"I'll pay it instantly with all my heart" (Shakespeare IV.i.277).
Antonio asks Bassanio to speak well of him after Shylock is to remove the pound of flesh from around his heart. Antonio wants Bassanio to tell Portia about him because Antonio wants Portia to know that Bassanio has already had a lover. Antonio asks Bassanio to "Tell [Portia] 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" (IV.i.270-273). Antonio wants Bassanio to remember him as a lover previous to Portia. Antonio is willing to pay Bassanio's debt with his flesh that he is bound to because he loves Bassanio. Antonio will "pay it instantly with all [his] heart" literally and figuratively (IV.i.277). The removal of Antonio's flesh will most likely cause him to die, therefore stopping his heart. Antonio will figuratively pay Bassanio's debt with all of his heart because his love for Bassanio makes him willing to sacrifice his life for him.
Katie--I like the way you read the word "heart" for its double meanings--just the kind of exploration of meaning that you should be doing!
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