Enter the Duke, the Magnificoes, Antonio, Bassanio, Salerio, and Gratiano, with Attendants.
This is a formal court setting in Venice. The Duke (the authority figure), along with important noblemen (Magnificoes), and characters like Antonio and his friends, enter. The presence of so many high-status characters shows the seriousness of the trial.
DUKE:
“What, is Antonio here?”
Simple meaning: Is Antonio present?
Analysis: The Duke opens with a question, signaling the start of legal proceedings. The tone is formal but also shows concern.
Language device: Interrogative sentence – creates immediacy and sets the stage.
ANTONIO:
“Ready, so please your Grace.”
Simple meaning: Yes, I’m here and ready, if that pleases you, Your Grace.
Analysis: Antonio responds with politeness and respect, showing his humility and acceptance of the court’s authority. The phrase “so please your Grace” is courtly language.
Theme: Justice vs. Mercy – Antonio accepts that the law must be followed, no matter the outcome.
DUKE:
“I am sorry for thee. Thou art come to answer
A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch,
Uncapable of pity, void and empty
From any dram of mercy.”
Simple meaning: I feel sorry for you, Antonio. You’re here to face a hard-hearted enemy, someone cruel and inhuman, completely lacking pity and any trace of mercy.
Analysis: The Duke shows sympathy for Antonio before the trial even begins. He strongly criticizes Shylock, using powerful imagery and metaphor.
Language devices:
- Metaphor: “stony adversary” compares Shylock to a stone—cold, unfeeling.
- Alliteration: “void and empty” emphasizes Shylock’s lack of compassion.
- Hyperbole: “empty from any dram of mercy” exaggerates Shylock’s cruelty to make a point.
Theme: Mercy vs. Revenge – The Duke positions Shylock as the villain driven by vengeance, not justice.
ANTONIO:
“I have heard
Your Grace hath ta’en great pains to qualify
His rigorous course; but since he stands obdurate,
And that no lawful means can carry me
Out of his envy’s reach, I do oppose
My patience to his fury, and am armed
To suffer with a quietness of spirit
The very tyranny and rage of his.”
Simple meaning: I know you’ve tried hard to soften Shylock’s harsh stance, but since he remains stubborn and the law can’t protect me from his hatred, I will face his anger calmly and accept my fate with inner peace.
Analysis: Antonio shows dignity and emotional strength. He doesn’t plead or panic. Instead, he accepts what’s coming with quiet resolve. He understands that Shylock is motivated by “envy” (jealousy or hatred).
Language devices:
- Juxtaposition: “patience” vs. “fury” – Antonio contrasts his calm with Shylock’s anger.
- Personification: “lawful means… out of his envy’s reach” – envy is described as something with power and reach.
- Metaphor: “armed to suffer” – he likens patience to armor.
Themes:
- Stoicism and sacrifice – Antonio acts like a Christian martyr, accepting suffering.
- Revenge and hatred – Shylock’s motives are portrayed as personal and unforgiving.
- Law and justice – Antonio accepts that the law will be followed, even if it’s to his detriment.
DUKE:
“Go, one, and call the Jew into the court.”
Simple meaning: Someone, go call Shylock into the courtroom.
Analysis: The Duke refers to Shylock simply as “the Jew,” reducing his identity to his religion/ethnicity, reflecting the prejudice of the time.
Language device:
- Synecdoche/Labeling: “the Jew” is used in place of his name, dehumanizing him.
Theme:
- Prejudice and identity – The casual way Shylock is referenced shows societal bias.
SALERIO:
“He is ready at the door. He comes, my lord.”
Simple meaning: He’s waiting just outside. Here he comes, my lord.
Analysis: Shylock is already prepared and eager to enter. This suggests how determined he is to get his bond.
Tone: Tense – the trial is truly beginning now.
Enter Shylock.
Shylock enters the courtroom, likely with confidence and purpose. His arrival marks a dramatic shift – tension increases, and the moral dilemmas begin to unfold.
Theme introduction: Justice vs. Mercy, Revenge vs. Forgiveness, Religious conflict, and Prejudice.
DUKE:
“Make room, and let him stand before our face.”
Simple meaning: Make space. Let Shylock stand in front of me.
Analysis: The Duke asserts authority and signals that the confrontation is about to happen. It’s now officially a trial.
Language: Formal and commanding – this is a courtroom, and the Duke is in control.
“Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too,
→ Everyone believes this, and I agree with them, Shylock.
Theme: Public perception, expectations of mercy
Device: Direct address, inclusive tone
That thou but leadest this fashion of thy malice / To the last hour of act,
→ That you’re only pretending to be cruel up until the last moment.
Theme: Mercy vs. Justice
Device: Dramatic irony – the audience hopes this is true, but it’s not.
And then, ’tis thought, / Thou ’lt show thy mercy and remorse more strange / Than is thy strange apparent cruelty;
→ People think that in the end, you will surprise everyone by showing kindness and pity, which would be even more shocking than your current cruelty.
Devices: Juxtaposition (mercy vs. cruelty), irony, foreshadowing
Theme: Expectation vs. Reality
And where thou now exacts the penalty, / Which is a pound of this poor merchant’s flesh,
→ Even though you’re demanding your bond — a pound of Antonio’s flesh —
Theme: Justice vs. Humanity, Contracts and Revenge
Thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture, / But, touched with humane gentleness and love, / Forgive a moi’ty of the principal,
→ You will not only give up the penalty, but also, moved by kindness and love, forgive even half of the money he owes.
