Page 91 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge.

—Shylock
My own flesh and blood to rebel!

—Salanio
20
This useless bag of flesh—it is sure to rebel for a man of your years.

+—Salarino
You can’t expect it to rise on every occasion.°, 21 / when you want it to

—Shylock
I say my daughter is my flesh and my blood.

—Salarino
There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet black and ivory; more
22 23
between your bloods than there is between red wine and white Rhenish. But tell us, do you
hear whether Antonio has had any loss at sea or no?

—Shylock
26
24
25
There I have another bad match. A bankrupt, a prodigal who dare scarce show his head on
20. {Out upon it, old carrion, rebels it at these years.}
out upon it: > Probably refers to something like, ‘damn it,’ ‘to hell with it,’ ‘throw it out,’ ‘useless,’ etc. thus
suggesting something that is ruined or ready to be discarded. This negative sense is in line with the negative term for
the body, referring to it as ‘old carrion’—dead or rotting meat. A similar term (‘out upon her’) is used by Shylock
later in the scene, 113, when referring to his daughter.
old carrion: the body which is corporeal, weak, and subject to aging /
rebels it at these years: it (the body, specifically, the male sexual organ) rebels (does not follow one’s wishes)
when it gets to be this age.
/ Damn this old carrion. It rebels and will no longer rise to the occasion / What to expect from a man of
your years? Surely your flesh is wont to rebel and does not rise when prompted
21. This line is added to explain the sexual nature of Salanio’s previous reference. It could be included as a separate
entry by Salarino (as found above) or tagged to the end of Salanio’s previous line.
22. Salarino talks here in a very familiar tone and he seems to know both Jessica and Shylock well enough to make
such a comparison. Yet his words are acerbic. Shylock, however, does not respond to these cutting words, (nor does
he seem to take offence) as his mind is occupied with other concerns. Shylock opens the scene with an accusatory
tone (against the Sals) but the bulk of his mentality quickly shifts to his daughter and Antonio (with help from the
Sals).
23. The contrast between red wine and Rhenish (which is a white German wine) is primarily that between something
crude (red wine) and something refined (Rhenish), though there is also the more obvious contrast between the colors
of red and white. Without an understanding of Rhenish this contrast would be lost, especially since Rhenish sounds
a lot like red. To make this distinction clear, the above line could read: ‘between red wine and white,’ or ‘between
crude red wine and fine white Rhenish.’
24. {There I have another bad match} / There I have another thing gone wrong.
This reference is unclear, and we are not certain of how Antonio’s loss at sea represents another bad match.
The first bad match—which Shylock is unwittingly concurring with—is that between Shylock and his daughter, the
second bad match is that between Shylock and Antonio. The bad match refers to Antonio’s inability to pay—but we
are not clear at to why Shylock is calling it bad. (If Shylock was truly delighted in Antonio’s loss, he might call it a
good match rather than a bad one).
25. {a bankrout} > someone whose funds (bank account) has been routed; someone who is bankrupt
26. {a prodigal} / a wasted man.
The term generally refers to one who has carelessly spent or wasted his wealth (by being too liberal in his
spending). Antonio, however, is more careful in his ventures, and so the term may refer to Antonio’s prodigality
with respect to his loaning money to Bassanio (and Bassanio’s wasting of it). Yet, earlier in the scene Shylock