Merchant of Venice Modern Act 1 Scene 1
ANTONIO
I honestly don’t know why I’m so sad . I’m tired of it, and so are you. But I have no idea why I have gotten so depressed and I can’t figure out what is even making me feel this way. I must not understand myself very well.
SALARINO
You’re worried about your ships. Your mind is getting tossed around in the ocean with them, but they’re fine. They’re like huge parade floats on the sea. They’re so big they look down on the smaller ships, which all have to bow and then get out of the way. Your ships fly like birds past those tiny little boats.
SOLANIO
Yes, believe me, if I had risky business ventures in other countries, I’d be sad too, worrying about it every second. I’d constantly be tossing blades of grass into the air to find out which way the wind was blowing. I’d be peering over maps to figure out the best ports, piers, and waterways. Everything that made me worry about my ships would make me sad.
SALARINO
I’d get scared every time I blew on my soup to cool it, thinking of how a strong wind could wipe out my ships. Every time I’d look at the sand in an hourglass, I’d imagine my ships wrecked on sandbars. I’d think of dangerous rocks every time I went to church and saw the stones it was made of. If my ship brushed up against rocks like that, its whole cargo of spices would be dumped into the sea. All of its silk shipments would be sent flying into the roaring waters. In a second, I’d go bankrupt. Who wouldn’t get sad thinking about things like that? It’s obvious. Antonio is sad because he’s so worried about his cargo.
ANTONIO
No, trust me that’s not it. Thankfully my financial situation is well. I don’t have all of my money invested in one ship, or one part of the world. If I don’t do good this year, I’ll still be okay. So it’s not my business that’s making me sad.
SOLANIO
Well then, you must be in love.
ANTONIO
Oh, give me a break.
SOLANIO
You’re not in love either? Fine, let’s just say you’re sad because you’re not in a good mood. You
I honestly don’t know why I’m so sad . I’m tired of it, and so are you. But I have no idea why I have gotten so depressed and I can’t figure out what is even making me feel this way. I must not understand myself very well.
SALARINO
You’re worried about your ships. Your mind is getting tossed around in the ocean with them, but they’re fine. They’re like huge parade floats on the sea. They’re so big they look down on the smaller ships, which all have to bow and then get out of the way. Your ships fly like birds past those tiny little boats.
SOLANIO
Yes, believe me, if I had risky business ventures in other countries, I’d be sad too, worrying about it every second. I’d constantly be tossing blades of grass into the air to find out which way the wind was blowing. I’d be peering over maps to figure out the best ports, piers, and waterways. Everything that made me worry about my ships would make me sad.
SALARINO
I’d get scared every time I blew on my soup to cool it, thinking of how a strong wind could wipe out my ships. Every time I’d look at the sand in an hourglass, I’d imagine my ships wrecked on sandbars. I’d think of dangerous rocks every time I went to church and saw the stones it was made of. If my ship brushed up against rocks like that, its whole cargo of spices would be dumped into the sea. All of its silk shipments would be sent flying into the roaring waters. In a second, I’d go bankrupt. Who wouldn’t get sad thinking about things like that? It’s obvious. Antonio is sad because he’s so worried about his cargo.
ANTONIO
No, trust me that’s not it. Thankfully my financial situation is well. I don’t have all of my money invested in one ship, or one part of the world. If I don’t do good this year, I’ll still be okay. So it’s not my business that’s making me sad.
SOLANIO
Well then, you must be in love.
ANTONIO
Oh, give me a break.
SOLANIO
You’re not in love either? Fine, let’s just say you’re sad because you’re not in a good mood. You