Language: “Humane gentleness” uses emotive language to appeal to Shylock’s better nature.
Theme: Mercy and Compassion
Glancing an eye of pity on his losses / That have of late so huddled on his back,
→ You’ll take pity on Antonio, who has recently suffered a lot of misfortunes.
Device: Metaphor (“huddled on his back”) – life’s burdens
Enow to press a royal merchant down / And pluck commiseration of his state / From brassy bosoms and rough hearts of flint,
→ He has suffered enough to make even the hardest hearts feel sorry for him.
Devices:
- Alliteration: “brassy bosoms” and “rough hearts”
- Metaphor: “hearts of flint” = people with no emotion
- Theme: Empathy and Suffering
From stubborn Turks, and Tartars never trained / To offices of tender courtesy.
→ Even fierce people like Turks and Tartars, who are not known for being kind, would feel compassion.
Theme: Cultural stereotypes, contrast between mercy and vengeance
We all expect a gentle answer, Jew.
→ Everyone is waiting for you to respond kindly, Shylock.
Device: Tone shift – hopeful, pleading
Theme: Prejudice (note: “Jew” is used pejoratively), societal expectation of mercy
Shylock’s Response:
I have possessed your Grace of what I purpose,
→ I’ve already told you, my lord, what I intend to do.
Device: Formal tone
Theme: Justice, Determination
And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn / To have the due and forfeit of my bond.
→ I have sworn on my sacred day, the Sabbath, to claim what the contract allows me.
Theme: Religious conviction, Legal justice
If you deny it, let the danger light / Upon your charter and your city’s freedom!
→ If you refuse me, let the blame fall on your laws and the city’s liberty.
Device: Threat, Personification (“danger light”)
Theme: Law and Order, Vengeance
You’ll ask me why I rather choose to have / A weight of carrion flesh than to receive / Three thousand ducats. I’ll not answer that,
→ You wonder why I’d rather take flesh instead of money. I won’t explain it.
Device: Repetition, Refusal
Theme: Obsession, Revenge
But say it is my humor. Is it answered?
→ I’ll just say it’s my mood or whim. Is that enough for you?
Device: Rhetorical question
Theme: Power and Control, Irrationality
What if my house be troubled with a rat, / And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats / To have it baned? What, are you answered yet?
→ Suppose there’s a rat in my house, and I want to pay 10,000 ducats to kill it. That’s my choice. Is that answer good enough?
Device: Analogy (comparing Antonio to a rat)
Theme: Dehumanization, Free Will
Some men there are love not a gaping pig, / Some that are mad if they behold a cat, / And others, when the bagpipe sings i’ th’ nose, / Cannot contain their urine;
→ Some people hate pigs, some go crazy seeing cats, others wet themselves hearing bagpipes.
Device: Imagery, Humour, Grotesque detail
Theme: Human Irrationality, Subjectivity
For affection / Masters oft passion, sways it to the mood —
→ Personal feelings often take over reason and guide actions.
Device: Personification (“affection masters passion”)
Theme: Emotion vs. Logic
“Of what it likes or loathes. Now for your answer:
→ People can’t always explain why they like or dislike something. So here’s my answer to you.
Theme: Irrationality of emotions
Device: Transition, continuation of analogy
As there is no firm reason to be rendered / Why he cannot abide a gaping pig,
→ Just as someone can’t explain why they can’t stand the sight of a roasted pig with its mouth open,
Device: Imagery – “gaping pig”
Theme: Subjectivity of human emotion
Why he a harmless necessary cat, / Why he a woolen bagpipe,
→ Or why someone dislikes a cat (which is harmless and useful) or a bagpipe made of wool,
Device: Tricolon (three examples of irrational dislike)
Theme: Arbitrary dislikes, emotion over logic
But of force / Must yield to such inevitable shame / As to offend, himself being offended,
→ These people can’t help reacting—even if it embarrasses them—because their dislike is so strong.
Device: Irony – being ashamed of an emotion but still acting on it
Theme: Power of passion
So can I give no reason, nor I will not, / More than a lodged hate and a certain loathing / I bear Antonio, that I follow thus / A losing suit against him. Are you answered?
→ Likewise, I can’t and won’t give any better reason than the deep hatred I have for Antonio. That’s why I continue this lawsuit, even though I might lose. Do you have your answer?
Device: Rhetorical question, alliteration (“lodged loathing”)
Theme: Revenge, Emotional stubbornness
BASSANIO responds:
“This is no answer, thou unfeeling man, / To excuse the current of thy cruelty.”
→ That’s not a real answer, you cold-hearted man. You can’t justify being this cruel.
Device: Alliteration (“current of thy cruelty”), Tone: accusatory
Theme: Mercy vs. Cruelty
SHYLOCK:
“I am not bound to please thee with my answers.”
→ I don’t owe you a satisfying answer.
Theme: Defiance, Individual will
Tone: Cold, unapologetic
BASSANIO:
“Do all men kill the things they do not love?”
→ Do people always kill what they don’t love?
Device: Rhetorical question, Antithesis (love vs. kill)
Theme: The nature of hate
SHYLOCK:
“Hates any man the thing he would not kill?”
