But fish not, with this melancholy bait

What is meant by the line - “But fish not, with this melancholy bait, For this fool gudgeon, this opinion”? (Merchant of Venice, A1 S1)
There's already a post about this (here), but I am still a bit confused by the meaning of "for this fool gudgeon, this opinion".

is "this fool" Gratiano? Is gudgeon used as a verb in the context? In the original post, they said that "this opinion" was to say "Hey, but what do I know", but I'm just confused about the second half of the original quote.


In the line "But fish not, with this melancholy bait, For this fool gudgeon, this opinion,” yes, Gratiano is referring to himself as "this fool." But "gudgeon" here doesn't refer to Gratiano directly; rather, it's used metaphorically.

In the context of the passage, the speaker is advising against engaging with or taking seriously Gratiano's foolishness or opinion. The metaphor of fishing is employed here: to "fish" is to try to catch or engage with something, and the "melancholy bait" suggests that whatever Gratiano offers is not worth pursuing—it's like bait that won't lead to anything valuable.

The term "gudgeon" is used metaphorically here. A gudgeon is a type of fish, but in this context, it symbolizes a foolish or easily caught person, akin to a "sucker" or "easy mark." So, when the speaker says, "For this fool gudgeon, this opinion," they are essentially saying, "Don't try to hook this fool with his foolish opinion."

So, the line is advising against engaging with Gratiano's foolishness or opinion, comparing it to trying to catch a worthless fish with bait that won't yield anything meaningful.


I have a different reading of this. Gratiano "plays the fool" in this speech so he can speak a potentially uncomfortable truth to Antonio, which is
There are a sort of men whose visages
Do cream and mantle like a standing pond
And do a willful stillness entertain
With purpose to be dressed in an opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit,

so for me the "fish not" part you're asking about is just saying "don't do what those guys do-- look/be sad to seem wise."
To really break it down--"this opinion" (people thinking him wise, or even people's opinions in general) is the "fool[ish] gudgeon," or worthless thing. The melancholy bait is the sadness/silence that some men use to fish for the opinion.

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