Passage From the Text
Bassanio: 'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio, how much I have disabled mine estate by something showing a more swelling port then my faint means would grant continuance. Nor do I now make moan to be abridged from such a noble rate; but my chief care is to come fairly off from the great debts wherein my time something too prodigal hath left me gaged. To you, Antonio, I owe the most in money and in love, and from your love I have a warranty to unburden all my plots and purposes how to get clear of all the debts I owe.
Antonio: I pray you, good Bassanio, let me know it, and if it stand, as you your self still do, within the eye of honor, be assured my purse, my person, my extremest means lie all unlocked to your occasions. (I.i.125-142)
Antonio: I pray you, good Bassanio, let me know it, and if it stand, as you your self still do, within the eye of honor, be assured my purse, my person, my extremest means lie all unlocked to your occasions. (I.i.125-142)
Response to the Text
7) The detail in this passage seems effective because it lays out the situation that is at hand in play, while also providing foreshadowing. These lines are incredibly important because they are some of the first that are spoken between Bassanio and Antonio in private between the two men. The first lines that caught my attention were the ones listed above that are spoken by Antonio. It is very clear that Antonio has romantic feelings for Bassanio and is very comfortable with sharing these feelings with Bassanio, along with any money or service that Bassanio requires. Ironically the love that Antonio professes to Bassanio proves to be some of the most genuine love professed throughout the play as Antonio does give his riches for Bassanio and asks for nothing in return. Bassanio's lines outline his character as being greedy, and scheming, as he clearly knows how to work Antonio's emotions to his benefit. The text also hints at a future scheme of Bassanio's to rid himself of debt; we later discover that this idea is to marry Portia. From the first scene of the play, the viewer knows that Bassanio's search for Portia's hand in marriage is not motivated by love, but rather by money. This revelation had me also question Bassanio's supposed love that he claims to have for Antonio. Although Bassanio claims to want to fairly clear his debt with Antonio in a noble manner, I as a reader had the feeling that quite the opposite was going to occur later in the play. Overall, this dialogue taught me to look for a relationship between the two men, and to always be wary of Bassanio's true intentions.