Extract 2: Act 1, scene III
Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart;(100)
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
Reference to the Context: The above lines occur in the Act I scene III of the Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare. These lines are spoken by Antonio to Bassanio. Both of them are in Shylock’s house. They are talking about loan of three thousand ducats to be taken from Shylock. But Shylock demands a very high rate of interest. To justify this, he, he quotes (gives) an example from the Bible he says that profit is a blessing as long as one does not steal it.
Explanation: Antonio tells Bassanio that a devil-like person can also cite (quote/give) an example from a religious book like the Bible to gain profit. He wants to serve his selfish motive of convincing others to show that he is not doing any wrong by charging high rate of interest. An evil-minded person using holy books to justify his wrong action is like a villain with a smiling face. He is like an attractive apple that is rotten at the very core. Antonio expresses his surprise as to how people, to quote Hamlet, ‘may smile and smile’ and are villains from inside.
