The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 348

PORTIA. And you must cut this flesh from off his breast.

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.'

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! Mark, Jew. O learned judge!

SHYLOCK. Is that the law?

PORTIA. Thyself shalt see the act; For, as thou urgest justice, be a.s.sur'd Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desir'st.

GRATIANO. O learned judge! Mark, Jew. A learned judge!

SHYLOCK. I take this offer then: pay the bond thrice, And let the Christian go.

Ba.s.sANIO. Here is the money.

PORTIA. Soft!

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 But just a pound of flesh; if thou tak'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 But in the estimation of a hair- 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.

SHYLOCK. Give me my princ.i.p.al, and let me go.

Ba.s.sANIO. I have it ready for thee; here it is.

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 princ.i.p.al?

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.

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 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; 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.

Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.

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 OF VENICE. 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.

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.

PORTIA. What mercy can you render him, Antonio?

GRATIANO. A halter gratis; nothing else, for G.o.d'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, 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; 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 OF VENICE. He shall do this, or else I do recant The pardon that I late p.r.o.nounced here.

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 OF VENICE. Get thee gone, but do it.

GRATIANO. In christ'ning shalt thou have two G.o.d-fathers; Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not to the font.

Exit SHYLOCK DUKE OF VENICE. Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner.

PORTIA. I humbly do desire your Grace of pardon; I must away this night toward Padua, And it is meet I presently set forth.

DUKE OF VENICE. I am sorry that your leisure serves you not.

Antonio, gratify this gentleman, For in my mind you are much bound to him.

Exeunt DUKE, MAGNIFICOES, and train Ba.s.sANIO. 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.

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.

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.

Ba.s.sANIO. Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further; Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute, Not as 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.

[To ANTONIO] Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake.

[To Ba.s.sANIO] 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.

Ba.s.sANIO. 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.

Ba.s.sANIO.. 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.

Ba.s.sANIO. 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 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 For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

Exeunt PORTIA and NERISSA ANTONIO. My Lord Ba.s.sanio, let him have the ring.

Let his deservings, and my love withal, Be valued 'gainst your wife's commandment.

Ba.s.sANIO. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him; 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

SCENE II.

Venice. A street

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA

PORTIA. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed, And let him sign it; we'll away tonight, 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.

My Lord Ba.s.sanio, 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, 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. [To NERISSA] Thou Mayst, I warrant. We shall have old swearing That they did give the rings away to men; But we'll outface them, and outswear them too.

[Aloud] Away, make haste, thou know'st where I will tarry.

NERISSA. Come, good sir, will you show me to this house?