→ Does anyone not want to kill what they hate?
Device: Paradoxical logic, rhetorical reversal
Theme: Justice as revenge
BASSANIO:
“Every offence is not a hate at first.”
→ Not every wrong starts as hatred.
Theme: Forgiveness and understanding
SHYLOCK:
“What, wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice?”
→ What, should I let someone hurt me again like a snake biting twice?
Device: Metaphor (Antonio as a serpent)
Theme: Self-protection, vengeance
ANTONIO (to Bassanio):
“I pray you, think you question with the Jew.”
→ Please, you’re trying to reason with Shylock.
Theme: Futility of persuasion
Tone: Resigned
“You may as well go stand upon the beach / And bid the main flood bate his usual height;”
→ You might as well stand on the beach and try to tell the tide not to rise.
Device: Metaphor for Shylock’s unchangeable nature
Theme: Unyielding will
“You may as well use question with the wolf / Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb;”
→ Or try asking a wolf why it made the mother sheep cry for her baby.
Device: Animal imagery – wolf = Shylock
Theme: Natural cruelty
“You may as well forbid the mountain pines / To wag their high tops and to make no noise / When they are fretten with the gusts of heaven;”
→ Or tell tall pine trees not to sway when strong winds blow.
Device: Personification (“fretten with the gusts”), Natural imagery
Theme: Nature’s unstoppable force = Shylock’s hatred
“You may as well do anything most hard / As seek to soften that than which what’s harder?— / His Jewish heart.”
→ You might as well try something impossibly difficult as try to soften his heart — which is harder than anything.
Device: Simile, Alliteration, Racial stereotype (“Jewish heart”)
Theme: Prejudice, Hopelessness
“Therefore I do beseech you / Make…” (Antonio is about to suggest moving forward)
→ So, please, let’s stop trying to argue and just move on.
Theme: Acceptance of fate
Tone: Defeated, dignified
👩⚖️ “Make no more offers, use no farther means,
But with all brief and plain conveniency
Let me have judgment and the Jew his will.” – Antonio
Meaning:
Antonio is tired of the negotiations. He tells everyone to stop trying to persuade Shylock or bargain anymore. He wants the court to give its verdict and let Shylock have what he’s legally owed: his pound of flesh.
Analysis & Themes:
- Theme – Law vs. Mercy: Antonio is submitting to the law, even though it means death. This highlights the conflict between justice (strict law) and mercy (forgiveness).
- Tone – Resigned and solemn. Antonio has accepted his fate.
🧔 “For thy three thousand ducats here is six.” – Bassanio
Meaning:
Bassanio offers Shylock double the amount originally borrowed (6,000 ducats instead of 3,000) in hopes that he’ll give up his demand.
Language device:
- Hyperbole: Shows Bassanio’s desperation and willingness to give up a lot for Antonio’s life.
- Theme – Friendship and Sacrifice. Bassanio is ready to do whatever it takes.
🕍 “If every ducat in six thousand ducats
Were in six parts, and every part a ducat,
I would not draw them. I would have my bond.” – Shylock
Meaning:
Shylock says that even if the 6,000 ducats were multiplied many times over, he still wouldn’t accept them. He wants the pound of flesh that was promised.
Analysis:
- This shows Shylock’s obsession with revenge.
- Theme – Revenge vs. Justice. His need for vengeance overpowers any rational desire for money.
- Metaphor & Repetition: Emphasizes how unshakeable Shylock’s resolve is.
👑 “How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend’ring none?” – Duke
Meaning:
The Duke questions Shylock: How can you expect others to be merciful to you if you show no mercy to Antonio?
Theme:
- Mercy: A key Christian virtue in the play. The Duke appeals to moral values.
- Irony: Shylock will later beg for mercy himself.
“What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?” – Shylock
Meaning:
Shylock says he’s not afraid of any judgment because he’s only asking for what is legally his. He hasn’t done anything wrong by the law.
Analysis:
- Legalism: Shylock separates morality from law.
- Tone – Defiant.
“You have among you many a purchased slave…” – Shylock’s famous argument
Meaning:
Shylock points out the hypocrisy of the Christians. They own slaves and treat them poorly just because they bought them. He compares that to his bond — he bought the right to the pound of flesh, and now he’s demanding it.
Themes:
- Hypocrisy & Prejudice: Shylock exposes the double standards.
- Race and Ownership: He aligns himself with the oppressed to justify his demand.
- Powerful Analogy: He uses the metaphor of slavery to highlight how Christians are okay with cruelty when it benefits them.
“The pound of flesh which I demand of him
Is dearly bought; ’tis mine and I will have it.” – Shylock
Meaning:
He paid for this bond and now wants to claim it. He insists it’s his legal right.
Theme:
- Revenge, Possession, and Justice. Shylock feels empowered by the law.
- Tone – Cold and determined.
“If you deny me, fie upon your law…” – Shylock
Meaning:
If the court doesn’t let him enforce the bond, then the laws of Venice are meaningless.
Theme:
- Law and Order. Shylock challenges the legitimacy of Venetian justice.
👑 “Upon my power I may dismiss this court
Unless Bellario… come here today.” – Duke
Meaning:
The Duke considers ending the session unless the legal expert, Bellario (Portia in disguise), arrives.
“Good cheer, Antonio!…The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all…” – Bassanio
Meaning:
Bassanio is emotionally overwhelmed and says he’d rather sacrifice himself than let Antonio be hurt.
