1. While the English translation will never be able to fully embody the emotion and lyrical harmony of this song, it is still a very good representation of the combination of solitude and love for Bassanio that Antonio feels. The song itself is story about someone who hides behind a mask because they believe they are unlovable, so when a visitor comes to their garden, even when they feel a longing to approach and get to know them, they hide and opt to grow the visitor a beautiful flower instead. Antonio appears to feel a great love for Bassanio, possibly in a romantic sense, but cannot initiate any sort of relationship as Bassanio has his eyes for another woman; his love instead drives him to demonstrate his love in many other fashions. Likewise, the figure in the song sings, “Bloomed in a garden of loneliness/A flower that resembles you/I wanted to give it to you,” revealing a loneliness from solitude and a demonstration of love by giving something of value or significance to the other. The vocals, in conjunction with the lyrics, also draws out a longing, sad, and solemn mood that appears to somewhat reflect Antonio’s mood when Bassanio sets off to Belmont and at the conclusion of the play.
2. This is a song that reflects a great deal of love and passion for another person, and is a very close and accurate representative of what Antonio thinks of himself with regard to Bassanio. In the play, Antonio writes to Bassanio, “All debts are cleared between you and I if I might but see you at my death. Notwithstanding, use your pleasure. If your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter” (3.3.331-334), indicating that Antonio is literally with him all the way until death. The song’s key point is that the person will also stay with ‘you,’ the listener, up until death as stated by the repeated, “I will never forget you/And you will always be by my side ’til the day I die.” The song also walks through the past, present, and future of how that love originated and develops, which really emphasizes a close love or friendship that is also seen between Antonio and Bassanio.
3. This song is one of conflicting emotions: on one hand, the singer has a crush on the person they’re singing to, but on the other, the singer also feels a hint of regret of ever meeting the person. Antonio loves Bassanio, regardless of whether it is romantic or not, but this love has landed Antonio in very hot water, to the point where his life was nearly forfeit. The song takes Bassanio or the singer’s absolute love and sprinkles a bit of “what if” in there with the verse, “I don’t want to live this way/I really wish we never knew/Out of sight and out of mind/I don’t want to be with you/But the next time I saw your face/Nothing I can do/I just have to face the truth/All I want is to be with you.” Despite the doubt that comes along, it is overcome by love. If at any point, Antonio felt the slightest bit of doubt about his commitment to Bassanio, this song would remind him that despite everything, his love overcame that and led Bassanio to the prosperous life he now has.
4. For Antonio, this is a reflective song full of reminders of everything he has done for Bassanio. He was once a man of high status in Venice, only to fall from grace when his ships miscarried and he was called into court to fulfill a forfeit bond. Everything he did lead from him being a prominent merchant of Venice to facing death in a court of Law, where not even the grace of God appeared to be able to save him, which is very similar to the fall from grace the singer faced. They “used to rule the world/Seas would rise when I gave the word” only to “[discover] that my castles stand/Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand” and now “Revolutionaries wait/For my head on a silver plate.” Both had enemies who wanted their lives after their supposedly stable life fell down around them, but for Antonio (and possibly the singer), they beat the “revolutionaries.” The song itself is a memory for Antonio of the fact that he beat Shylock, and is something he may listen to both to remind himself not to let that happen again and as a motivational factor.
5. This is a reassuring and slightly uplifting song that projects a kind of hopeful and loving mood. The theme of the entire song revolves around how, “Everyone is lonely sometimes/But I would walk a thousand miles to see your eyes/You are not alone, we are family.” Antonio is the only unmarried person left in this group of friends which is, to some extent, isolating. Even so, he and his friends are as close as family can ever get, and he knows that he can turn to them for anything at any time, whether it be for company or for help. Appropriately named Unity, the song emphasizes the closeness and preciousness of the friendship that Antonio has and can also reassure him of the fact that he is far from alone in this world.
6. For Antonio, this is another song about longing and reflecting the fact that he “lost” his closest friend to marriage. The song talks about how, “I thought you were the one for me/That’s why I gave you everything,” only to have that person, who means the world to the singer, leave. Antonio is undoubtedly still close friends with Bassanio, who demonstrated that he would do anything possible to save him, but with marriage, that closeness and intimacy is bound to decrease. This is a song for Antonio to reminisce about the fact that the two of them have been through highs and lows together and Antonio has invested/given countless things to try and help ensure Bassanio’s happiness. Yet despite all that, his marriage to Portia has, firstly, put him in a terrible, deadly situation; secondly, will doubtlessly decrease the amount of time Bassanio can spend as Antonio’s intimate and close friend; and lastly, will have destroyed any chance or any inkling of hope for Antonio and Bassanio to establish a relationship, if Antonio did romantically like Bassanio. The lyrics even include, “Oh I’m gonna do this on my own/No point in blaming you-you did not know,” which is reflective of how Bassanio may have been clueless as to how much Antonio truely cares about him. The song is a bit upbeat and doesn’t have the long, melancholy element that many other songs have, which helps to hint about a bit of hope for the future, or the idea that Antonio, sad as he is, has readily and easily accepted this new situation.
7. As the title very straightforwardly suggests, this is a song about how one person would do anything and everything for another. Antonio’s love of Bassanio drives him to do anything to keep him happy and successful, stating, “be assured my purse, my person, my extremist means lie all unlocked to your occasions” (1.1.144-146). His dedication to Bassanio is so strong to the point where this promise almost leads to his own death, and he is alright with that, as long as it was on behalf of Bassanio. His actions closely mimic the spirit of the lyrics, such as, “You’ll never doubt my dedication/I’m here ’til eternity/Every time you order me/I’m gonna show you who I work for.” The song also talks about how this dedication will be maintained even through the presence of other people, such as Portia in this case, with the lyrics, “Now friends may come between us but/In time I’ll prove/I do it all for you.” The song itself is also upbeat and not solemn or dark, reflecting Antonio’s attitude that these actions and favors are not a drag, but that he is more than happy to do these things, as long as he can see that it makes Bassanio happy.