Quotations about deceptions Flashcards
Portia states she could move on if the German suitor died after marrying her, showing she would not love him
“And the worst fall that ever fell, / I hope I shall make shift to go without him” (1.2.79)
Shylock presents the pound of flesh clause as a joke initially, but seriously wants it later on when Antonio can’t pay
“in a merry sport - / If you repay me not on such a day, / In such a place, such sum or sums as are / Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit / Be nominated for an equal pound / Of your fair flesh” (1.3.141)
Portia claims the Prince of Morocco would have had an equal chance to win her over as any other suitor without the Casket Test, but this seems unlikely considering her dislike of him because of his skin colour
“Yourself, renownèd Prince, then stood as fair / As any comer I have looked on yet / For my affection” (2.1.20)
Launcelot deceives his father and pretends he is dead and his father thinks Launcelot’s hair is his beard
“I will try confusions with him… or as you would say in plain terms, gone to heaven… what a beard hast thou got!” (2.2.33, 58, 86)
Jessica admits to herself that she is not a daughter to Shylock’s behaviour
“But though I am a daughter to his blood, / I am not to his manners” (2.3.17)
Lorenzo talks about disguising himself and his friends at the masquerade party, which could symbolise deception
“we will slink away in supper time, / Disguise us at my lodging, and return, / All in an hour” (2.4.1)
Shylock claims Launcelot eats and sleeps a lot, which suggests Launcelot deceived others earlier by claiming he was starved
“but a huge feeder, / Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day / More than the wildcat” (2.5.44)
The Prince of Morocco is deceived in a way by the golden casket and thinks choosing it will allow him to marry Portia, when it doesn’t
“But here an angel in a golden bed / Lies all within. - Deliver me the key. Here do I choose, and thrive I as I may!” (2.7.59)
Solanio emphasises how confused and seemingly shocked Shylock was after Jessica ran away with his money with Lorenzo
“I never heard a passion so confused, / So strange, outrageous, and so variable, / As the dog Jew did utter in the streets” (2.8.12)
The Prince of Arragon believes he deserves Portia, and is in a way deceived by the silver casket
“‘Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.’ / I will assume desert. - Give me a key for this” (2.9.49)
Solanio hopes the rumour that Antonio’s ship being wrecked in the English Channel is false, despite the fact that it turns out to likely be true
“I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever knapped / ginger or made her neighbors believe she wept for the / death of a third husband” (3.1.8)
Shylock seems surprised at Tubal stating Antonio had bad luck
“What, what, what? Ill luck, ill luck?” (3.1.85)
Bassanio admits he portrayed his financial situation more positively than in truth to Portia
“Rating myself at nothing, you shall see / How much I was a braggart” (3.2.256)
Portia talks to Nerissa of disguising themselves as men and deceiving everyone else
“That they shall think we are accomplishèd / With that we lack” (3.4.61)
Portia deceives Shylock by seeming to support his claim to Antonio’s pound of flesh
“A pound of that same merchant’s flesh is thine. / The court awards it, and the law doth give it” (4.1.296)
