Act V [Notes & References]

Introduction:

Act V, which comprises of just one scene, is the final act of the play. We see that the main conflict (of
Antonio being caught in the clutches of Shylock) has been resolved; further final seeds of contention also
are seen to untangle in this scene (the issue of giving away of the ring- symbolic of love between Portia &
Bassanio and Nerissa & Gratiano).We see conclusion hinting towards a happy future taking place. Key
events that take place are,

 Lorenzo and Jessica having an amorous, friendly banter

 Lorenzo admiring the beauty of night sky and musing about power of music
 Arrival of Portia and Nerissa- their discourse on goodness or virtue of a thing being contextual
 Arrival of Bassanio, Antonio and Gratiano
 Confusion and brawl over the loss of rings, followed by its resolution
 Good tidings for Antonio, Lorenzo and a promising end

When the scene opens, we see Lorenzo‟s cogitation about the moon which shines brightly that
night. This makes the two lovers (Lorenzo & Jessica) reflect and remember some instances from classical
antiquity about other lovers and their possible actions on a night like that.
Mood / Tone: Romantic + Leisurely in the beginning Contemplative (when Portia and Nerissa arrive)
Celebratory and Welcoming (when Bassanio, Antonio and Gratiano arrive) Tense (when the brawl
and confusion over the wedding rings happen) Relief and Joy (after resolution and meting out of happy
news for all people present in Belmont)

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The Four References:

 Troilus and Cressida- lovers who lived during the Trojan War; when Cressida was taken to
one of the Grecian camps where she broke her promise and fell in love with another man.
Hence, Lorenzo speculates that on one such dreamy night, forlorn Troilus (one of the sons
of Priam) must have mounted the Trojan walls and sighed looking towards the tents of the
Greeks, pining in love for Cressida. [Lines 3-6]

 Pyramus and Thisbe- was a pair of ill-fated lovers, whose story forms a part of Ovid‟s
Metamorphoses. They could only communicate with one another through a crack in the
wall, but on one such night, Jessica muses, Thisbe must have walked slowly across the dewy
grass to meet Pyramus, but unfortunately before he could arrive, it is told, there stood a
lioness at the designated place, seeing which she fled leaving her veil behind, only for the
lioness to devour. Pyramus saw that and thought the worst and killed himself and on
Thisbe‟s return she too committed suicide seeing her lover dead. [Lines 7-10]

 Dido and Aeneas- Dido was the widowed queen of Carthage and Aeneas was a Trojan
hero, who was voyaging around the world. After a terrible shipwreck, he was washed onto
the shores of Carthage, where the two passionately fell in love with each other. But when
the winds came about, Aeneas decided to leave and in this context, Lorenzo remember and
 imagines Dido standing, on one such night, on the wild sea banks with a willow (a shrub-
symbolic of deserted love) in her hand, wafting her love to come back to Carthage. [Lines
11-14]

 Medea and Aeson- Medea was an enchantress (and daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis)
who had fallen in love with Jason, who was in search of a golden fleece to safeguard his
kingdom. Out of love, in order to save Jason‟s father- Aeson; Medea on one such night,
contemplates Jessica, must have gathered enchanted herbs that renew him to youth. It was
believed back then that certain herbs procured at night contain magical properties. [Lines
15-17]

Further, Lorenzo starts to tease Jessica that on one such night a Jew‟s daughter (Jessica herself)
eloped with her unthrifty lover (himself). Jessica adds on to this playful teasing and says that on such a
night he made many vows of faith but kept none, to which Lorenzo calls her a shrew (an abusive woman)
playfully who defames her lover and later says that he forgave her for it. Jessica at this point claims that
she can „out-night‟ him, i.e. beat him at this game of naming events that happened in the darkness of the
night which conceal a lot of secrets. They stop as they hear the footsteps of someone approaching. [Lines
28-29]

However, it is ironic that these newly united lovers are discussing the tales of ill-fated lovers,
whose ends have been tragic and love not requited.

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 Lines 62-72:

In the given lines, Lorenzo is admiring the beauty of the night sky and enjoying the music that
Stephano was instructed to play. He is in a mood of leisure and marks that how the soft stillness and calm
of the night suit the notes of sweet harmony. (62-64)

He further asks Jessica to sit and look at the floor of heave, i.e., the sky, and gives a surreal vision of it
thickly inlaid or studded with plates of bright gold (shining stars). He believes that even the smallest star
in the sky that one can look at (behold) is in motion, singing and quiring (as if in a choir) to Cherubims
(angels).
It was believed that every celestial body has a sound or harmony of its own. This here is a very
imaginative vision of Lorenzo where he feels all these bodies have come together that night as if in a choir
and are producing a melodious symphony.

Lorenzo further expounds that such immortal harmony is within human souls also but we cannot
hear it because we are bound by our outer earthly body (“muddy vesture of decay”), which grossly closes
us and hence we cannot hear the immortal music. In short, till we are overtaken by our mortal bodies and
earthly desires we cannot hear the harmony that is within.

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Goodness is contextual [Lines 99-116]

Portia on her return observes a light burning in her hall and wonders how far it throws its beams. This
makes her draw an analogy and say that in a similar way a good deed shines in a „naught word‟, just like a
single candle is illuminating a dark night.

But Nerissa at this points that virtue of anything depends in the context we see it in, i.e., the same
candle would not shine so brightly when seen against the light of the moon, which is much bigger and
brighter. Portia agrees and says, “So doth the greater glory dim the less”. She further adds that a
substitute (person ruling in place of a king for a brief emergency) may shine and do well until the original
king comes by, and then his estate or glory empties; comparing this once again to a natural phenomenon-
just like an inland stream fades or loses its identity the moment it merges into the waters of the sea or
ocean.

Then in line 107-8, Portia claims that nothing can be called absolute good without context. It is the
context or backgrounds against you see something makes it good or bad. A few more comparisons are
made,

 The crow would sound as sweet as the lark, if heard in isolation, not accompanied by noise [a
crow sings during the noisy day, whereas a lark at twilight]
 Nightingale, according to Portia, would not be any better than a wren if it is to sing during the day,
when every goose (every common bird) is cackling
 She end this discourse with an important truth, that many things reach their maximum beauty virtue,
praise and perfection because of the context and time that they exist in.
“How many things by season season’d are / To their right praise and true perfection”

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Question Bank

1. Where does the scene take place? Who all are present when the scene opens?
2. Who brings in the news of Portia‟s arrival? What else he mentions about her? What is this
person further instructed?
3. Who comes in tootling like a horn and WHY?
4. Who are Diana and Endymion?
5. What is Erebus?
6. How does Portia welcome Antonio?
7. What is Gratiano‟s reaction and view of the ring when Nerissa is miffed at him for giving it
away to a lawyer‟s clerk? [two parts-reaction=immediate + views= Lines 160-163]
8. What does Portia have to say to Gratiano about the ring and what has he given his wife?
9. What does Bassanio hope for after Portia‟s chiding of Gratiano?
10. How does Antonio intervene in the quarrel and what does he offer?
11. What has Portia to say on Bassanio‟s „double self‟?
12. What clarifies the ambiguity around the rings and what further news are in for Antonio and
Lorenzo?
13. How does Antonio thank Portia?
14. What is „manna‟? Who uses this term, for whom and why?
15. What were Gratiano‟s closing words?

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