Lesson 13
The End of the Play
戏剧的结果
一、作者要说的话
1、The end of a play may not always match the audience's expectations but this is just what makes it charming and entertaining.
2、William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is a good example of this.
二、有约在先
3、Shylock was a mean usurer who lent 3,000 ducats to Antonio who had borrowed the money for his friend.
4、Antonio had invested all his money in a number of shiploads of goods still at sea.
5、They had a contract that if Antonio could not pay back the money in time, the lender would have the right to cut a pound of flesh from his debtor's chest.
三、按合同办事
6、Unfortunately, Antonio's fleet met a storm at sea, so he could not fulfill his promise to pay on time.
7、Shylock asked the judge to allow him to cut a pound of flesh from his debtor according to the contract they both signed.
8、Shylock had hated Antonio for a long time since the latter often lent others money without charging interest, which undermined Shylock 's business.
9、So by cutting a pound of flesh from his chest, he figured that he could easily eliminate his troublesome rival.
10、The judge was horrified at this request but since contracts were considered to be holy and not to be disobeyed, the judge could not stop Shylock from insisting on what was agreed in the contract.
四、出乎意料的结果
11、He exerted all effort to persuade Shylock to give up this right, but failed, leaving him with no choice but to agree with him.
12、No sooner had Shylock raised his knife than the judge reminded him that he had to cut exactly a pound of flesh; not a tiny bit more, or less, and without causing Antonio to bleed, for the contract did not entitle him to any blood.
13、Obviously Shylock did not have the ability to do that, so the judge had all his property confiscated.
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