Themes:
- Friendship & Loyalty.
- Hyperbole: Shows the deep bond between them.
🧍♂️ “I am a tainted wether of the flock,
Meetest for death…” – Antonio
Meaning:
Antonio compares himself to a sick sheep that should be slaughtered. He’s ready to die.
Language Device:
- Metaphor – Tainted wether (castrated male sheep). Reflects self-pity and acceptance.
- Foreshadowing: His words suggest a tragic end—but he is later saved.
✍️ “You cannot better be employed, Bassanio,
Than to live still and write mine epitaph.” – Antonio
Meaning:
He tells Bassanio to go on living and write his tombstone inscription after he dies.
Tone – Noble, melancholic.
🔪 “Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?” – Bassanio
“To cut the forfeiture from that bankrout there.” – Shylock
Meaning:
Bassanio is disturbed seeing Shylock sharpen his knife. Shylock replies he’s just preparing to take his pound of flesh.
Theme – Violence, Tension.
“Not on thy sole but on thy soul, harsh Jew…” – Gratiano
Meaning:
Gratiano puns on “sole” (shoe) and “soul,” saying Shylock is not sharpening his knife on his shoe, but on his evil soul.
Language device:
- Pun & Alliteration (sole/soul, sharp soul). Adds wit to his insult.
- Symbolism: Suggests inner cruelty.
“Can no prayers pierce thee?” – Gratiano
“No, none that thou hast wit enough to make.” – Shylock
Meaning:
Gratiano begs Shylock to show mercy. Shylock mocks him, saying he’s not smart enough to pray well.
Tone:
- Bitter and mocking.
“O, be thou damned, inexecrable dog…” – Gratiano
Meaning:
Gratiano curses Shylock, calling him an evil dog. He says Shylock is so cruel that even justice should be ashamed.
Language Device:
- Imagery & Insult (“dog”). Common anti-Semitic insult in the play.
“Thou almost mak’st me waver in my faith,
To hold opinion with Pythagoras…” – Gratiano
Meaning:
Gratiano says Shylock is so wicked that he begins to believe Pythagoras’s theory—that souls move from human to animal bodies (reincarnation). He implies that Shylock has the soul of a wolf.
Themes:
- Religion vs. Philosophy.
- Prejudice: Gratiano’s insult has racist overtones, reflecting the anti-Semitic attitude of the time.
Gratiano:
“That souls of animals infuse themselves
Into the trunks of men.”
📘 Explanation: Gratiano says he almost believes in the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras’ theory of reincarnation, that animal souls go into human bodies.
🔍 Language device: Allusion to Pythagorean philosophy.
🎭 Theme: The line questions human nature and whether someone like Shylock can even be considered human.
“Thy currish spirit
Governed a wolf who, hanged for human slaughter,”
📘 Explanation: He accuses Shylock of having the spirit of a vicious dog (currish = like a cur) that once lived in a wolf who was killed for attacking humans.
🔍 Language: Animal imagery (wolf, dog) used to dehumanize Shylock.
🎭 Theme: Dehumanization and revenge, hatred.
“Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet,
And whilst thou layest in thy unhallowed dam,
Infused itself in thee,”
📘 Explanation: Gratiano says the wolf’s evil soul flew into Shylock while he was still in his mother’s womb (calling her “unhallowed” = unholy).
🔍 Language device: Personification of the soul; symbolism of evil being passed on.
🎭 Theme: Evil by nature vs. nurture.
“For thy desires
Are wolfish, bloody, starved, and ravenous.”
📘 Explanation: Shylock is being described as inhumanly greedy and cruel, like a starving predator.
🔍 Tone: Angry and viciously insulting.
🎭 Theme: Unchecked desire for revenge, loss of mercy.
Shylock:
“Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond,
Thou but offend’st thy lungs to speak so loud.”
📘 Explanation: Shylock says Gratiano can shout all he wants, but unless he can legally remove the seal from the bond (contract), it’s useless noise.
🔍 Language: Irony, as he clings to the law while ignoring justice or mercy.
🎭 Theme: Justice vs. mercy, law vs. morality.
“Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall
To cureless ruin.”
📘 Explanation: Shylock mocks Gratiano, telling him to fix his brain before it’s permanently damaged.
🔍 Tone: Sarcastic, cold.
🎭 Theme: Shylock defends logic and law, while the others appeal to emotion and humanity.
“I stand here for law.”
📘 Explanation: Shylock justifies himself by standing firmly on legal ground — he’s not breaking any laws.
🎭 Theme: Highlights the conflict between letter of the law and spirit of justice.
Duke:
“This letter from Bellario doth commend
A young and learnèd doctor to our court.”
📘 Explanation: The Duke says that Bellario (a respected legal scholar) has recommended a young doctor of law to speak on the case.
🔍 Foreshadowing: This “doctor” is Portia in disguise, setting the stage for a twist.
🎭 Theme: Wisdom in youth, disguise, and justice.
Nerissa (as clerk):
“He attendeth here hard by
To know your answer whether you’ll admit him.”
📘 Explanation: Nerissa says the doctor is nearby, waiting to be called in.
🎭 Theme: Dramatic irony, as the audience knows both Nerissa and Portia are in disguise.
