Author Archive

Antonio going to Shylock for help

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Act 1 Scene Three Lines 126-133

“I am as like to call thee so again

To spet on thee again, to spurn thee too.

If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not

As to thy friends, for when did friendship take

A breed for barren metal of his friend?

But lend it rather to thine enemy,

Who, if he break, thou mayest with better face

Exact the penalty.”

I find this entire scene very interesting but this quote from Antonio really confuses me. I do not understand why Antonio went to Shylock for money out of all the people he could have gone to. He hates Shylock and Shylock obviously hates him so why on Earth would he go to borrow money from the person who hates him most?