Page 9 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

[aside, to Salarino]
We, too, will leave soon,° but at dinner time,°
I pray you, have° in mind where we must meet. 51 / bear

— Salarino 52
We will not fail you.

—Salanio +We’ll be there as planned.,

Exeunt Salarino and Salanio

—Gratziano
You look not well, Signior Antonio; 53
You care too much for the things of this world. 54
The ones who buy this world with too much care
Are apt to lose it for want of enjoyment. 55 / Do end up losing it for want of joy
56
Believe me friend, you don’t look like yourself.° / you’re not being yourself
—Antonio
I hold the world but as the world, Gratziano,
A stage where every man must play a part—
And mine’s a sad° one. / grave

—Gratziano Let me° play the fool: / me
With mirth and laughter let old smiles° come,° {wrinkles}
And let my liver rather heat with joy° {wine}
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.
Why should a man, whose blood is warm within,° / veins run warm with blood
Sit like a marble° statue° of his grandsire, 57 / granite // carving

51. The meeting Lorenzo is referring to involves the planning to steal Jessica [2.4]. This meeting involves the two
Sals, not Bassanio. Hence, Lorenzo’s reminder of such a meeting to Bassanio—and the assurance made in the next
line by Bassanio [I will not fail you]—as found in the original, is amiss. [See next note].
52. In the original, this line is attributed to Bassanio, and reads: ‘I will not fail you’ and is spoken after Salarino and
Salanio have already exited. Thus Bassanio is telling Lorenzo that he (Bassanio) will not fail him (Lorenzo) and that
he will be there as planned. However, there is no future plan involving Lorenzo and Bassanio. [See Additional
Notes, 1.1.72]
53. Some commentators suggest that the play may have initially opened here, at line 73. Gratziano’s opening
statement resembles that of Antonio’s opening, and the discourse that follows is similar in tone to the previous
conversation had with Salarino and Salanio. [See Additional Notes, 1.1.73] [See Appendix: The Three Sallies]
54. {You have too much respect upon the world}
55. {They lose it that do buy it with much care}
/ When too concerned about what can go wrong | You can’t enjoy all the things that are right.
/ All this concern with loss does have a cost: | You can’t enjoy all the great things that you have.
Gratziano is saying that one who buys life with too much care (i.e., spends too much time in worry and sadness),
cannot enjoy life. In other words, things usually turn out poorly for one who is too concerned about how things will
turn out.
56. {Believe me, you are marvellously changed}
/ Believe me, you are decidedly different / Believe me you look nothing like yourself / Believe me when I
say, you’re not yourself / Believe me, friend, you are completely changed
57. {Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster}