Parnter Questions: Lennon and Ryan

1.)   The play opens with Antonio, the merchant, admitting that he is sad, but not knowing why.  Think of times when you’ve been sad.  Have you always understood exactly why, or has your sadness sometimes seemed strange to you?  Explain.

2.)   In Shakespeare’s time, lending money for interest was called “usury” and was generally considered immoral.  How have attitudes changed since then?

3.)   Think of the recent banking crisis and the state of today’s economy.  Do you think it’s all right to lend someone a large amount of money based on their word and reputation even though they may not have any concrete evidence of being able to pay you back?

4.)   This play includes romantic love stories and also ethnic and religious conflict.  How well do you expect these elements to blend?

1. Sometimes when we are sad, at most times, we know why we are sad. I remember a time when i was sad. But it wasn't cause i didn't know why, but because of the actual topic. And even when we don't know the actual problem then we are able to figure out why we are actually sad. We believe that when you are sad because you don't know, that just means you don't truly understand yourself and how you react to certain situations. Both of us, when we don't know why were sad, at least try to figure out what is making us feel down. 
2. We have noticed that now, it is okay to lend money to other people. Friends, even banks do this. But the problem now is whether or not you can trust that person to pay back the loan. People who don't pay back usually get into a lot of trouble. The thing that is immoral today is not paying back. But with that, some people today believe it is still wrong because not everyone can be trusted, but these people are usually the paranoia or the cautious. 
3. We think that in places of economic crisis, that is isn't okay to lend money to other people. Not because the people are bad, but because is could cause companies and the state to loose even more money. It is because not everyone pays the loan back immediately. Also, you don't know if someone could potentially change their way of thinking. They could be nice one day, but then show resentment the next. 
4. We think that through romance between two people of different religion or race could help societies of different beliefs live in harmony. An example could be Romeo and Juliet. Their love brought the to families to not hating each other anymore. So through this romance, a conflict could be resolved and no longer exist.