I would she were in heaven, so she could
Entreat some power to change this currish Jew.
290
NERISSA ’Tis well you offer it behind her back,
The wish would make else an unquiet house.
SHYLOCK [aside]
These be the Christian husbands! I have a daughter –
Would any of the stock of Barrabas
Had been her husband, rather than a Christian.
295
We trifle time, I pray thee pursue sentence.
PORTIA A pound of that same merchant’s flesh is thine,
The court awards it, and the law doth give it.
SHYLOCK Most rightful judge!
PORTIA And you must cut this flesh from off his breast,
300
The law allows it, and the court awards it.
SHYLOCK
Most learned judge! a sentence, come prepare.
PORTIA Tarry a little, there is something else, –
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood,
The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh’:
305
Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh,
But in the cutting it, if thou dost shed
One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
Are (by the laws of Venice) confiscate
Unto the state of Venice.
GRATIANO O upright judge! –
310
Mark Jew, – O learned judge!
SHYLOCK Is that the law?
PORTIA Thyself shalt see the act:
For as thou urgest justice, be assur’d
Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir’st.
GRATIANO
O learned judge! – mark Jew, a learned judge.
315
SHYLOCK I take this offer then, – pay the bond thrice And let the Christian go.
BASSANIO Here is the money.
PORTIA Soft!
The Jew shall have all justice, – soft no haste!
He shall have nothing but the penalty.
320
GRATIANO O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge!
PORTIA 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 tak’st more
Or less than a just pound, be it but so much
325
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
But in the estimation of a hair,
Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate.
330
GRATIANO A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew! –
Now infidel I have you on the hip.
PORTIA Why doth the Jew pause? take thy forfeiture.
SHYLOCK Give me my principal, and let me go.
BASSANIO I have it ready for thee, here it is.
335
PORTIA He hath refus’d it in the open court,
He shall have merely justice and his bond.
GRATIANO A Daniel still say I, a second Daniel! –
I thank thee Jew for teaching me that word.
SHYLOCK Shall I not have barely my principal?
340
PORTIA Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture
To be so taken at thy peril Jew.
SHYLOCK Why then the devil give him good of it:
I’ll stay no longer question.
PORTIA Tarry Jew,
The law hath yet another hold on you.
345
It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be proved against an alien,
That by direct, or indirect attempts
He seek the life of any citizen,
The party ‘gainst the which he doth contrive,
350
Shall seize one half his goods, the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state,
And the offender’s life lies in the mercy
Of the Duke only, ‘gainst all other voice.
In which predicament I say thou stand’st:
355
For it appears by manifest proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,
Thou hast contrived against the very life
Of the defendant: and thou hast incurr’d
The danger formerly by me rehears’d.
360
Down therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.
GRATIANO
Beg that thou may’st have leave to hang thyself, –
And yet thy wealth being forfeit to the state,
Thou hast not left the value of a cord,
Therefore thou must be hang’d at the state’s charge.
365
DUKE That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit
I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it:
For half thy wealth, it is Antonio’s,
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.
370
PORTIA Ay for the state, not for Antonio.
SHYLOCK Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that, –
You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth sustain my house: you take my life
When you do take the means whereby I live.
375
PORTIA What mercy can you render him Antonio?
GRATIANO A halter gratis, nothing else for Godsake!
ANTONIO So please my lord the duke, and all the court,
To quit the fine for one half of his goods,
I am content: so he will let me have
380
The other half in use, to render it
Upon his death unto the gentleman
That lately stole his daughter.
Two things provided more, that for this favour
He presently become a Christian:
385
The other, that he do record a gift
(Here in the court) of all he dies possess’d
Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.
DUKE He shall do this, or else I do recant
The pardon that I late pronounced here.
390
PORTIA Art thou contented Jew? what dost thou say?
SHYLOCK I am content.
PORTIA Clerk, draw a deed of gift.
SHYLOCK I pray you give me leave to go from hence,
I am not well, – send the deed after me,
And I will sign it.
