may be a clown or a fool, but he is right in asserting that occasionally a man may encounter good fortune. And in a comedy, good fortune is a necessaryingredient.
After Lancelot and Gobbo exit, Graziano walks up to Bassanio. Graziano also has a request to make of Bassanio. He asks if Bassanio will take him to Belmont. The generous Bassanio quickly agrees to help his friend just as Antonio had quickly agreed to helphim.
Bassanio knows, however, that Graziano’s usually wild, rowdy, and boisterous behavior could be a problem in Belmont. Bassanio has very serious intentions to win and marry Portia, and he certainly does not wish for Portia to think of him as trivial and foolish. So, Bassanio warns Graziano – who had earlier told Antonio that if all the world is a stage, then he wants to play the part of the fool – to control his “wild behaviour”(168).
Graziano agrees to be discreet at Belmont. However, he asks Bassanio if that night in Venice he may be allowed to be merry and enjoy himself. Bassanio, knowing that the night will be spent feasting with friends, agrees that Graziano should indeed enjoy the “merriment” of the night and be in high spirits (lines 182-84). Bassanio is well aware thattherearetimestobemerryandtherearetimes