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The Merchant of Venice (9) [The Merchant of Venice]

The Merchant of Venice (9)

  Portia was unhappy because she wanted  a husband, but her father's will stopped her from choosing one that she liked.
  At the same time, it stopped her from refusing one that she didnot like.

  her father had arranged a kind of guessing game for men who came to court his daughter.

  There were three boxes. Each one had something written on it. Every suitor had to chose a box. Portia's father thought the right man would understand the meaning of the three boxes and choose the right one.

  The man who chose the right box could marry Portia, but if a man chose the wrong box, he would never marryanyone at all.

  Her first suitor was a prince from Naples.
  Portia did not like him because he talked about cats all the time. He didn't seem to know about anything except cats, and nothing else interested him.
  Portia did not like cats.

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The Merchant of Venice (8) [The Merchant of Venice]

The Merchant of Venice (8)

  Bassanio was right about Portia.

  She was young, beautiful, and she was not married.

  However, like Antonio, she was unhappy and tired. She had a maid called Nerissa, and Narissa told her that people can get sick from having too much as easily as they get sick from not having enough.

  " Those are wise words, Narissa, " Portia told her.

  " Wise words are not much good if nobody takes any notice, " replied Nerissa.

  " That's true, " agreed Portia, " but if it were as easy to do something as it is to say it, then poor people would live in palaces.
 I can easily teach twenty people what to do, but it is much more difficult to be one of the twenty people  that  follow my own teaching ! " 

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The Merchant of Venice (7)  [The Merchant of Venice]

The Merchant of Venice (7)

  " She is rich and young and beautiful. Her hair is like gold, and her face is always sunny and happy. She is always smiling. Antonio! She is beautifuk. She likes me. I am certain she would marry me, " he explained.

  Antonio laughed.
  "  You are my friend, Bassanio, " he comforted, " and I will help you. You know that all my ships are at sea just now, so I do not have much money to give you. However, you can go into town and try to borrow the money. Tell the moneylenders that ANtonio will guarantee the maneypaid back to them. Don't worry !  I will help you to go to Belmont and court Portia. "

  Bassanio, of course, was very pleased. He immediately started to make his plans.

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The Merchant of Venice (6) [The Merchant of Venice]

 The Merchant of Venice (6)

  One day, Bassanio came to visit Antonio.

  This was not unusual because they were good friends.

  But this visit was more important than usual for Bassanio.
  He already owed Antonio a lot of money, but now he wanted to borrow some more.
  Of course, Antonio wanted to know why Bassanio needed the money.

  " I have been spending more money than I earn, " began  Bassanio.
  " I already owe you a lot of money. I will tell you how I am going to get enough money to pay back all the money I owe. "

  " Yes, tell me, " said Antonio.
  " If I can help you, I will. "

  " When I was a boy at school, " began Bassanio, " Isometimes lost a ball when I was playing. When that happened, I would throw another ball in exactly the same way and watch it carefully.
  I would often find the two balls together. You might like to think of your money that way. The money you gave me is the first ball. It is lost, and I know it is my fault.
  But if you give me some more money, it could be like that second ball and help you get all your money back.  I will give back the money you give me now as well as the money that I have already lost. " 

  Antonio invited him to continue.

  Bassanio told him about a rich young lady in Belmont.
  Her name was Portia.
  Her father died and feft her a lot of money. She was beautiful as well as rich, and she was not married.
  Many men cam efrom all over the world to court her, but nobody had succeeded.
  Bassanio had met Portia before, and he knew that she liked him.
  He told ANtonio that if he had enough money, he would soon make her his wife.

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