Never did I know A creature that did bear the shape of man So keen and greedy to confound a man.
(273-75)
The wordkeenmeans eager and the wordconfoundmeans destroy. Salerio further states that despite the pleas of many merchants, lords, and the Duke himself, Shylock insists on carrying out the terms of the contract and taking the life of Antonio. Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, adds that her father’s vengeance and hatred are more important to him than any amount ofmoney.
The understanding Portia tells Bassanio that, as soon as they are wed but before they even have a chance to spend one night together, he must hurry back to Venice and try to help his friend. Portia even supplies Bassanio with many times the amount of money owed to Shylock so that he canpayoff Antonio’sdebt.
To show how dear a friend Antonio is to him, Bassanio reads the letter to Portia. Antonio makes only one request of Bassanio: “… if I might see you atmydeath” (317-18). The still melancholy merchant accepts his fate and does not expect rescue or help of anykind.