MERCHANT OF VENICE ACT 2 SCENE 2

                                                      ACT 2 SCENE 2
1.
(I)

Launcelot Gobbo is Shylock‘s servant. An inner struggle is going on
in his mind between his conscience advising him to be a faithful
servant and the devil tempting him to leave Shylock’s service and
take up service with Bassanio. Launcelot's inner struggle shows the
contemporary Christian practice of struggling with the temptation
to yield to it or not.

(ii)
Launcelot wants to run away from the Jew because his master,
Shylock is the very devil in human form. According to Launcelot,
Shylock is a miserly man under whose service he remains famished.
Besides, he fears that he would become a Jew if he served Shylock
any longer. Initially, his conscience tells him not to run away from
Shylock’s household and to be careful. However, when the devil
persuades him to flee, his conscience tells him that as he is the child
of a good father or at least a good mother and so, he should stay
where he is and not move.

(iii)
In this scene Launcelot provides some comic relief in the play. In the
context of the play such a relief was needed because the previous
scene related to the bond story, depicted a serious mood where
Antonio agrees to sign a treacherous bond that stipulates a pound
of his flesh in case he forfeits the agreement.

(iv)
Launcelot’s conscience advises him not to run away as such an act
of fleeing is a matter of contempt. It adds that he is the child of a
good father or at least a good mother and hence he should stay on with the

master.

(v)
Finally, Launcelot obeys the devil. The theme of racial discrimination
is brought out in Launcelot’s decision to run away because he runs
away from his master, Shylock, who was a Jew and takes up service
with Bassanio, a Christian.

(vi)
The theme of conflict between the good and the evil is shown in
this scene. Launcelot’s conscience advises him to stay on with his
master while the devil advises him to flee. He feels the devil’s advice
as good and that of the conscience as rigid. I-le follows the good
advice of the devil.
2

(i)
Launcelot and Old Gobbo are in a street in Venice. True—begotten
father’ means ’my father who begot me’. 01d Gobbo cannot recogmse
his son as he is more than half-blind.

(ii)
Old Gobbo is looking for the way to the Jew’shouse to go there
to find out if. his son Launcelot, who was worklng as a servant in

shylock's household is still there.launcelot confuses gobbo by giving

 him wrong directions to shylock's house.

(iii)

gobbo says that by the saints.it was a difficult direction to follow.

(iv) 

gobbo has brought a dish of cooked doves to give to the jew.

launcelot tells his father to give shylock a rope to hang himself

with rather than any present because he has half starved him.

(v)  
when gobbo asks launcelot the way to shylock,s house, the wrong 

directions which launcelot gives him provide real comedy in the

scene. the directions are too confusing for old gobbo to follow.

the second example is launcelots asking his fathers blessing. he

kheels before his father. being blind, his father touches launcelot

face and says that launcelot has more hair on his face thnh that dobbin

his cart house.
3. 

launcelot uses high sounding words in his conversation with gobbo

to impress him that he possesses classicallearning and is a gentleman.

Shakespeare wants to convey to the audience the habit of Some Vain
people of his time who pretended to be what they Were not.
(ii) Launcelot calls Old Gobbo ’Ifatber’ in the first. line of the .extract 

 as he plans to reveal his identity gradually to him. In the given lines
Launcelot tells Gobbo that according to his Fate or Destiny or  the
Three Sisters of the ancient Greeks and such other branches of
learning the young man is dead.

(iii)

old gobbo is stunned onhearing that his son is dead.he states that his son 

was his only support in his old age.
(iv)

 when Gobbo asks Launcelot to tell him whether his son is really
dead or not, Launcelot dramatically confesses that he is Gobbos
son. But Gobbo does not believe him. Then Launcelot mentions the
name of his mother, Margery, as a proof to show that he is really
Gobbo’s son.
(v)

 Gobbo is fond of his son. When Launcelot tells him that his Son
is dead, gobbo is shocked to hear it and laments that his son Was
his only support in his old age. Further Gobbo does not believe
Launcelots’ confession till he mentions the name of his mother.
When Launcelot tells him that he is his son, Gobbo, being blind,
feels Launcelot’s face to ascertain that he is actually his son.
(vi)

 One humorous situation is when Launcelot gives Gobbo directions
to go to Shylock’s house. The directions are so confusing that
Gobbo does not follow it. Another humorous situation is the scene
of Launcelot asking his fathers’ blessing. He kneels in front of his
fatherr His father feels his beard and says that Launcelot has more
hair on his face than their cart-horse has on his tail.
4. 

