MERCHANT OF VENICE ACT 2 SCENE 4

                                     ACT II Scene 4  

                                          CONTEXT QUESTIONS 

                                                                                                                                                                 1. (i) Lorenzo and his friends plan to disguish  themselves at dinner time since they were organising a masquerade for Bassaniors dinner party. During Elizabethan times the masque was an amateur dramatic practice usually performed in private houses. The players wore

masks and costumes and took part in a torch procession, playinM musical instruments. They were not fully prepared for the disguise.

(ii) Jessica, disguised as a boy, is supposed to be the torch-bearer. The actual purpose of having a torch-bearer in the scene is to facilitate the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo.

 (iii) 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.

 (iv) Bassanio is giving the dinner party. Launcelot invites Shylock for the dinner party. 

(v) The dinner party facilitates the elopement of Jessica with Lorenzo. Jessica is free to leave her house as her father is away at Bassanio's dinner party. Lorenzo and his friends organise a masquerade for Bassanio's dinner party. Jessica joins them as a torch-bearer dressed as a boy and elopes with Lorenzo.

 2. (i) Jessica informs Lorenzo about the arrangements she had made to elope with him. She will leave her fathers' house with money and jewellery, disguised in the uniform of a page-boy. 

(ii) 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. He prays that no misfortune ever comes to her except for being Shylock's daughter. 

(iii) 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. 

(iv) Reference to Shylock as a 'faithless Jew' is an example of racial discrimination hinted at in the extract. Christians believed that faithless Jews won't go to heaven.

 (v) 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. Even Shylock is invited for the party. Launcelot acts as a messenger in this scene. He delivers Jessica's letter to Lorenzo and Lorenzo's reply to Jessica. He invites Shylock for Bassanio's party on Bassanio's behalf.