Letter (Read aloud):
Bellario explains that he is sick but has entrusted the case to a young Roman doctor named Balthazar (Portia), who is smart and well-informed.
🔍 Language device: Eulogy-like praise of Portia’s wisdom and learning.
🎭 Theme: Age vs. wisdom, deception for good, the power of knowledge.
Duke (to Portia as Balthazar):
“Give me your hand. Come you from old Bellario?”
PORTIA: “I did, my lord.”
📘 Explanation: The Duke officially welcomes Portia (in disguise), who confirms she came from Bellario.
🎭 Theme: Gender roles, disguise, identity.
“Are you acquainted with the difference
That holds this present question in the court?”
📘 Explanation: The Duke asks if she knows the case.
PORTIA: “I am informèd throughly of the cause.”
🎭 Theme: Justice, intellect, power of women hidden in male roles.
“Which is the merchant here? And which the Jew?”
📘 Explanation: Portia asks to identify the parties.
🎭 Theme: Introduces a neutral, legal tone, showing she will be fair — or so it seems.
“Of a strange nature is the suit you follow,
Yet in such rule that the Venetian law
Cannot impugn you as you do proceed.”
📘 Explanation: Portia says Shylock’s demand is odd, even cruel, but technically legal under Venetian law.
🎭 Theme: This line shows how law can permit injustice if followed blindly.
🔍 Foreshadowing: Portia is setting him up to show mercy — or fall into his own legal trap.
“You stand within his danger, do you not?”
📘 Explanation: Portia asks Antonio to confirm that he legally owes Shylock.
ANTONIO: “Ay, so he says.”
PORTIA: “Do you confess the bond?”
ANTONIO: “I do.”
🎭 Theme: Reinforces Antonio’s helplessness and Shylock’s legal power.
PORTIA: “Then must the Jew be merciful.”
📘 Explanation: Now she turns the tables and says the Jew must show mercy.
🎭 Theme: Mercy vs. law — one of the most central themes of the play.
🔍 Language device: She uses legal knowledge to build a moral case.
SHYLOCK:
“On what compulsion must I? Tell me that.”
📘 Explanation: Shylock pushes back. He asks, “Why should I be forced to be merciful?”
🔍 Tone: Defiant, unyielding.
🎭 Theme: This is Shylock’s ultimate downfall — choosing revenge over mercy.
“His scepter shows the force of temporal power, / The attribute to awe and majesty”
🟣 Meaning: A king’s scepter represents earthly power, which rules through fear and commands respect.
🟠 Device: Symbolism (scepter = political authority), Diction (“awe,” “majesty”)
🧠 Theme: Earthly authority, Fear-based rule
“Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; / But mercy is above this sceptered sway.”
🟣 Meaning: Kings rule by fear, but mercy is greater than that kind of power.
🟠 Device: Contrast (“dread and fear” vs. “mercy”), Personification (“mercy… sits above”)
🧠 Theme: Moral superiority of mercy, Limits of political power
“It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings; / It is an attribute to God Himself”
🟣 Meaning: Mercy lives in the hearts of true kings; it is a divine quality.
🟠 Device: Metaphor (“enthroned”), Religious allusion (mercy as God’s trait)
🧠 Theme: Divine justice, Righteous rule
“And earthly power doth then show likest God’s / When mercy seasons justice.”
🟣 Meaning: Human justice becomes godlike when it’s balanced with mercy.
🟠 Device: Metaphor (“seasons” = enriches), Simile (“likest God’s”)
🧠 Theme: Justice vs. Mercy, Balance and compassion in leadership
“Therefore, Jew, / Though justice be thy plea, consider this:”
🟣 Meaning: So Shylock, although you’re demanding strict justice, think about what that truly means.
🟠 Device: Direct address (“Jew” – confrontational tone), Contrast
🧠 Theme: Strict law vs. moral conscience
“That in the course of justice none of us / Should see salvation.”
🟣 Meaning: If the world only followed strict justice, no one would be saved—we all deserve punishment.
🟠 Device: Biblical allusion (salvation), Hyperbole for emphasis
🧠 Theme: Human imperfection, Need for grace
“We do pray for mercy, / And that same prayer doth teach us all to render / The deeds of mercy.”
🟣 Meaning: We all ask God for mercy in prayer, so we should also show mercy to others.
🟠 Device: Parallelism (“we pray… we render”), Irony (Shylock wants justice but likely prays for mercy)
🧠 Theme: Hypocrisy, Golden rule, Religious morality
“I have spoke thus much / To mitigate the justice of thy plea,”
🟣 Meaning: I’ve said all this to soften your harsh demand for justice.
🟠 Device: Tone shift from poetic to legal
🧠 Theme: Mercy as a moral appeal
“Which, if thou follow, this strict court of Venice / Must needs give sentence ’gainst the merchant there.”
🟣 Meaning: If you insist, then the law must rule in your favor, and Antonio will be condemned.
🟠 Device: Legal diction (“sentence”, “strict court”)
🧠 Theme: Conflict between law and equity
💥 SHYLOCK’S RESPONSE
SHYLOCK: “My deeds upon my head! I crave the law, / The penalty and forfeit of my bond.”
🟣 Meaning: I take full responsibility. I demand what the law promises me—Antonio’s flesh.
🟠 Device: Irony (he later begs for mercy), Repetition (“the law”)
🧠 Theme: Revenge, Legalism, Stubbornness
💰 BASSANIO’S DESPERATE OFFER
PORTIA, as Balthazar: “Is he not able to discharge the money?”
