Merchant of Venice. - Repositories

164 NOTES [ACT IIL
I. 54. presence. Dignity.
II. 65-60. Alcides. Neptune, enraged with Laomedon, king
of Troy, sent a sea-monster to ravage the king's country. To
propitiate Neptune, Laomedon was obliged to offer him his
daughter, Hesione. When the maiden had been chained to a
rock on the coast, Hercules (Alcides), bribed by the promise of
some famous hqrses owned by the king, rescued his daughter
from the beast.
1. 56. howling. Crying in anguish.
1. 59. bleared. Tear-stained,
1. 63. fancy. Taking a fancy to, falling lightly in love.
According to the song, " How old does such love live to be ?"
Is there any hint in this song of the right casket ? Did Bassanio
take the hint ? Would Arragon or Morocco have understood
it ? Who might have caused it to be sung ? What two
people knew which was the right casket ?
1. 73. least themselves. Not at all like the reality within.
1. 74. still. What does this word usually mean in Shakespeare
?
1. 77. Obscures. Ellipsis of the subject.
1. 85. Hercules . . . Mars. These two, one a hero, or demigod,
and one a god, possessed what two qualities that were
opposed to weakness and cowardice ?
1. 86. white. Where in the play has the color symbolic of
courage been mentioned ?
1. 87« excrement. Excrescence ; that is, beards.