The Merchant of Venice Quotes

Antonio's sarcasm is pretty blatant here—he cannot fathom the possibility that Shylock the Jew is just being "kind." We also notice Antonio's use of the word "gentle," a term that shows up quite a bit in this play.  For Antonio and many of the other characters, "gentle" means a few things: 1) considerate behavior, 2) aristocratic heritage, and 3) gentile (Christian).  In other words, Antonio is saying that Shylock will never be "gentle" (considerate or upper class) because he's not a Christian. 

Wow, the wealthy Antonio sure does love his BFF. Here he says he'd loan Bassanio the money he needs to woo Portia in style, but he can't because all his dough is tied up "at sea." As an alternative, Antonio says Bassanio can use his (Antonio's) good credit in order to secure a loan. (Basically, Antonio's going to be a kind of co-signer.) This is a really generous and risky offer for Antonio to make because, as we know, Bassanio is terrible at managing his money, which is why he's always sponging off his friend. 

Bassanio's love life is the first thing Antonio brings up with Bassanio when they're alone together in the play. Maybe he's just one of those guys who likes to gossip, or maybe Bassanio has been on his mind. Bassanio's new courtship seems likely to be the source of Antonio's sadness, as it's at the forefront of his mind. Antonio clearly cares deeply about Bassanio as a friend, and he's facing the fact that he might lose him to this woman.

Antonio is willing to do anything to help his friend, including loaning him the money to woo Portia. What's interesting is that Antonio says that it's not just his "purse" (wallet) that's "unlock'd" for Bassanio's use; he is also making his entire "person" available to his friend, which may suggest a sexual relationship.

Okay, we get it. Antonio will never be friends with Shylock because 1) Shylock is a Jew and 2) Shylock charges interest on his loans, which Antonio thinks is wrong. Check out the themes of "Race" and "Wealth" for more thoughts on all this.

Here Antonio convinces his BFF to give "Balthazar" Portia's ring. Not knowing that Portia has just saved his backside, Antonio still insists that his friendship be valued over her love. It's like he's jockeying with her for the primary spot in Bassanio's heart. Seriously, he just nagged Bassanio into giving up the equivalent of his wedding ring!  

But this completely backfires for Antonio, because Portia later confronts her husband about giving up the love token and guilt-trips him into being a better husband. You can read more about this ring business in "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory."

When Antonio gives Bassanio the financial assistance he needs to woo Portia in style, Portia becomes the medium through which Antonio can strengthen his relationship with Bassanio. Since Bassanio will be further indebted to Antonio, the two friends will become that much closer and Bassanio will reap the financial rewards of being married to Portia. In other words, marriage is less about the relationship between husband and wife than it is an opportunity for Antonio and Bassanio to strengthen their bonds. 

Antonio is really asking for it here. He says that because he's not coming to ask for money out of friendship, and this is just business, Shylock has the right to exact a penalty should Antonio fail his bond. While Shylock's seeking a pound of flesh seems rather extreme, it can be linked back to Antonio's extravagant and unapologetic manner of asking for the money in the first place.

Because non-Venetian traders contribute to the city's economic well-being, Venice has laws in place to protect their rights. Therefore, reasons Antonio, Shylock will have his bond and there's nothing anybody can do about it.

Antonio has flipped the situation to make himself seem like a martyr. Sure, Shylock is pursuing his fury, but he's also pursuing the law. Antonio now tries to make himself look like a long-suffering saint. His humility and piety are a far cry from the jovial way in which he willingly took up the bond in the first place.

We don't yet know why Antonio is sad, but his mysterious proclamation sets him up as a generally melancholy character for the rest of the play. Furthermore, we learn that Antonio doesn't always have a rational explanation (at least one that he knows of) for how he feels.

Antonio recognizes that he has no choice but to resign himself to his fate. He no longer needs to scheme about being saved and can turn all of his attention to being loved and celebrated by his friend before he dies.

Given the choice between mercy and vengeance, Shylock chooses the latter. What's more, his repetitious demand to have his "bond" demonstrates that he is completely inflexible, even after he is given ample opportunity to resolve his beef with Antonio in a peaceful manner.