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The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare adapted
and retold by
Rainer Triller A
dandy from the city-state of Venice - quite
ignorant of all the pain and menace that
he was finally about to cause by
chatting up a girl on distant shores - approached
his noble merchant friend for money which
he required to impress his honey. Bassanio,this hard up smart Venetian gallant, made
ample use of his retorical talent so
that Antonio, his moody bosom friend, whose
hard-earned ducats he was wont to spend, would
once again most willingly concede to
pander to his present urgent need. Not much interested in Antonio's sorrow Bassanio
just sussed out what he could borrow to
rank himself with all those wealthy beaus intent
on courting Portia, Belmont's rose, whose
beauty stirred up men to great emotion and
lured them to her island in the ocean. .
. . Bassanio's
well-to-do and generous friend was
at that time not in a state to lend the
large amount of cash that was required to
gain the maid that all the world desired yet
he stood surety for any sum that
could be borrowed elsewhere by his chum. .
. . "Three thousand ducats, for three months -
well, well - a
handsome sum for not too long a spell." The
Jew most shrewdly from his point of vantage worked
out his likely profit and advantage. He
frowned and hesitated for a while evading
his new client with a smile. .
. . Enraged Antonio might have blown the deal had
not the Jew persuaded him to seal a
bond wherein the Merchant pawned a fresh and
tender looking pound of his own flesh to
be cut off if he could not repay the
credit on the stipulated day. .
. . Meanwhile fair Portia looked fed up and weary because
her wealth had made her life so dreary. And
then on top of that she felt quite ill when
she reflected on her dad's last will, which
told her not to choose or to refuse the
mate she craved to overcome her blues. .
. . Three
metal chests, of silver, gold and lead, were
to determine whom she was to wed. .
. . The very thought of this made Portia sick and
so she was resolved to find a trick allowing
her to follow her own fad without
appearing faithless to her dad. .
. . (a
story of 60 verses) |
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