As seek to soften that-than which what's harder? His Jewish heart: therefore, I do beseech you, 80 Shy. What judgement shall I dread, doing no wrong? You have among you many a purchased slave, 90 court, Unless Bellario, a learned doctor, Whom I have sent for to determine this, Saler. Duke. Bring us the letters; call the messenger. Bass. Good cheer, Antonio! What, man, courage yet! III The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones and all, Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood. Ant. I am a tainted wether of the flock, Meetest for death: the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground; and so let me: You cannot better be employ'd, Bassanio, Than to live still and write mine epitaph. Enter NERISSA, dressed like a lawyer's clerk. Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario? Ner. From both, my lord. Bellario greets your grace. [Presenting a letter. 120 Bass. Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly? Shy. To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there. Gra. Not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh Jew, Thou makest thy knife keen; but no metal can, No, not the hangman's axe, bear half the keenness Of thy sharp envy. Can no prayers pierce thee? Shy. No, none that thou hast wit enough to make. 130 Gra. O, be thou damn'd, inexecrable dog! And for thy life let justice be accused. Thou almost makest me waver in my faith To hold opinion with Pythagoras, That souls of animals infuse themselves Into the trunks of men: thy currish spirit Govern'da wolf, who, hang'd for human slaughter, Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet, Shy. Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond, 141 Thou but offend'st thy lungs to speak so loud: To know your answer, whether you'll admit him. Duke. With all my heart. Some three or four of you Go give him courteous conduct to this place. Meantime the court shall hear Bellario's letter. Clerk. [Reads] Your grace shall understand that at the receipt of your letter I am very sick: but in the instant that your messenger came, in loving visitation was with me a young doctor of Rome; his name is Balthasar. I acquainted him with the cause in controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant: we turned o'er many books together: he is furnished with my opinion; which, bettered with his own learning, the greatness whereof I cannot enough commend, comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your grace's request in my stead. I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation; for I never knew so young a body with so old a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial shall better publish his commendation. Duke. You hear the learn'd Bellario, what he writes: And here, I take it, is the doctor come. Enter PORTIA, dressed like a doctor of laws. Give me your hand. Come you from old Bellario? Por. I did, my lord. 171 Duke. You are welcome: take your place. Are you acquainted with the difference That holds this present question in the court? Por. I am informed throughly of the cause. Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew? Duke. Antonio and old Shylock, both stand forth. Por. Is your name Shylock? Shy. Shylock is my name. Por. Of a strange nature is the suit you follow; Yet in such rule that the Venetian law Cannot impugn you as you do proceed. You stand within his danger, do you not? Ant. Ay, so he says. Por. Ant. I do. Por. 180 Do you confess the bond? Then must the Jew be merciful. Shy. On what compulsion must I? tell me that. Por. The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; 191 But mercy is above this sceptred sway; And earthly power doth then show likest God's Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice Shy. My deeds upon my head! I crave the law, hj The penalty and forfeit of my bond. Por. Is he not able to discharge the money? court; Yea, twice the sum: if that will not suffice, 210 That malice bears down truth. And I beseech you, Shy. I have them ready. Por. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death. Ant. But little: I am arm'd and well pre- Give me your hand, Bassanio: fare you well! Por. It must not be; there is no power in Commend me to your honourable wife: Venice Can alter a decree established: 'Twill be recorded for a precedent, And many an error by the same example Shy. A Daniel come to judgement! yea, a 280 Tell her the process of Antonio's end; O wise young judge, how I do honour thee! Por. Shylock, there's thrice thy money offer'd Shy. An oath, an oath, I have an oath in Shall I lay perjury upon my soul? Por. Hath been most sound: I charge you by the law, 240 Ant. Most heartily I do beseech the court Shy. 'Tis very true: O wise and upright 250 Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for that, If she were by, to hear you make the offer. 291 Gra. I have a wife, whom, I protest, I love: I would she were in heaven, so she could Entreat some power to change this currish Jew. Ner. 'Tis well you offer it behind her back; The wish would make else an unquiet house. Shy. These be the Christian husbands. have a daughter; I Would any of the stock of Barrabas We trifle time: I pray thee, pursue sentence. The court awards it, and the law doth give it. 301 Por. And you must cut this flesh from off The law allows it, and the court awards it. Por. Tarry a little; there is something else. Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of Therefore thou must be hang'd at the state's charge flesh; Duke That thou shalt see the difference of our spirits, But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods 311 Here is the money. 320 Por. Soft! The Jew shall have all justice; soft! no haste: He shall have nothing but the penalty. Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge! Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more But just a pound of flesh :if thou cut'st more Or less than a just pound, be it but so much As makes it light or heavy in the substance, Or the division of the twentieth part Of one poor scruple, nay, if the scale do turn 330 Thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate. Por. Why doth the Jew pause? take thy forfeiture. Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go. Bass. I have it ready for thee; here it is. Por. He hath refused it in the open court: He shall have merely justice and his bond. 339 Gra. A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel! I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word. Shy. Shall I not have barely my principal? Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, To be so taken at thy peril, Jew. Shy. Why, then the devil give him good of it! I'll stay no longer question. Por. Tarry, Jew: The law hath yet another hold on you. 370 I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it: Ant. So please my lord the duke and all the court To quit the fine for one half of his goods, 380 Two things provided more, that, for this favour, Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant 390 Antonio, gratify this gentleman, For, in my mind, you are much bound to him. 410 Por. He is well paid that is well satisfied; Thou hast contrived against the very life And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, 420 Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute, Not to deny me, and to pardon me. Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. [To Ant.] Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake; [To Bass.] And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you: Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more; And you in love shall not deny me this. Bass. This ring, good sir, alas, it is a trifle! I will not shame myself to give you this. 431 Por. I will have nothing else but only this; And now methinks I have a mind to it. Bass. There's more depends on this than on the value. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you, Por. I see, sir, you are liberal in offers: 441 And when she put it on, she made me vow An if your wife be not a mad-woman, 450 Let his deservings and my love withal SCENE II. The same. A street. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA. Por. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed And let him sign it: we'll away to-night Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night? Steph. A friend. Lor. A friend what friend? your name, I pray you, friend? Steph. Stephano is my name; and I bring word My mistress will before the break of day Be here at Belmont: she doth stray about 30 Lor. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, Some welcome for the mistress of the house. Laun. Enter LAUNCelot. Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola! Lor. Who calls? 40 Laun. Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo? Master Lorenzo, sola, sola! Lor. Leave hollaing, man: here. Laun. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news: my master will be here ere morning. [Exit. Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter: why should we go in? 50 [Exit Stephano. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. Enter Musicians. 61 70 For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Which is the hot condition of their blood; If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound, Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage, Mark the music. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA. Por. That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams! 90 So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle. Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less: A substitute shines brightly as a king Until a king be by, and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music! hark! Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect: Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' healths, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Lor. Go in, Nerissa; 120 [A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet: We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. It looks a little paler: 'tis a day, Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, 130 And never be Bassanio so for me: But God sort all! You are welcome home, my lord. Bass. I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend. This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. you do me wrong; 140 I swear In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: Por. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? |