Antonio is never with a woman in the play and the only time he talks about love it is about his love for Bassanio. In Act IV, scene 1, Antonio says” Commend me to your honourable wife. Tell her the process of Antonio’s end. Say how I lov’d you, speak me fair in death and when the tale is told, bid her be judge. Whether Bassanio had not once a love.” Antonio loves Bassanio so deeply he is willing to die, and before that he is willing to “give” him to Portia, because Bassanio has no idea how deep Antonio’s love runs.
When Antonio sends Bassanio a letter to ask him to return, telling him of the failure of his ships he includes the line “if your love does not persuade you to come, let not my words.” I think this shows that he wants to test Bassanio’s love, and though deep down he knows that Bassanio is not gay and is quite happy with Portia, he probably knows also that Bassanio still cares about him and will come and then he can comfort himself with the idea that it was Bassanio’s love that brought him there. Bassanio left Belmont to save Antonio; he could have just sent the money to Shylock. Portia would have had enough money. In Elizabethan times a man would not leave his wife so soon after he had married her. Another reason that shows Bassanio’s love for Antonio is the ring.
Portia gave Bassanio the ring to symbolize her love him and makes him promise to never give it up but when Portia pretends to be, Balthazar and asks for the ring Antonio’s first reaction is to refuse but Antonio convinces him to give Portia the ring, if Antonio can convince Bassanio to give up something that means so much to his wife then his feeling for Antonio must be very strong. In the beginning of the play Bassanio say to Antonio “To you, Antonio, I owe the most in money and in love: and I have thought of a plan to pay everything I owe if you will but help me.” This tells us that Antonio only planned on marrying Portia because she was rich and he needed the money. When Shylock said he would take a pound of flesh if Antonio did not repay his loan Antonio said “No, you shall run no such risk for me.” Bassanio was not willing to let Antonio risk his life I think this is because of his love towards Antonio.
The Essay on For The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil
A Bible quote from I Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil” is argumentative; whether this is true or not, it all depends on individual views or insights. Some may argue that it is true, while some say that it is not true. I grew up hearing that money is the root of all evil, because I mostly studied in a Christian school or institution in my elementary and high school years ...
