Say how I loved you, speak me fair in death; 47 BASSANIO. Antonio, I am married to a wife Which is as dear to me as life itself; But life itself, my wife, and all the world, Are not with me esteem'd above thy life: PORTIA. Your wife would give you little thanks for that, GRATIANO. 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. NERISSA. 'Tis well you offer it behind her back; The wish would make else an unquiet house. SHYLOCK. [Aside] These be the Christian husbands. daughter; Would any of the stock of Barrabas Had been her husband rather than a Christian [Aloud] 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: The law allows it, and the court awards it. I have a SHYLOCK. Most learned judge! A sentence! Come, prepare! This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Unto the state of Venice. GRATIANO. O upright judge! Mark, Jew: O learned judge! SHYLOCK. Is that the law? PORTIA. Thyself shalt see the act: For, as thou urgest justice, be assured Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest. GRATIANO. O learned judge! Mark, Jew: a learned judge! SHYLOCK. I take this offer, then; pay the bond thrice And let the Christian go. The Jew shall have all justice; soft! no haste: He shall have nothing but the penalty. 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 Of one poor scruple, nay, if the scale do turn Thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate. GRATIANO. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew! Now, infidel, I have you on the hip. PORTIA. Why doth the Jew pause? take thy forfeiture. BASSANIO. I have it ready for thee; here it is. 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? 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. He seek the life of any citizen, The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive 51 Thou hast contrived against the very life GRATIANO. Beg that thou mayst 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. DUKE. That thou shalt see the difference of our spirits, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it: For half thy wealth, it is Antonio's ; PORTIA. Ay, for the state, not for Antonio. SHYLOCK. Nay, take my life and all; pardon not that: PORTIA. What mercy can you render him, Antonio? GRATIANO. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's sake. 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 The other half in use,54 to render it, Upon his death, unto the gentleman Two things provided more, that, for this favour, 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. PORTIA. Art thou contented, Jew? what dost thou say? 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, GRATIANO. In christening shalt thou have two godfathers; [Exit SHYLOCK. DUKE. Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner. DUKE. I am sorry that your leisure serves you not.56 For, in my mind, you are much bound to him. [Exeunt 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 58 your courteous pains withal.59 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 I wish you well, and so I take my leave. 61 60 BASSANIO. Dear sir, of force II must attempt Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you, Not to deny me, and to pardon me. 62 you further: PORTIA. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. [To ANTONIO] Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake; [TO BASSANIO] And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you: Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more; 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; 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. 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 That I should neither sell nor give nor lose it. PORTIA. That 'scuse 63 serves many men to save their gifts. An if 64 your wife be not a mad-woman, And know how well I have deserved the ring, 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 commandment. BASSANIO. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him; Come, you and I will thither presently; [Exit GRATIANO. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. A street. Fly toward Belmont: come, Antonio. 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. |