🟣 Meaning: Can Antonio not pay the debt?
🟠 Device: Rhetorical question
🧠 Theme: Mercy vs. Greed
BASSANIO: “Yes. Here I tender it for him in the court, / Yea, twice the sum.”
🟣 Meaning: Yes, I’ll pay double right now.
🟠 Device: Hyperbole (offering more than required), Generosity
🧠 Theme: Friendship, Self-sacrifice
“I will be bound to pay it ten times o’er / On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart.”
🟣 Meaning: I’ll pay ten times the debt and offer my own body if needed.
🟠 Device: Triad (hands, head, heart – dramatic effect), Hyperbole
🧠 Theme: Loyalty, Desperation
“To do a great right, do a little wrong, / And curb this cruel devil of his will.”
🟣 Meaning: Break the law a little to serve a greater moral good—stop Shylock’s cruelty.
🟠 Device: Antithesis (“great right” vs. “little wrong”), Metaphor (“devil of his will”)
🧠 Theme: Moral relativism, Mercy vs. Law
⚖️ PORTIA’S LEGAL FIRMNESS
PORTIA: “It must not be. There is no power in Venice / Can alter a decree establishèd;”
🟣 Meaning: No one in Venice can change the law once it’s set.
🟠 Device: Absolute diction (“must not”, “no power”)
🧠 Theme: Unyielding justice, Power of law
“’Twill be recorded for a precedent / And many an error by the same example / Will rush into the state. It cannot be.”
🟣 Meaning: If we break the law now, it will set a bad example, leading to future chaos.
🟠 Device: Foreshadowing, Slippery slope logic, Repetition (“It cannot be”)
🧠 Theme: Rule of law, Justice vs. Exception
🎭 SHYLOCK PRAISES PORTIA
SHYLOCK: “A Daniel come to judgment! Yea, a Daniel. / O wise young judge, how I do honor thee!”
🟣 Meaning: He compares Portia to Daniel (a Biblical judge known for wisdom). He believes she’s on his side.
🟠 Device: Biblical allusion, Irony (he doesn’t know she’s about to turn the case against him)
🧠 Theme: Misplaced confidence, Deception
PORTIA: “I pray you let me look upon the bond.”
🟣 Meaning: Please show me the legal contract.
🟠 Device: Foreshadowing – she’s preparing her legal trap
🧠 Theme: Law and technicalities
SHYLOCK: “Here ’tis, most reverend doctor, here it is.”
🟣 Meaning: Here is the contract, honorable judge.
🟠 Device: Dramatic irony – he trusts her judgment
🧠 Theme: Blind justice
PORTIA: “Shylock, there’s thrice thy money offered thee.”
🟣 Meaning: You’re being offered triple the amount—take it.
🟠 Device: Rule of three (emphasizing fairness), Repetition
🧠 Theme: Mercy opportunity rejected
SHYLOCK: “An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven! / Shall I lay perjury upon my soul?”
🟣 Meaning: I’ve sworn to collect the pound of flesh—I won’t break that sacred vow.
🟠 Device: Religious hypocrisy, Irony
🧠 Theme: Fanaticism, Religious justification for cruelty
PORTIA: “Why, this bond is forfeit, / And lawfully by this the Jew may claim / A pound of flesh…”
🟣 Meaning: Yes, the contract is valid; Shylock has a legal right to take a pound of flesh.
🟠 Device: Legal diction (“forfeit”, “claim”), Rising tension
🧠 Theme: Justice, Contracts and consequences
“Be merciful; / Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond.”
🟣 Meaning: Show compassion—take the money and let go of this cruel demand.
🟠 Device: Imperative verbs (“be merciful”, “bid me”), Pleading tone
🧠 Theme: Final chance for grace
SHYLOCK: “When it is paid according to the tenor.”
🟣 Meaning: I will accept the money only as stated in the exact wording of the bond.
🟠 Device: Legal rigidity
🧠 Theme: Stubbornness, Literal interpretation of law
“It doth appear you are a worthy judge; / You know the law…”
🟣 Meaning: You clearly understand the law well.
🟠 Device: Irony – Shylock praises Portia just before she outwits him.
🧠 Theme: Pride before downfall
Portia (as Balthazar)
“This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood.
The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh.’”
- Tone: Calm but firm; revealing the legal twist
- Emotion: Confident, strategic — she’s laying the trap
- Stage Direction: Step forward with authority. Hold the bond and tap it slightly for emphasis on the words.
Portia (as Balthazar)
“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.”
- Tone: Sharp, exacting, triumphant
- Emotion: Righteous power — she is now in control
- Stage Direction: Raise your hand mid-sentence. Walk slowly toward Shylock. Deliver “one drop of Christian blood” with cold precision. Pause for impact.
Gratiano
“O upright judge! Mark, Jew. O learned judge!”
- Tone: Mocking enthusiasm
- Emotion: Elated, mocking Shylock using his own words
- Stage Direction: Clap hands once, point toward Shylock. Deliver with sarcasm and dramatic flair.
Shylock
“Is that the law?”
- Tone: Stunned, disbelieving
- Emotion: Realization setting in; his control is slipping
- Stage Direction: Step back in shock. Eyes dart between Portia and the Duke.
