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Act 2 Scene 4 - Evaluation

Lorenzo and his friends discuss preparations for Bassanio's dinner party that evening, which will include a masquerade. They need to hire torchbearers to light the event. Launcelot arrives with a letter for Lorenzo from Jessica, informing him of her plan to elope by disguising herself as a torchbearer. Lorenzo is confident Jessica can successfully disguise herself and escape with gold and jewels from her father Shylock's house. The dinner party will facilitate Jessica's elopement by getting her father out of the house.

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85 views2 pages

Act 2 Scene 4 - Evaluation

Lorenzo and his friends discuss preparations for Bassanio's dinner party that evening, which will include a masquerade. They need to hire torchbearers to light the event. Launcelot arrives with a letter for Lorenzo from Jessica, informing him of her plan to elope by disguising herself as a torchbearer. Lorenzo is confident Jessica can successfully disguise herself and escape with gold and jewels from her father Shylock's house. The dinner party will facilitate Jessica's elopement by getting her father out of the house.

Uploaded by

Dev Bajaria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DRAMA -THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (ACT 2 SCENE 4)

BY
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

G.A.E. T
Vasant Vihar High School & Jr college
Grade: 9 Subject: English literature
CORE VALUE: ‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid
painted blind’

Summary of Act 2 Scene 4: “The Merchant of Venice”

Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino, and Salanio discuss their plans for Bassanio's dinner party and masque
that night. All of the preparations have not been made; for example, one of the things which they
have neglected to do, and which must be done, is to hire young boys to act as torchbearers for the
evening so that the gala party will be brightly lighted. This is to be a special evening, and all details
must be considered.

While they are talking, Launcelot enters, on his way to invite Shylock to the party, and he delivers
Jessica's letter to Lorenzo. Lorenzo reads it and sends Jessica a reply: "Tell gentle Jessica / I will not
fail her; speak it privately." Lorenzo then tells his friends that he has found a torchbearer, and he
confides to Gratiano that Jessica is going to disguise herself as a page tonight and elope with him;
furthermore, she will escape with enough gold and jewels for a proper dowry. Lorenzo feels sure that
Jessica, in a page's attire, can successfully disguise herself as a torchbearer for Bassanio's party and
not be recognized.

Analysis of the scene:


Unlike Portia, and her suitors who follow her father's legal dictates, by eloping Lorenzo and Jessica
circumvent typical legal structures to get married. Jews were typically depicted as darker than
Europeans. Notice how Lorenzo describes Jessica, who will betray her father and fellow Jews, as
white. He seems to believe that Jewishness is more an aspect of personality than biology. it turns out
that Jessica will not only abandon her father and avoid the traditional legal framework for getting
married, she is also going to rob her father to provide herself and her husband with money. As in
Bassanio's suit of Portia, romantic conquest and commercial gain are mingled. They all seem to think
that stealing from a Jew is no big deal.

EVALUATION:
1. Why do Lorenzo and his friends plan to disguise themselves at dinners time? How well are
theyprepared for the disguise?
A-Lorenzo and his friends plan to disguise themselves at dinner time since they were organizing a
masquerade for Bassanio’s dinner party. During Elizabethan times the masque was an amateur dramatic
practice usually performed in private houses. The players wore masks and costumes andtook part in a
torch procession, playing musical instruments. They were not fully prepared for the disguise.
2. Who is supposed to be the torch-bearer? What is the actual purpose of having a torch-bearer in
the scene?
A-Jessica, disguised as a boy, is supposed to be the torch-bearer. The actual purpose of
having atorch-bearer in the scene is to facilitate the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo.
3. Whose letter does Lancelot bring? Why is it an important confidential letter? How does
Lorenzo guess whose letter it is?
A- Launcelot brings the letter of Jessica? It is an important confidential letter as it contained Jessica’s
plan to elope with Lorenzo. On receiving the letter Lorenzo guesses whose letter it is after looking
at the handwriting. He declares that the handwriting is familiar to him and the letter is written by a
lovely,fair and beautiful hand.
4. Who is giving the dinner party? Whom does Launcelot invite for dinner?
A-Bassanio is giving the dinner party. Launcelot invites Shylock for the dinner
party.
5.What information has Jessica given to Lorenzo regarding her elopement?
A-Jessica has informed Lorenzo that she has planned to leave her father's house with all the jewels
andmoney that is in the house. She is ready to elope with him in the disguise of a page boy.
6. According to Lorenzo, how could the Jew go to heaven? How can you conclude that Lorenzo has
a high opinion of Jessica?
A-According to Lorenzo, how could the Jew go to heaven? ... According to Lorenzo, the Jew, Shylock
could go to heaven only because of his sweet and gentle daughter. We can conclude that Lorenzo
has a high opinion of Jessica since he feels that if at all Shylock ever goes to heaven it will be
because of her.
7. What does Lorenzo wish for Jessica? According to him, how could misfortune come to Jessica?
A-According to him, how could misfortune come to Jessica? Lorenzo wishes that no misfortune ever
happens to Jessica, for being the daughter of a non-believing Jew. She has no stain of sin in her
unless her birth is regarded as a sin
8. Describe the atmosphere of activity and pre-occupation prevailing in this short scene.
A-An atmosphere of activity and pre-occupation prevails in this scene. Activities include preparations
for the masquerade and Jessica's elopement. Pre-occupation regarding the dinner party dominates
the scene.
9. Describe briefly how the dinner party facilitates the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo.
A-The dinner party facilitates the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo. Jessica is free to leave her
houseas her father is away at Bassanio's dinner party. Lorenzo and his friends organize a
masquerade for Bassanio's dinner party. Jessica joins them as a torch-bearer dressed as a boy and
elopes with Lorenzo.

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