Blog-Writing Prompt #7 - If Antonio should loan Bassanio the money

     In Act I Scene I, Bassanio tried to borrow some money from Antonio. If I were Antonio, should I loan him the money? The three main points are that he still owes me money, he spends beyond his means and that he seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely.

     Firstly, Bassanio still owes me money. However, he still tries to borrow some money from me to marry Portia. This is supported by Bassanio saying, "To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love", showing that I had lent him much money already. Also, he is a risk-taker and might not be able to return me my money, as showed that "In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight, The self-same way with more advised watch", and he might lose both shafts, which represent my money. Therefore, if I lend Bassanio money, he might not be able to return me.
   
      Secondly, Bassanio spends beyond his means. This is showed when Bassanio says, "How much I have disabled mine estate", showing that he spends beyond what he had and thus caused himself to have debts. Thus, this makes me hard to lend Bassanio money, since it will be unlikely that he will be able to return me my money, and he might just spend the loaned money on parties and spend all of it.

      However, Bassanio seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely. This can be showed in Act 1 Scene 1, where Bassanio says that "And from your love I have a warranty
To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe." This showed that he wants to clear all the debts he owe and thus shows that he is now more determined to live more wisely. However, I do not know if he will really do so, or it is just an empty promise.

       Therefore, in conclusion, I feel that I should not lend Bassanio money, since there is much risk in lending him money, and he might not return me my money. Even if he is my friend and I will help him with all I can, I think that not lending him is a better way of helping him since he will know how important money is and will thus not spend beyond his means.