Portia (as Balthazar)
“Thyself shalt see the act.
For as thou urgest justice, be assured
Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desir’st.”
- Tone: Cold, measured
- Emotion: Stern — giving Shylock a taste of his own medicine
- Stage Direction: Unroll the statute scroll. Speak each word with weight. Use direct eye contact.
Gratiano
“O learned judge! Mark, Jew: a learned judge!”
- Tone: Gleeful mockery
- Emotion: Relishing Shylock’s downfall
- Stage Direction: Echo Shylock’s earlier admiration. Lean forward, sneering slightly.
Portia (as Balthazar)
“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 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.”
- Tone: Icy precision; this is a legal trap
- Emotion: Relentless, cool, poised
- Stage Direction: Walk slowly around Shylock as you speak. Let the courtroom go silent as the threat builds. At “thou diest,” stop moving and let that word drop like a hammer.
Gratiano
“A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
Now, infidel, I have you on the hip!”
- Tone: Triumphant mockery
- Emotion: Cruel joy
- Stage Direction: Slam hand on chair or desk. Turn to the others in the courtroom, gloating.
Shylock
“Why then the devil give him good of it!
I’ll stay no longer question.”
Stage Direction: Crumple slightly. Throw up hands in frustration. Begin to turn away slowly.
Tone: Bitter, defeated
Emotion: Humiliated, devastated
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“You, merchant, have you anything to say?”
- Meaning: Portia, disguised as the lawyer Balthazar, asks Antonio if he has any final words.
- Technique: Direct address; dramatic tension.
- Theme: Justice, mercy, sacrifice.
ANTONIO
“But little. I am armed and well prepared.—”
- Meaning: Antonio says he doesn’t have much to say; he’s mentally prepared to die.
- Technique: Stoicism; bravery.
- Theme: Dignity in suffering, friendship.
“Give me your hand, Bassanio. Fare you well.”
- Meaning: Antonio says goodbye to Bassanio, his close friend.
- Theme: Loyalty, friendship, sacrifice.
“Grieve not that I am fall’n to this for you,”
- Meaning: Don’t be sad that I’m dying because of your debt.
- Theme: Selflessness.
“For herein Fortune shows herself more kind
Than is her custom:”
- Meaning: Fortune (luck/fate) is being unusually kind to me for once.
- Technique: Personification of “Fortune”.
- Theme: Fate, suffering.
“it is still her use
To let the wretched man outlive his wealth,”
- Meaning: Usually, fate makes a poor man live long enough to suffer in poverty.
- Theme: Misery of poverty, contrast between wealth and emotional richness.
“To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow
An age of poverty,”
- Meaning: A poor man has to suffer old age full of sadness and physical decline.
- Technique: Imagery (“hollow eye”, “wrinkled brow”)—evokes emotional decay.
- Theme: Human suffering, aging.
“from which ling’ring penance
Of such misery doth she cut me off.”
- Meaning: But fate is sparing me from that slow, painful suffering by letting me die now.
- Theme: Mercy in death, destiny.
“Commend me to your honorable wife,”
- Meaning: Tell your noble wife goodbye for me.
- Theme: Respect, love, legacy.
“Tell her the process of Antonio’s end,”
- Meaning: Tell her how I died.
- Technique: Foreshadowing.
- Theme: Honor in death.
“Say how I loved you, speak me fair in death,”
- Meaning: Tell her how deeply I loved you as a friend, and speak kindly of me when I’m gone.
- Theme: Devotion, memory, legacy.
“And when the tale is told, bid her be judge
Whether Bassanio had not once a love.”
- Meaning: Ask her to decide if Bassanio ever had a true love—in other words, Antonio himself.
- Technique: Subtle homoerotic undertone; rhetorical question.
- Theme: Platonic love, sacrifice.
“Repent but you that you shall lose your friend
And he repents not that he pays your debt.”
- Meaning: You may regret losing me, but I don’t regret dying for your debt.
- Technique: Parallelism.
- Theme: Selflessness, loyalty.
“For if the Jew do cut but deep enough,
I’ll pay it instantly with all my heart.”
- Meaning: If Shylock cuts deep enough, he’ll get my heart—literally and emotionally.
- Technique: Wordplay (“heart” as both literal and emotional).
- Theme: Death, sacrifice, irony.
BASSANIO
“Antonio, I am married to a wife
Which is as dear to me as life itself,”
- Meaning: My wife is as precious to me as life itself.
- Theme: Love, loyalty.
“But life itself, my wife, and all the world
Are not with me esteemed above thy life.”
- Meaning: But your life, Antonio, is more important than all those things.
- Technique: Hyperbole.
- Theme: Friendship over romantic love.
“I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all
Here to this devil, to deliver you.”
- Meaning: I would sacrifice everything—including my wife—to save you from Shylock.
- Technique: Dramatic irony (since Portia is present and disguised).
- Theme: Loyalty, sacrifice, conflict between love and duty.
PORTIA, aside
“Your wife would give you little thanks for that
If she were by to hear you make the offer.”
- Meaning: If your wife heard you say that, she wouldn’t be too happy!
- Technique: Dramatic irony, sarcasm.
- Theme: Identity, gender roles, relationships.
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.”
- Meaning: I love my wife too, but I wish she were in heaven so she could pray to God to save Antonio.
- Technique: Hyperbole, offensive language (“currish Jew”).
