Why look how you
storm!
I
would be friends with you, and have your love,
Forget
the shames that you have stain’d me with,
Supply
your present wants and take no doit
Of
usance for my monies,
And
you’ll not hear me: this is kind I offer.
-Shylock
The Merchant of Venice Act I, scene iii, line 45
I’m going to
maintain that skipping around like this, whether within one play or through all
Will’s works, has the advantage of having any and every possible line highlighted,
where it might otherwise be skipped over. And that’s a good thing. But to today’s
line…
Shylock had been
saying previously that Antonio has in the past been very mean to him, spit on
him and treated him like a dog. And for
these courtesies/I’ll lend you thus much monies’? he asks of Antonio. Antonio’s
reply is an interesting one.
To
spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.
If
thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As
to thy friends— for when did friendship take
A
breed for barren metal of his friend?—
But
lend it rather to thine enemy;
Who
if he break, thou mayst with better face
Exact
the penalty.
For when did friendship… Antonio’s saying when did friendship ever
increase based on the money of a friend?
Who if he break… who if he goes bankrupt.
This is the
storming that Shylock is referring to, and responding to, with today’s Totally
Random Lines.
Now, there’s a lot here, and I gave you quite a bit to read, but I think this is a really important piece of the play. Shylock has justly accused Antonio of being really rotten to him, of spitting on him and treating him like a dog. Even with all that he’s saying that he would be willing to be friends with Antonio. He’d be willing to take no doit of usance – take not a penny of interest for the loan. We can argue as to whether or not this is a sincere offer, but either way Antonio has already made it very clear that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Shylock on a personal basis; he only wants the money loaned on a purely business-based relationship. At this point Shylock offers, and Antonio accepts, the pound of flesh deal.
So, who’s the bad guy? You tell me.
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