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See how much you know about The Merchant of Venice in this quiz.
The Merchant of Venice - Extract 1
This GCSE English Literature quiz is the first of two extract questions for The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. It takes place around the middle of the play, towards the beginning of the third act, after Jessica has eloped with Lorenzo and Antonio’s ships begin to run into misfortune. This passage presents Tubal and Shylock in dialogue about the news from Genoa, where Tubal has just been. Shylock has just delivered his famous speech on the humanity of Jews in the face of Christians who refer to them as dogs and devils. Read the passage through at least twice before tackling the questions. In answering the questions below, pay close attention to the text while also bearing in mind the wider issues of the play as a whole.
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SHYLOCK: How now, Tubal? What news from Genoa? Hast thou found my daughter?
TUBAL: I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.
SHYLOCK: Why, there, there, there, there. A diamond gone cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfurt. The curse never fell upon our nation till now — I never felt it till now. Two thousand ducats in that and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot and the ducats in her coffin! No news of them? Why, so. And I know not what’s spent in the search. Why thou, loss upon loss: the thief gone with so much, and so much to find the thief, and no satisfaction, no revenge, nor no ill luck stirring but what lights o’my shoulders, no sighs, but o’my breathing, no tears but o’my shedding.
TUBAL: Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa —
SHYLOCK: What, what, what? Ill luck, ill luck?
TUBAL: Hath an argosy cast away coming from Tripolis.
SHYLOCK: I thank God, I thank God! Is it true, is it true?
TUBAL: I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.
SHYLOCK: I thank thee, good Tubal. Good news, good news! Ha, ha — heard in Genoa?
TUBAL: Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, one night fourscore ducats.
SHYLOCK: Thou stick’st a dagger in me. I shall never see my gold again. Fourscore ducats at a sitting? Fourscore ducats?
TUBAL: There came divers of Antonio’s creditors in my company to Venice that swear he cannot choose but break.
SHYLOCK: I am very glad of it. I’ll plague him, I’ll torture him. I am glad of it.
TUBAL: One of them showed me a ring that he had of your daughter for a monkey.
SHYLOCK: Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal. It was my turquoise. I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.
TUBAL: But Antonio is certainly undone.
SHYLOCK: Nay, that’s true, that’s very true. Go, Tubal, fee me an officer. Bespeak him a fortnight before. I will have the heart of him if he forfeit, for were he out of Venice I can make what merchandise I will. Go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue. Go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Act Three, Scene One (Norton, 2008)
SHYLOCK: How now, Tubal? What news from Genoa? Hast thou found my daughter?
TUBAL: I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.
SHYLOCK: Why, there, there, there, there. A diamond gone cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfurt. The curse never fell upon our nation till now — I never felt it till now. Two thousand ducats in that and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot and the ducats in her coffin! No news of them? Why, so. And I know not what’s spent in the search. Why thou, loss upon loss: the thief gone with so much, and so much to find the thief, and no satisfaction, no revenge, nor no ill luck stirring but what lights o’my shoulders, no sighs, but o’my breathing, no tears but o’my shedding.
TUBAL: Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa —
SHYLOCK: What, what, what? Ill luck, ill luck?
TUBAL: Hath an argosy cast away coming from Tripolis.
SHYLOCK: I thank God, I thank God! Is it true, is it true?
TUBAL: I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.
SHYLOCK: I thank thee, good Tubal. Good news, good news! Ha, ha — heard in Genoa?
TUBAL: Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, one night fourscore ducats.
SHYLOCK: Thou stick’st a dagger in me. I shall never see my gold again. Fourscore ducats at a sitting? Fourscore ducats?
TUBAL: There came divers of Antonio’s creditors in my company to Venice that swear he cannot choose but break.
SHYLOCK: I am very glad of it. I’ll plague him, I’ll torture him. I am glad of it.
TUBAL: One of them showed me a ring that he had of your daughter for a monkey.
SHYLOCK: Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal. It was my turquoise. I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.
TUBAL: But Antonio is certainly undone.
SHYLOCK: Nay, that’s true, that’s very true. Go, Tubal, fee me an officer. Bespeak him a fortnight before. I will have the heart of him if he forfeit, for were he out of Venice I can make what merchandise I will. Go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue. Go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Act Three, Scene One (Norton, 2008)
1 .
What is the immediate context for this passage?
Jessica has sent a message to Lorenzo
Salanio and Salerio have been taunting Shylock about his daughter
Portia has encouraged Shylock to show mercy
Antonio has admitted to Shylock that he cannot pay the debt
Salanio and Salerio taunt Shylock for the loss of his daughter and exit the scene referring to him and his friend Tubal as devils
2 .
What immediately follows this passage?
Antonio visits Belmont
Portia adopts her disguise
Bassanio chooses the correct casket
Shylock makes his claim in court
The scene shift emphasises the success of Bassanio's gamble with the loan Antonio took from Shylock. Bassanio's success will be at Antonio's cost. While he is still at Belmont, he learns of his friend's losses at sea
3 .
Which of the following emotions does Shylock NOT express in this passage?
Sorrow
Pity
Anger
Hatred
Shylock experiences an onslaught of shifting emotions in this passage
4 .
"But Antonio is certainly undone." What effect does Tubal's statement produce in Shylock?
He becomes filled with grief
He forgets his daughter's thefts
He is distracted from his grief
His desire for revenge on his daughter grows greater
Tubal skillfully distracts Shylock when he nearly becomes overwhelmed with grief
5 .
What is Shylock's most explicit condemnation of his daughter?
She is spending money carelessly
She is making a spectacle of herself
She has not sent him any message
She is spending too much time with Christians
Jessica is being profligate in Genoa. In his view, she is throwing around money that he has worked hard over a lifetime to save
6 .
What is the most striking characteristic of Shylock's speech in this passage?
Repetition
A reliance upon monosyllabic words
A tendency to use archaic vocabulary
A tendency to use foreign or exotic vocabulary
Shylock's frequent repetitions give the impression that he is a man in a state of shock
7 .
What value does Shylock place on the turquoise ring?
Four score (eighty) ducats
A wilderness of monkeys
Emotional
None
The ring, which Jessica gave away for a monkey, holds emotional value for Shylock. It had been given him by Leah (presumably his wife) and his hyperbolic statement emphasises his emotional attachment to the ring
8 .
Which of the following is true of the news from Genoa?
Jessica's revelry brings Shylock pain
Antonio's misfortunes bring Shylock joy
The news makes Shylock more determined upon revenge
All of the above
The tragedy of the wrecked ship makes Shylock laugh. His request for more news results in Tubal's painful news about his daughter's behaviour. Hearing both sets of news at once strengthens Shylock's determination on vengeance
9 .
"Thou stick'st a dagger in me." What is the significance of this line?
Tubal empathises with Jessica
Shylock distrusts Tubal
The metaphorical dagger will become real
All of the above
When Shylock refers to having Antonio's heart, he does not use "heart" as a metaphor
10 .
Which of the following words links Shylock's pain to his desire for vengeance?
Torture
Swear
Break
Wreck
Shylock says of Antonio, "I'll torture him" and complains when Tubal gives him more bad news about Jessica, "Thou torturest me"
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