DUKE Get thee gone, but do it.
395
GRATIANO
In christ’ning shalt thou have two godfathers, –
Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more,
To bring thee to the gallows, not to the font.
Exit Shylock.
DUKE Sir I entreat you home with me to dinner.
PORTIA I humbly do desire your grace of pardon,
400
I must away this night toward Padua,
And it is meet I presently set forth.
DUKE I am sorry that your leisure serves you not.
Antonio, gratify this gentleman,
For in my mind you are much bound to him.
405
Exit Duke and his train.
BASSANIO Most worthy gentleman, I and my friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties, in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats due unto the Jew
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
410
ANTONIO And stand indebted over and above
In love and service to you evermore.
PORTIA He is well paid that is well satisfied,
And I delivering you, am satisfied,
And therein do account myself well paid, –
415
My mind was
never yet more mercenary.
I pray you know me when we meet again,
I wish you well, and so I take my leave.
BASSANIO
Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further, –
Take some remembrance of us as a tribute,
420
Not as a fee: grant me two things I pray you, –
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.
PORTIA
You press me far, and therefore I will yield, –
Give me your gloves, I’ll wear them for your sake,
And (for your love) I’ll take this ring from you, –
425
Do not draw back your hand, I’ll take no more,
And you in love shall not deny me this!
BASSANIO
This ring good sir? alas it is a trifle,
I will not shame myself to give you this!
PORTIA I will have nothing else but only this,
430
And now methinks I have a mind to it!
BASSANIO
There’s more depends on this than on the value, –
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation,
Only for this I pray you pardon me!
435
PORTIA I see sir you are liberal in offers, –
You taught me first to beg, and now methinks
You teach me how a beggar should be answer’d.
BASSANIO Good sir, this ring was given me by my wife,
And when she put it on, she made me vow
440
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it.
PORTIA
That scuse serves many men to save their gifts, –
And if your wife be not a mad-woman,
And know how well I have deserv’d this ring,
She would not hold out enemy for ever
445
For giving it to me: well, peace be with you!
Exeunt Portia and Nerissa.
ANTONIO My Lord Bassanio, let him have the ring,
Let his deservings and my love withal
Be valued ‘gainst your wife’s commandement.
BASSANIO Go Gratiano, run and overtake him,
450
Give him the ring, and bring him if thou canst
Unto Antonio’s house, – away, make haste.
Exit Gratiano.
Come, you and I will thither presently,
And in the morning early will we both
Fly toward Belmont, – come Antonio. Exeunt.
455
4.2 Enter PORTIA and NERISSA.
PORTIA
Inquire the Jew’s house out, give him this deed,
And let him sign it, – we’ll away to-night,
And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo!
Enter GRATIANO.
GRATIANO Fair sir, you are well o’erta’en:
5
My Lord Bassanio upon more advice,
Hath sent you here this ring, and doth entreat
Your company at dinner.
PORTIA That cannot be;
His ring I do accept most thankfully,
And so I pray you tell him: furthermore,
10
I pray you show my youth old Shylock’s house.
GRATIANO That will I do.
NERISSA Sir, I would speak with you:
[aside to Portia] I’ll see if I can get my husband’s ring
Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.
PORTIA
Thou may’st I warrant, – we shall have old swearing
15
That they did give the rings away to men;
But we’ll outface them, and outswear them too:
Away, make haste! thou know’st where I will tarry.
NERISSA
Come good sir, will you show me to this house?
Exeunt.
5.1 Enter LORENZO and JESSICA.
LORENZO
The moon shines bright. In such a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees,
And they did make no noise, in such a night
Troilus methinks mounted the Trojan walls,
And sigh’d his soul toward the Grecian tents
5
Where Cressid lay that night.
JESSICA In such a night
Did Thisbe fearfully o’ertrip the dew,
And saw the lion’s shadow ere himself,
And ran dismayed away.
LORENZO In such a night
Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
10
Upon the wild sea banks, and waft her love
To come again to Carthage.
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 373