Por. I pray you, let me look upon your-bond.
Shy. Here 'tis, most reverend doctor, here it is.
Por. Shylock, there's thrice thy money offered thee
Shy. An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven.
Shall I lay perjury upon my soul?

No, not for Venice.

Por.

Why, this bond is forfeit;

And lawfully by this the Jew may claim
A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off
Nearest the merchant's heart.-Be merciful;
Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond.
Shy. When it is paid according to the tenor.
It doth appear you are a worthy judge;
You know the law, your exposition

Hath been most sound: I charge you by the law,

75

Whereof you are a well-deserving pillar,

Proceed to judgment. By my soul I swear
There is no power in the tongue of man
To alter me: I stay here on my bond.

Ant. Most heartily I do beseech the court
To give the judgment.

Por.

Why, then, thus it is;

You must prepare your bosom for his knife.

Shy. O noble judge! O excellent young man!
Por. For the intent and purpose of the law

Hath full relation to the penalty,

Which here appeareth due upon the bond.

Shy. 'Tis very true: O wise and upright judge!

NOTES.-61. let me look upon, 74. your expositon, your statelet me examine.

ment of the law.

2 according to the tenor, ac- 86. Hath full relation, applies cording to the intent.

fully.

ANALYSIS.-63. there's. Give grammatical construction.

76. Point out the figure in this line.

78. Parse the word there.

80. Nan e the modifiers of do beseech.

How much more elder art thou than thy looks!
Por. Therefore, lay bare your bosom.
Shy. Ay, his breast:

So says the bond:-Doth it not, noble judge?—
Nearest his heart,-those are the very words.
Por. It is so. Are there balance here to weigh

The flesh?

35

Shy. I have them ready.

Por. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge,

To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death.

Shy. Is it so nominated in the bond?

Por. It is not so expressed; but what of that?

100

"Twere good you do so much for charity.
Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond.

Por. You, merchant, have you anything to say?

105

Ant. But little; I am armed, and well prepared.
Give me your hand, Bassanio; fare you well!
Grieve not that I am fallen to this for you;
For herein Fortune shows herself more kind
Than is her custom: it is still her use
To let the wretched man outlive his wealth,

This is evidently the same as the present word balances.

NOTES.-89. more elder. This 94. balance.
was the old form, though
double comparatives are not
allowable in modern Eng-
lish.

97. Have by, have present.
99. nominated, expressed, named.

ANALYSIS.-89. What verb is understood after looks?

93. Nearest his heart.

What is the construction?

97. on your charge. Give the meaning.

98. To stop his wounds.

What figure?

do bleed. In what mode is this verb?

101. Modernize the line. Give the mode of were. 103. You, merchant. Give the case of each word. 105. fare you well.

How is this expressed at present? 106. I am fallen. Modernize.

109. outlive. Give the grammatical construction. Give the mod ifiers of to let.

To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow

An age of poverty: from which lingering penance
Of such a misery doth she cut me off.
Commend me to your honorable wife;
Tell her the process of Antonio's end;

110

Say how I loved you, speak me fair in death;
And when the tale is told, bid her be judge
Whether Bassanio had not once a love.
Repent but you that you shall lose your friend,

115

And he repents not that he pays your debt;

120

For if the Jew do cut but deep enough,
I'll pay it presently with all my heart.
Bas. 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 esteemed above thy life:
I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all

Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for that,

Here to this devil, to deliver you.

If she were by, to hear you make the offer.

Gratiano. I have a wife, whom, I protest, I love:

I would she were in heaven, so she could

125

130

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.

Shy. [Aside.] These be Christian husbands. I have '35 a daughter;

NOTES.-115. speak me 'fair, 125. esteemed above thy life,

speak well of me.

17. a love, a dear friend.

more than I esteem thy
life.

121 presently, soon, immedi- 130. protest, avow, declare earn

ately.

12 which. In the older Eng- 133.
lish which is frequently
used, as in this instance, 134.
for who.

estly.

behind her back, unknown
to her.

would make else, would

otherwise make.

ANALYSIS.-112 cut me off. Parse the words.

Would any of the stock of Barrabas

Had been her husband rather than a Christian!-
[Aloud.] We trifle time; I pray thee pursue sentence.
Por. A pound of that same merchant's flesh is thine;
The court awards it, and the law doth give it.

Shy. Most rightful judge!

140

Por. And you must cut this flesh from off his breast; The law allows it, and the court awards it.

a pound of flesh":

Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;

But in the cutting it, if thou dost shed

Shy. Most learned judge! A sentence! Come, prepare. Por. Tarry a little: there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are

145

One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate

150

Unto the state of Venice.

Gra. O upright judge!-Mark, Jew:-O learned judge!
Shy. Is that the law?

Por.

Thyself shall see the act:

For, as thou urgest justice, be assured

155

Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest.

Gra. O learned judge!—Mark, Jew:—a learned judge!
Shy. I take this offer, then: pay the bond thrice
And let the Christian go.

160

The Jew shall have all justice; soft!—no haste.-
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

Here is the money.

Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge! Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more

165

ANALYSIS.—136. Give the grammatical construction of wou'd.
137. Give the grammatical construction of had becn.
149. the cutting it. Why is of omitted before it?

151. What is the meaning of confiscate?

162. Soft. What part of speech?

164. What part of speech is but?

But just a pound of flesh. If thou cutt'st more
Or less than a just pound, be it so much
As makes it light or heavy in the substance,
Or the division of the twentieth part

170

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.

Gra. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!

175

Yow, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture.

Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.

Bas. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refused it in the open court:

180

He shall have merely justice and his bond.

Gra. A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel!—

I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not have barely my principal?
Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.

185

Shy. Why, then the devil give him good of it!
I'll stay no longer question.

ANALYSIS-169. a just pound. Give the meaning.

182, 183. Daniel and Jew are both independent; how does their construction differ?

190