choosing from among the three caskets. Her joke is a way of hiding her frustration over hersituation.
Back in Venice,Bassaniois arranging to get a loan fromShylock, the Jewish money-lender. Bassanio wants to borrow 3000 ducats (gold coins). Although this was a fairly large amount of money for most people in Venice at that time, Bassanio is using Antonio’s pledge or promise to guarantee that the loan will be paid back in full within three months.Antoniois a highly successful and wealthy merchant whose property is worth many times the amount that Bassanio wishes toborrow.
Shylock, however, is a shrewd business man who investigates his clients carefully before agreeing to make any loans. Shylock tells Bassanio that he is well aware that Antonio has several large vessels carrying valuable cargo back to Venice from Tripoli (northern Africa), the Indies, Mexico, England, and other foreign ports. However, Shylock is also well aware of the dangers that merchant ships faced on the openoceans:
But ships are but boards, sailors but men.
(18-19)
Ships are made of wood (boards) and thus can be easilydamaged. Storms can sink them,jagged