The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780486113814
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Shakespeare Drama
• Index: Literature

The Merchant of Venice is an intriguing drama of love, greed, and revenge. At its heart, the play contrasts the characters of the maddened and vengeful Shylock, a Venetian moneylender, with the gracious, level-headed Portia, a wealthy young woman besieged by suitors. At the play's climax, Shylock insists on the enforcement of a binding contract that will cost the life of the merchant Antonio — inciting Portia to mount a memorable defense.
In this richly plotted drama, Shylock, whom Shakespeare endowed with all of the depth and vitality of his greatest characters, is not alone in his villainy. In scene after scene, a large cast of ambitious and scheming characters demonstrates that honesty is a quality often strained where matters of love and money are concerned.
The gravity and suspense of the play's central plot, together with its romance, have made The Merchant of Venice a favorite of audiences, and one of the most studied and performed of Shakespeare's plays. It is reprinted here from an authoritative text, complete with explanatory footnotes.

ACTV.

SCENE I. Belmont. Avenue to PORTIA’S house.

Enter LORENZO and JESSICA

LOR. 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 Troyan walls,
And sighed his soul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Cressid lay that night.

JES. In such a night

Did Thisbe fearfully o’ertrip the dew,
And saw the lion’s shadow ere himself,
And ran dismay’d away.

LOR. In such a night

Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
Upon the wild sea banks, and waft her love
To come again to Carthage.

JES. In such a night

Medea gather’d the enchanted herbs
That did renew old Æson,⁹¹

LOR. In such a night

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,
And with an unthrift love did run from Venice
As far as Belmont.

JES. In such a night

Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith
And ne’er a true one.

LOR. In such a night

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

JES. I would out-night you, did no body come;

But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter STEPHANO

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
By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays
For happy wedlock hours.

LOR. Who comes with her?
STEPH. None but a holy hermit and her maid.

I pray you, is my master yet return’d?

LOR. He is not, nor we have not heard from him.

But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,
And ceremoniously let us prepare
Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

Enter LAUNCELOT

LAUN. Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola!
LOR. Who calls?
LAUN. Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo? Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!
LOR. Leave hollaing, man: here.
LAUN. Sola! where? where?
LOR. 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?
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,
Within the house, your mistress is at hand;
And bring your music forth into the air.

[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 quiring⁹² 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

Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn!
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear,
And draw her home with music.

[Music. ]

JES. I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
LOR. The reason is, your spirits are attentive:

For do but note a wild and wanton herd,
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;
If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,
You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turn’d to a modest gaze
By the sweet power of music: therefore the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;
Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage,
But music for the time doth change his nature.
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:⁹³
Let no such man be trusted. 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!
So shines a good deed in a naught...