(i) when Gobbo remarked that Launcelot has more hair on his face
that Dobbin, their shaft-horse has on his tail, Launcelot responded
that dobbin, tall is growing less because when he last saw him.

he had more hair on tall than he had on his face. at this gobbo

remarked that launcelot has changed. gobbo has brought a dish of cooked 

doves to be given to shylock.

(ii)

(a) My master’s a very jew: My master is a typically jew i.e, he is a
miserly man.
(b) give him a haller: give him a rope to hang himself with,
(iii)
In the extract Launcelot tells his father that his under shylocks services
he has grown so thin for want of proper food tat his ribs and bones
are standing out prominently and can be counted with the finger.
This shows that Launcelot has been suffring in the Jew services.
(iv)
Launcelot means to say that anyone can count all his ribs by feeling
them with a finger. But Launcelot reverses the order thus achieving
a comic effect.
(v)If Launcelot serves Bassunio, he will have the privilege of having
new uniforms. According to Launcelot it he works any longer for the
Jew, he may become ii Jew himself. He meant; that it is impossible
for him to remain in Shylock’s service any further.
(vi)The miserly nature of the Jews is shown in this scene, Laurcelot
says that he is half famished under Shylock’s service and adds that
he has grown so thin for want of food that his bones and ribs are
standing out prominently and can be counted with a finger.
5(i)
when Old Gobbo delays in asking Bassanio to accept his son,
Launcelot in his service, Launcelot cuts him short and tells Bassanio
that he wants to serve him.
(ii)
The palm-reading by Launcelot provides the audience a comic
relief and foretells the good fortune that may happen in the life of
Launcelot.
(iii)After reading his palm, Launcelot foretells that he will have a long
life. He will marry a large number of wives (eleven widows and
nine maids in all). He will escape thrice from drowning and will
have a hair—breadth escape once from falling out from a feather bed.
(iv)
After employing Launcelot, Bassanio tells the Gobbos to go to Shylock
and bid him farewell and then reach his house. He tells his servants
to get a uniform for Launcelot with more decorations or ornamental
stripes than those of his other servants.
(v)The old proverb that Launcelot mentions is : ’The grace of God is
wealth enough'. He says that this proverb is equally applicable to
Shylock and Bassanio. Bassanio is a good man and has the grace of
God. Shylock does not have grace of God. But he has ’wealth enough .
6.
(i)
Bassanio speaks these words to gratiano when the latter makes
a request to him to permit him to accompany him on his trip to
Belmont.


(ii)

to tone down your lively spirits by exercising a little moderation.

(iii)
 BaSSanio tells Gratiano that he is uncontrollable, blunt and rough
 These faults of his are acceptable to Bassanio and his friends
qualities of his nature. But hlS Wild behaviour may be misunderstood
at Belmont. Hence, Bassanio advices him to control his Wild behaviour
and tone down his lively spirits by exercising modrration.
(iv) 
Bassanio asks Gratiano to behave properly in Belmont because to
fears that for people who don’t know Gratiano, his behaviour will 
apear as foulty. his wild behaviour  will be misunderstand at belmont
and Bassanio may lose all chances of marrying Portia.

 (v)


Gratiano promises to behave in a proper  manner, He Says that he will converse gravely and will seldom use an oth. he willcarry books in his pockets  and look most sedate. During the gracebefore meals, he will veil his eyes with his hat and solemnlysay amen he will do everything that politeness demands and followall the customs of good manners, as though heis trying to p1easehis grandmother by showing a quiet and serious behaviour.

(vi)

Bassanio tells Gratiano that his rude behaviour will be tolrted for
the night because of the party. This is because Bassanio wants that
night to be one of fun and mirth. He will be sorry to see Gratiano
in a sad mood. Bassanio would prefer to see him in his wildest
spirits and be in his most amusing mood.