Write an essay on the Bond Story.

Ans.

William Shakespeare’s drama, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, is an ingenious combination of four stories: the Bond Story, the Casket Story, the Lorenzo-Jessica Story and the Story of the Rings. Out of the Bond Story and the Caskets Story, the main texture of the play has been woven.

The Bond Story begins with Bassanio’s Meeting with Antonio in First Act. Antonio and Bassanio are very intimate friends, Antonio is a Christian merchant of Venice. He is very kind, gentle and generous. He lends money to Christian merchants in trouble but does not charge any interest. No body is dearer to him than Bassanio. Bassanio is a young, handsome, cultured and gifted gentleman of aristocratic birth. He has squandered his wealth in lavish living. He approaches his dear friend, Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats. He has not repaid the earlier loan and needs another to repair the earlier damage he plans to visit Belmont where a rich, beautiful and virtuous lady lives. Bassanio wishes to marry her and if he succeeds he will win a rich marriage position. He wishes to spend this money for his visit to Belmont. As the chance would have it. Antonio not have ready cash with him to be advanced to Bassanio. All his money is invested in various foreign ventures. So Antonio asks Bassanio to procure the desired loan from anybody on Antonio’s surety. Bassanio approaches Shylock for this purpose. Shylock is a rich Jew. he is universally detested because he is a money lender who charges exorbitant rate of interest and mercilessly extorts forfeiture when the borrowers fail to repay to loans on time. The moment Bassanio mentions that he needs three thousand ducats for three months on Antonio’s surety, Shylock shows his willingness. Shylock hates Antonio because he lends money without charging interest and thus he affects Shylock’s profits because the rate of interest goes down. Shylock has other reasons for hating Antonio. Shylock is a Jew and hates Christian and Antonio is a Christian. Then Antonio insults, abuses and kicks Shylock publicly and spits on him. He does this because Shylock is a Jew and usurer. So When Bassanio mentions Antonio as a surety Shylock sees his opportunity to avenge the Jewish nation’s wrongs at the hands of Christians and also the opportunity to settle his old score of hared.

Shylock offers to lend the money without charging any interest provided Antonio agrees to sign a bond in presence of a law officer. He pretends that he wants the friendship of Antonio. He says that just for the sake of fun a condition be playfully incorporated that if Antonio fails to repay the loan on time Shylock will cut a pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body. Bassanio sensed mischief and asked Antonio not to sign such a bond. But Antonio was sure that only a month later he will have enough money to repay many such loans and in his over-confidence brushed aside Bassanio’s objections affectionately and signed bond-his death warrant almost.

Bassanio proceeds to Belmont to try his luck and succeeds. But at the time when he is starting to taste the fruits of his successful venture he learns about his dear friend’s mortal danger. Antonio, being unable to repay the loan on time has been arrested and is counting his last days. All the efforts to mollify the cruel Jew have failed. Antonio desires Bassanio to be present at his trial so that he may perform his last rites and write his epitaph. Portia hurriedly marries Bassanio and sends hi with enough gold to pay the loan many times over. Portia senses the seriousness of the situation and the need to do something immediately. She obtains suitable dress and authority, to appear as a lawyer on behalf of Antonio in the court of Venice, from her cousin in Padua who is an eminent jurist. She appears as Balthazar and dazzles the court with his intellectual brilliance, legal acumen and profound humanity. Shylock is crushed and Antonio saved.

The Bond Story together with the Caskets Story forms the core of the play. Portia and Shylock dominate the play. All other characters, even Antonio, after whom the play is named, are mere pygmies before Shylock and Portia. The collected wisdom, resources and authority of all, including the duke of Venice, fall like nine pins before the wicked and evil scheming of the Jew and are unable to save Antonio. But before virtuous Portia Shylock himself collapses like a castle of cards. The Bond Story, in its Trial-scene, brings the two together and it is Portia who is at her very best and emerges covered worth glory winning the gratitude and admiration of all, save one. The Bond Story is a tragi comedy : tragedy for Shylock and comedy for Antonio and the rest.

The Bond Story is the chief story and it is Antonio’s escape from Shylock’s revenge. the Caskets Story is the means of setting the Bond Story in motion. At the Catastrophe of the Bond Story all hinges on the heroine of the Caskets Story.