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In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio and Portia are both in a melancholy mood. Portia is sad because she can't choose a husband because she won the lottery of her late father. She was forced to do the will of a man, and a man died, and felt helpless. Though she pledges to keep her oath to her late father, the prospect of doing so brings her no joy. As she reveals to Nerrisa in Act 1, Portia is unhappy with having so little agency in choosing her husband and has so far been disappointed with suitors. In Act 2, we see that Portia is relieved when the Prince of Morocco and Prince Aragon fail the coffin test.
For his part, Antonio has also been in a state of melancholy since the play's opening scene, where he describes his mood to Salarino and Solanio. However, he doesn't know why he feels this way. He insists it's not because of his many precarious investments.
In Act 2, Scene 8, Salarino and Solanio speculate that Antonio may be feeling depressed since his good friend Bassanio passed away. While Bassanio's absence might explain Antonio's temper, it doesn't explain everything, as Antonio has been in a bad mood since the beginning of the play. Salarino and Solanio also believe Antonio may be worried about his investments, especially after news of the loss of a ship in Venice near England. Although Antonio has previously said that his investments are diversified enough to avoid major losses, this is still disturbing news and is likely to weigh heavily on Antonio's mind.
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