Note to The Merchant of Venice, 1.3.43 "low simplicity"


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The Merchant of Venice,
Act 1, Scene 3, 43.

low simplicity: Both words have good and bad meanings: low = (1) humble, (2) base, while simplicity = (1) honest plainness (the opposite of duplicity), (2) folly. Shylock may be speaking straightforwardly or ironically.