested saying. For their own benefit nobody should harm others. But this world doesn’t function on idealism. There are many examples of people duping people for quick gains. These acts should be deplored and the perpetrators must be punished severely.

Give a character-sketch of the lady in red. Highlight how she outwitted Horace Danby.

We do have any information regarding the past history of the lady in red. But we know about Horace’ past. Her whole personality remains in mystery until the end. Only when the identity of the real lady of the house is revealed, do we come to know that she is a thief and con-woman. She is the real culprit. The lady in red comes there with the only purpose of committing a theft in the house like Horace. She cleverly escapes with the jewels while Horace is sent to prison.

The lady in red is gifted with a rare personality. She is full of confidence. She acts like a perfect actress presenting herself as the lady of the house. Her gestures, confidence and convincing power are enough to take Horace by surprise. He turns out to be quite a novice in understanding an unexpected circumstance and judging the lady in red with her motive. She dominates the proceeding. Horace only proves to be a puppet in her hands. She exploits his fear of going to prison. She makes him open the safe without his gloves. She convinces him that she needs those jewels to wear them to a party that night. Horace willingly hands over the jewels and she goes away with them. Only when the grey-haired, sharp-tongued woman appears as the real lady of the house, do we come to know that the lady in red was a professional and crafty thief much smarter than Horace.

How did the lady spoil his plan?

The lady posed as the lady of the house before Horace. Horace was unnerved and he readily believed her. She asked him to open the safe as she had forgotten the password. Horace opened the safe and handed over the jewels to her. Thus, Horace’ plan of robbing the safe was spoiled.

Why did Horace mistake the young lady in red as the lady of the house?

The young woman in red was even smarter than Horace Danby. She was a thief and came with the same purpose as Horace into that house. Both the arrivals timing converged. She appeared a little later. However, she encountered Horace with an air of confidence and authority. She didn’t allow him to doubt her intentions. She showed that the dog, Sherry, belonged to her. He told him that she returned ‘home’ just in time. Her manner of speaking, gestures and confidence made Horace mistake her for the lady of the house.

Why did the lady report to the police though she promised that she would not report to the police?

Or

How did the lady deceive Horace? 

The lady was very clever and shrewd. She promised Horace that she would not report to the police if he would help her in getting the jewels from the safe. Horace broke the safe and helped her. But she didn’t keep her promise as she was also a thief.

“Horace had some hope because she seemed to be amused at meeting him.” Why did Horace feel so? Did he consider the young lady sympathetic towards him? Did he find her free from biases? Elaborate the values Horace should have imbibe understanding of the person.

Horace was a fifty-year-old undercover burglar who used to rob only to buy rare and expensive books to read and possess them. This time he decided to rob Shot over Grange. But as soon as he entered the room, a Young lady appeared. She posed as the lady of the house. She was good at befriending the dog also. She tried to be polite and nice to him. On hearing her, Horace felt that he had a hope of escaping if that lady allowed him to go unreported. He found her a bit sympathetic towards him. He was amused at Horace.  She acted in quite a delicate manner and showed her sympathy and admiration towards a simple and honest man. He could not judge her ace. She made Horace promise that he would never commit the crime again. Horace was carried away by her gesture and later got arrested for stealing the jewels which he did not steal.

“I have always liked the wrong kind of people,” said the woman in red. Comment.

It was ironic that the woman whom Horace took to be the lady of the house and talking big things was herself a thief. Horace requested her to let him go. He was desperate and afraid of going to prison. He promised never to do such a thing again. The lady pretended to be generous and stated that she “always liked the wrong kind of people”.

How did Horace manage to enter Shot over Grange?

Horace Kept an eye on the house for quite some time. He had seen the housekeeper hang the key in the hook outside the kitchen door. He came out from behind the garden wall. He put on his gloves, took the key and opened the door of the kitchen and entered Shot over Grange.

Draw a character-sketch of Horace Danby in your own words. How was he outmaneuvered by the lady in red?

Horace Danby was about fifty years old and unmarried. Everyone thought him a good and honest citizen. He was a professional burglar. But he never got caught. He was otherwise very well and happy except for attacks of hay fever in summer. He was a locksmith and was fairly successful at his business. Outwardly, in society, Horace Danby was good and respectable. He used to rob a safe every year. He did so because he needed money to buy books. Horace had a passion for buying rare and costly books. With that money, he secretly bought the books he admired through an agent.

