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SOLUTION Model Specimen Paper English - II 3 Section - A (Drama) The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare Answer 1. (i) Ergo is a Latin word for therefore . Launcelot wants to play a game with his father, so he uses high-sounding words in order to confuse his father and disguise his own identity . He wants his father to think that he is the master; not a servant. Also, he calls Gobbo his father in a formal way to keep up the pretense for some time and gradually prove, he is the old man s son. The truth is, the speaker is really a servant who is planning to leave Shylock to seek a job with Bassanio. Launcelot uses high-sounding words in his conversation with Gobbo to impress him that he possesses classical learning and is a gentleman. Shakespeare wants to convey to the audience the habit of some vain people of his time, who pretended to be what they were not. (ii) Launcelot says according to mythology and classics, where the three sisters rule the destiny influencing the fate of man, Gobbo s son Launcelot is dead. (iii) Old Gobbo is shocked to hear about the death of his son whom he states has been his only support in his old age. (iv) When Gobbo asks Launcelot to tell him whether his son is really dead or not, Launcelot confesses that he is Gobbo s son. But Gobbo does not believe him. Then Launcelot mentions the name of his mother, Margery, as a proof to show that he really is Gobbo s son. Hence, Gobbo gets convinced about the truth. (v) In a humorous situation where Launcelot is asking his father s blessing, he kneels in front of his father. His father feels his beard and says that Launcelot has more hair on his face than their cart-horse has on his tail. Answer 2. (i) Launcelot says Well, well when his father announces that he has brought a gift for Shylock. Launcelot does not approve of it , as he has decided to leave the miserly Shylock. (ii) As Launcelot has decided to run away, he cannot wait to get going. He has decided to leave Shylock and find work with someone else. (iii) Launcelot says his master, Shylock, is a typical Jew. He means all Jews are miserly and care only for money. They will do anything to spare money and will not show kindness and consideration for relatives or servants. (iv) A halter is a rope to hang someone. Launcelot says that his master, Shylock, is a total Jew. Instead of giving him a present, his father should give him a noose to hang himself as he is not fit to live. Shylock had starved Launcelot to death and one can see his ribs so well that one can count them. (v) We come to know that Shylock is a miserly master who does not provide proper food or clothing to his servants, even when he exacts hard work from them. Launcelot, on the other hand, has served his master well, but cannot endure his master s cruelty any more and therefore he has decided to quit his service.
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