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The Forsyte Saga · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The chapter opens with an epigraph from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, foreshadowing themes of possession and ownership.
What happens
The chapter opens with an epigraph from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, foreshadowing themes of possession and ownership.
Themes in this chapter
Possessiveness and the Sense of Property
The epigraph's line 'The slaves are ours' directly introduces the theme of possession and ownership, central to the novel's exploration of property and relationships.
Key passages
“You will answer The slaves are ours …”
You will respond that the slaves belong to us.
This line from The Merchant of Venice sets up the novel's preoccupation with ownership and control.