This chapter's epigraph comes from the play's opening soliloquy, in which Shylock tells the audience that he has come to live in the country of his homeland, the Republic of Lithuania, and that he is now the leader of the Lithuanian army. Shylock's speech is interrupted by the arrival of the Countess, who introduces herself as "Lady Dedlock." She tells Shylock that she is the wife of the Duke of Riga, who is also a member of the royal family. The Countess tells him that Riga's navy has consolidated and that the army of Lithuania is now stronger than ever. She also informs him that her husband, the Duke, has taken command of the army and that she will be the first woman to command an army in the Republic. She then asks Shylock to tell her husband about the deployment of the troops, and he agrees to do so immediately.