In a brief scene, Antonio, being led by the jailor, attempts to talk to Shylock. The moneylender, however, refuses to listen. Shylock, oddly, even describes himself in less-than-human terms:
Thou called’st me a dog before thou hadst a cause, But since I am a dog, beware my fangs. (6-7)
Themetaphorsuggests that Shylock is violent, vicious, and wild. More importantly, like a wild animal, Shylock is incapable of rational thought. Antonio realizes that to reason with him is useless; and, so, the merchant resigns himself to his fate.
Solanio, Antonio’s friend, thinks that the Duke of Venice will never allow Shylock to take the pound of flesh and to take the life of Antonio. But Antonio explains that the Duke does not really have achoice:
The Duke cannot deny the course of law, For the commodity that strangers have With us in Venice, if it be denied,
Will much impeach the justice of the state, Since that the trade and profit of the city Consisteth ofallnations. (26-31)
The wordcommodityrefers to the trade agreement between Venice and other nations. The lawsof trade and commerce apply to all of the nations that do business with one another. If the Duke breaksa