Why does Antonio of Merchant in Venice want his friend to speak fairly of him in death?

Answer 1

Antonio is convinced that he will lose his lawsuit with Shylock and will be obliged to give up his pound of flesh and his life. He asks Bassiano earlier, "You cannot better be employ'd, Bassanio, Than to live still and write mine epitaph." Later, when actually preparing himself to be killed, he has the opportunity to deliver what he believes will be his last words. He says to Bassanio

Commend me to your honourable wife:

Tell her the process of Antonio's end;

Say how I loved you, speak me fair in death;

And, when the tale is told, bid her be judge

Whether Bassanio had not once a love.

He wants Bassanio to tell Portia how much he loves Bassanio; at least that is what is happening on the surface. But what does Antonio care about Portia? He is really letting Bassanio know how deep his love for Bassanio is, in order to get a loving response. Bassanio responds all too lovingly by saying that he loves Antonio more than his wife, a rather unfortunate remark since his wife is standing right next to him. All this is made sense of with the supposition, put forward by a number of scholars, that Antonio has a homosexual attraction to Bassanio.