Lancelot and Old Gobbo Quotes

Question 1

‘Well, my conscience says, “Launcelot, budge not.” “Budge!” says the fiend. “Budge not,” says my conscience. “Conscience,” say I, “you
counsel well.” “Fiend,” say I, “you counsel well.”’

Answer 1

Lancelet opens the scene with a soliloquy which is long and repetitive which makes him seem uneducated and foolish and sets a humorous tone for the scene.

Question 2

‘the Jew is the very devil incarnation’
Old Gobbo: ‘He hath great infection’
‘shall frutify unto you’

Answer 2

Shakespeare uses malapropism here in these lines as he makes Lancelot seem uneducated and makes him the source of humour. The whole of Scene 2 is written in prose when Lancelot and Gobbo speak which shows their lower status but Bassanio speaks in blank verse which helps demonstrate his higher status.