 Like a professional thief, he made a lot of preparations. He made it sure that every year’s robbery was going to be as successful as all the others. He studied the location of the house at Shotover Grange—its rooms, its electric wiring, its paths and its gardens in detail. He also came to know that the two servants of the house were out to the movies. He also knew where the safe was and the door key of the house. He befriended the little dog by calling his right name.

In spite of all his professionalism, Horace Danby proved a novice in judging the lady in red. The lady in red behaved with so much confidence and authority that Horace became totally a puppet in her hands. Easily passing off as the lady of the house, she made Horace open the safe without wearing his gloves. While the lady in red decamped with the jewels, Horace was sent to prison.

Who is the real culprit in this story, the lady or Horace? How did he/she manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?

In this story, the real culprit is the young lady. She managed to trick Horace into breaking the safe for her. She did not even touch the safe herself. She managed to get all the jewels. She did not have to sweat for this. In this way, she managed to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint.

What do you think is the meaning of the phrase ‘honour among thieves’?

Ans. The phrase ‘honour among thieves’ means that thieves have their code of conduct. One thief is honest to the other thief. They never betray one another.

Which of the two lacked honour?

Between Horace and the young lady in red, the latter lacked honour. She came face to face with a thief, still, she tricked him. But Horace did not know that she was a thief. She got all the jewels. She went free but poor Horace was arrested. It was against the professional ethics among thieves.

How did Horace Danby manage to get rare and expensive books?

Horace Danby loved rare and expensive books. He bought them secretly through an agent. But for this, he had to rob a safe every year because he did not have enough money to buy those rare, expensive books. In this way, he possessed them.

What did the young lady ask Horace to do for her?

The young lady told Horace that she had returned home to take the jewels from the safe. She said that she had to wear them that night at a party. She made an excuse of having forgotten the number to open the safe. So she compelled Horace to break open the safe for her; if not, she would tell the police everything about him.

What story did Horace tell the police when he was arrested?

Horace told the police that he had not stolen any jewels. He said that he broke open the safe for the young wife of the owner of the house. But the wife was herself an old lady of about sixty with grey-hair. So, none believed his story.

Why didn’t the dog bark when Horace Danby and the young lady in red entered to commit theft in the house?

Both Horace Danby and the young lady in red knew all the tricks of their trade. They knew the real nature of dogs and applied how to be friendly with them. A small dog when made a noise, Horace called out “All right, Sherry,” as he passed. Perhaps, the lady in red also knew like Horace that to keep dogs quiet, one must call them by their right names. Their trick worked and Sherry remained quiet.

Why did Horace Danby prefer books to collect paintings?

Horace Danby bore a deep passion to own and read rare expensive books. Collecting and buying rare and expensive books was his passion. He resorted to robbing a safe every year to buy them. When the preference between collecting books and paintings came, he chose the former. Paintings took up too much space. In a small house like his, books were a better choice.

Why is Horace Danby described as good and respectable but not completely honest?

Horace Danby was a good person. He was a locksmith and worked honestly before the society. He was very successful in his business. He had engaged two helpers in his business. But he was not completely honest because he robbed a safe every year.

Why did he rob every year? Was he a typical thief? If so, why?

Ans. Horace loved reading rare and expensive books. So he robbed a safe every year to buy these books. He was a typical thief because he robbed only one safe every year.

What went wrong when he attempted to rob Shotover Grange?

Danby was a very successful thief. He always used gloves while breaking a safe. He never left any fingerprints behind. This time when he started his work, he felt a little tickle in his nose. It was because of a big flower pot lying on the table. He was repeatedly sneezing. This happened wrong with him.

What advice did the lady give Horace regarding his hay fever? Was she really interested in his health?

The lady told Horace that he could get rid of the disease if he found out which plant had given him the disease. She advised him that he should see a doctor. Actually, she was not interested in his health. She was just trying to be friendly and look sympathetic.

Did the young lady expect Horace to be caught after the theft?

Yes, the young lady expected Horace to be caught after the theft to put the blame conclusively upon him. She thought that it would be very easy to detect Horace with the help of fingerprints.

In what way could his arrest have helped her?

