A Love Unfit to Last According to Gratiano.
In Act II.6 of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice Gratiano and Salarino meet in front of Shylock's house as they wait for Lorenzo. As the two of them wait they joke saying that they thought lovers such as Lorenzo and his love, Jessica are always early. This brings to a discussion to whether the couples' relationship will last considering that they are about to elope. Gratiano is skeptical that Jessica and Lorenzo's love will last because he believes that they are more in love with their elopement than with each other and over time they will lose interest.
Who riseth from a feast
With that keen appetite that he sits down?
Where is the horse that doth untread again
His tedious measures with the unbated …show more content…
He does this when he asks the rhetorical question "Who rises from a feast with that keen appetite that he sits down?" When people first "sits down" for "a feast" they have a "keen appetite." The use of a rhetorical device indicates the obvious answer is no, one has the same "keen appetite." When a "feast" is first set out before people, it the food appealing, especially when they have not recently eaten. This appeal causes the "keen appetite." The "keen appetite' of a hungry person is comparable to the attraction of elopement that Lorenzo and Jessica see. Elopement is an immediate reaction to what the couple believes to be love. They are both drawn to the idea of running away together because there are extra benefits that will happen if they go through with the marriage. Jessica can finally rebel against her whom she loathes and Lorenzo can claim his romantic …show more content…
As Gratiano puts it, they will have "riseth", without "that keen appetite that he sits down" with. When people sit down to eat, they continue eating and stuff themselves until they are full and no longer interested in eating because they will have satisfied their need for food. Gratiano believes that the type of love Jessica and Lorenzo share is the same way. After some time, Lorenzo and Jessica will become disinterested with each other because there will be no more excitement left. Also, there will be no more room in the relationship for the same type of engaging passion they had in the beginning. This is significant because currently their relationship is almost only established on their feelings of excitement and passion. When they do run out of adventure of their relationship, they will be like the people who "riseth from a feast," but without the "keen appetite" they had before they
In Act II.6 of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice Gratiano and Salarino meet in front of Shylock's house as they wait for Lorenzo. As the two of them wait they joke saying that they thought lovers such as Lorenzo and his love, Jessica are always early. This brings to a discussion to whether the couples' relationship will last considering that they are about to elope. Gratiano is skeptical that Jessica and Lorenzo's love will last because he believes that they are more in love with their elopement than with each other and over time they will lose interest.
Who riseth from a feast
With that keen appetite that he sits down?
Where is the horse that doth untread again
His tedious measures with the unbated …show more content…
He does this when he asks the rhetorical question "Who rises from a feast with that keen appetite that he sits down?" When people first "sits down" for "a feast" they have a "keen appetite." The use of a rhetorical device indicates the obvious answer is no, one has the same "keen appetite." When a "feast" is first set out before people, it the food appealing, especially when they have not recently eaten. This appeal causes the "keen appetite." The "keen appetite' of a hungry person is comparable to the attraction of elopement that Lorenzo and Jessica see. Elopement is an immediate reaction to what the couple believes to be love. They are both drawn to the idea of running away together because there are extra benefits that will happen if they go through with the marriage. Jessica can finally rebel against her whom she loathes and Lorenzo can claim his romantic …show more content…
As Gratiano puts it, they will have "riseth", without "that keen appetite that he sits down" with. When people sit down to eat, they continue eating and stuff themselves until they are full and no longer interested in eating because they will have satisfied their need for food. Gratiano believes that the type of love Jessica and Lorenzo share is the same way. After some time, Lorenzo and Jessica will become disinterested with each other because there will be no more excitement left. Also, there will be no more room in the relationship for the same type of engaging passion they had in the beginning. This is significant because currently their relationship is almost only established on their feelings of excitement and passion. When they do run out of adventure of their relationship, they will be like the people who "riseth from a feast," but without the "keen appetite" they had before they