The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

by William Shakespeare

  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.