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To: Ohioan from Florida
I'm so sorry! I never got into Shakespeare when I should have. I was tired of being labelled a geek back then. It wasn't until my own children had to perform Shakespeare at school that I began to see his genius. He was really ahead of his time, wasn't he?

Basic synopsis of that part of the plot: Bassanio borrowed some money from Shylock, agreeing to forfeit a pound of flesh should he default. As it happened, he did default, and so Shylock went to court to demand his pound of flesh. Portia, disguised as a man, acted as an attourney for Bassanio, and stated that Shylock should be allowed his pound of flesh but as soon as the court ordered that he take it, she informed the court that Shylock should be prosecuted should he remove any bone or blood, or if his measure proved to be anything more or less than a pound exactly. Shylock offered to forgive the debt, but Portia would have none of it since the court had ordered that Shylock take the pound (exactly) of flesh (and only flesh). Shylock pled for the court to revoke the order, which it did after ordering a large forfeiture on Shylock's part.

See where I'm going with this?

1,987 posted on 02/18/2005 9:03:40 PM PST by supercat (Better to have egg on one's face than blood on one's hands.)
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To: supercat

I'm trying to. I don't know if it's just late, or what, but I'm having a little trouble discerning who is who. Is Portia = Felos? Who is Michael and who is Terri? I am definitely confused now. I thought I had it straight the first time I read through it, but then I wasn't sure, so I reread it. Now I've read it through so many times with so many different possibilities, I can't figure out which one makes the most sense. Help!


1,995 posted on 02/18/2005 10:18:53 PM PST by Ohioan from Florida (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.- Edmund Burke)
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