Reading com'p'ehension

Frank

" Sone men there are love not a gaping pig,
   Some that are mad if they behold a cat,
   And others, when bagpipe sings i' th' nose,
   Cannot contain their urine for affection,
   Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood,
   Of what it likes or loathess."


Question:
A. Identify the author and the work.
B. Who is the speaker of the quoted passage?
C. What idea does the quotation express?


Answer：
A. Shakespeare; The Merchant of Venice
B. Shylock

C. Shylock says that just as there is no rational explanation of why one man hates a pig, why another cannot tolerate a harmless cat, and why third cannot contain his urine when listening to a bagpipe, he cannot  and will not give a reason for his action other than the deep-seated hatred and loathing that he bears Antonio. Here, Shylock makes himself ridiculous by comparing the unreasoning hatred he feels for Antonio with the irrational and inexplicable impulses found in all men. The examples he gives of human nature nastered by strange and powerful passions are such as to excite disgust and comtempt in his hearers.