If Horace Danby had not been arrested for the jewels robbery at Shotover Grange then she would have been unsafe. She got the jewels but Horace broke the safe for her. Thus, his arrest stopped the investigation conclusively.

Who is the real culprit in the story, the young lady in red or Horace Danby? Comment.

Ans. Law of any land works on evidence. Horace Danby opened the safe without wearing his gloves. He didn’t think it necessary to wear them as he thought he was working for ‘the lady of the house’. So the police matched his fingerprints and he was arrested. The lady in the red was actually the real culprit. She made Horace open the safe for her. She was also a thief and decamped with the jewels. But in the eyes of the law, Horace was the real culprit because the evidence was against him.

Horace Danby requested the lady to forget what she saw. Was Horace afraid of being caught? Did he lack the courage to accept his crime publicly? 

Yes, Horace Danby was afraid of being caught. He lacked the courage to accept his crime publicly. He was not a professional criminal or thief. He was considered a good and honest man by everyone. Apparently, his occupation was that of a locksmith’s and he was pretty successful in his business. He was about fifty years old and unmarried. His house was looked after by a housekeeper. He used to rob only one safe every year to pursue his habit of getting rare and expensive books to read. He used to rob only those who were rich. He had a good reputation in the society and hence did not want anyone to know about his crimes. Although he helped the lady but was caught by the police for the crime he did not commit. He learnt from his mistake.

Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?

Yes, one does begin to suspect that the woman is not who she claims to be. She was unusually calm on seeing Horace near the locker. Then she doesn't even call the police and also asks him to open the locker for her even if it means breaking it open as she had forgotten the code of the safe. It is very unusual that someone forgets the passcode to their own locker, even breaks it without trying to remember/ retrieve the password.

Horace Danby was a respectable man but he could not be called loyal. What do you think could be the reasons for leading a respectable man like him on the path of thievery? Did he feel lack of sense of freedom? Was it not in his nature to accept the differences among people regarding their social status? 

Horace Danby’s habits were not typical of a thief. He was fond of books was a respectable man but his passion for books led him to thievery. He used to steal only once. In a year, he never stole more than his needs. He stole only to buy rare books; he loved rare and expensive books. Moreover, Danby used to rob only rich people. It was his nature. 

 What are the delicate ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?

The way she walks up to the doorway, starts talking to him, arranges the ornaments in their right place and picks up the silver cigarette box with so much confidence can make anyone believe that she is the lady of the house. Apart from that, Horace had become nervous and frightened when he saw the woman in the doorway and for this, he could not think properly.

Why didn’t Horace Danby ever get any chance to look for another safe?

Horace got nothing from the house at Shotover Grange. The lady in red escaped with the jewels. For two days, he kept his promise given to the kind, young lady in red. On the third day, he realised that he would have to look for another safe to buy books. But he never got that chance because the police soon arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.

Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?

He did not gather enough information about the real occupants of the house. He gathered all the information about the tracks, wirings, gardens, servants and even the dog’s name but he forgot to confirm the identities of the house owners. He even took out the information of the valuables inside the safe. Once with the lady in red, he could not even think with a clear mind. He carelessly opened the safe and left his finger prints in the room without wearing his gloves.

Why was it not hard to open the safe for Horace Danby?

It was not going to be hard to open the safe for Horace Danby. After all, he had `lived with locks and safes all his life’. He made locks himself with two helpers. The burglar alarm was poorly built and he cut the wires of the burglar alarm. He knew about the safe and the key, and it was not a difficult job for him to open it when no one was present in the house.

Why did the woman in red threaten to telephone the police?

Ans. Horace was caught red-handed. Appearing silently behind him, the woman in red said that she didn’t expect to meet a burglar there. She added that she knew that he was very unhappy to meet her. She also asked what he was going to do. Horace replied that he was thinking of running away. The lady threatened that if he did so, she would telephone the police and tell them all about him. They would get him at once.

When and why did the woman in red say, “Society must be protected from men like you”? Does it not sound ironic?

Horace assured the woman in red that he would not hurt her. She must forget she ever met him. It made her angry. She couldn’t let him go, otherwise, he would rob someone else. Society must be protected from people like him. It sounds ironic because she herself was a thief and had come for the same purpose for which Horace was there in the house. Besides, she duped Horace into taking the blame of burglary.

Disclaimer: Images have been taken from Google sites