- Theme: Loyalty, casual misogyny, anti-Semitism.
NERISSA, aside
“’Tis well you offer it behind her back.
The wish would make else an unquiet house.”
- Meaning: It’s good that you (Gratiano) said you’d give your wife away when she wasn’t here—if she had heard, your house would not be peaceful!
- Technique: Dramatic irony (Portia and Nerissa are both disguised and hearing their husbands speak).
- Theme: Marriage, gender roles, deception, irony.
SHYLOCK
“These be the Christian husbands! I have a daughter—
Would any of the stock of Barabbas
Had been her husband, rather than a Christian!”
- Meaning: Look at how Christian men treat their wives! I’d rather my daughter married someone descended from Barabbas (a criminal) than a Christian.
- Technique: Biblical allusion (Barabbas), sarcasm, religious tension.
- Theme: Prejudice, religious conflict, bitterness.
“We trifle time. I pray thee, pursue sentence.”
- Meaning: We’re wasting time—please carry out the judgment.
- Theme: Justice, impatience for revenge.
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“A pound of that same merchant’s flesh is thine:
The court awards it, and the law doth give it.”
- Meaning: You are entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh—by law.
- Technique: Legal tone, formal diction.
- Theme: Justice, law vs morality.
SHYLOCK
“Most rightful judge!”
- Meaning: You are a very fair and correct judge!
- Technique: Irony (he doesn’t know what’s coming).
- Theme: Legalism, blindness to mercy.
PORTIA
“And you must cut this flesh from off his breast:
The law allows it, and the court awards it.”
- Meaning: You must cut the flesh only from Antonio’s chest—as per the bond.
- Technique: Repetition of legal language.
- Theme: Cold interpretation of justice.
SHYLOCK
“Most learnèd judge! A sentence!—Come, prepare.”
- Meaning: Brilliant judge! Let’s get on with it.
- Technique: Dramatic irony—he praises the judge who’s about to turn things on him.
- Theme: Arrogance, self-righteousness.
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.’”
- Meaning: Wait a moment. The contract says nothing about blood—only “a pound of flesh.”
- Technique: Wordplay, strict literal interpretation of the law.
- Theme: Justice vs mercy, legalism.
“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.”
- Meaning: You can take your pound of flesh, but if you spill even one drop of Antonio’s blood, all your property will be taken by the state.
- Technique: Irony, legal trap, conditional warning.
- Theme: Mercy, law, cleverness of women, reversal of power.
GRATIANO
“O upright judge!—Mark, Jew.—O learnèd judge!”
- Meaning: What a fair and wise judge! Listen to her, Shylock!
- Technique: Sarcasm, repetition, mocking.
- Theme: Justice, mockery, poetic justice.
SHYLOCK
“Is that the law?”
- Meaning: Wait—really? That’s the law?
- Technique: Shock, dramatic turning point.
- Theme: Disbelief at poetic justice.
PORTIA
“Thyself shalt see the act.
For, as thou urgest justice, be assured
Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir’st.”
- Meaning: You can check the law yourself. Since you insisted on strict justice, that’s exactly what you’ll get—maybe more than you expected.
- Technique: Foreshadowing, poetic justice.
- Theme: Mercy vs justice, irony, consequences of revenge.
GRATIANO
“O learnèd judge!—Mark, Jew, a learnèd judge!”
- Meaning: Again praising Portia sarcastically—mocking Shylock.
- Technique: Mocking repetition.
- Theme: Public shaming, reversal of power.
SHYLOCK
“I take this offer then. Pay the bond thrice / And let the Christian go.”
- Explanation: Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, agrees to a generous offer—three times the loan amount—in exchange for releasing Antonio from the bond (which demanded a pound of Antonio’s flesh).
- Analysis: This marks a turning point where Shylock shows a sudden willingness to compromise. It could be seen as desperation or an attempt to regain some dignity.
- Language technique: Irony – he previously refused this same offer.
- Themes: Justice vs. mercy, revenge, prejudice.
BASSANIO
“Here is the money.”
- Explanation: Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, immediately produces the money to pay Shylock.
- Themes: Loyalty, friendship, sacrifice.
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“Soft! The Jew shall have all justice. Soft, no haste! / He shall have nothing but the penalty.”
- Explanation: Portia, disguised as a lawyer, halts the proceedings. She insists that Shylock should receive exactly what the bond entitles him to—no more, no less.
- Analysis: This is Portia’s clever twist; she uses Shylock’s demand for strict justice against him.
- Language: Repetition of “soft” (archaic for “wait”) builds dramatic tension.
- Themes: Justice vs. mercy, legalism, deception, gender roles.
GRATIANO
“O Jew, an upright judge, a learnèd judge!”
- Explanation: Gratiano mockingly praises Portia (thinking she is a man), celebrating her judgment.
- Tone: Sarcastic and taunting.
- Themes: Prejudice, irony, performance of justice.
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. / Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more / But just a pound of flesh.”
- Explanation: Portia tells Shylock he may proceed, but with a condition—he must take exactly a pound of flesh without spilling blood.
- Analysis: She uses the literal wording of the bond to trap Shylock. It’s a masterstroke of legal manipulation.
- Technique: Literalism, irony.
- Themes: Law and justice, mercy, manipulation of power.
“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.”
- Explanation: If Shylock cuts even a fraction too much or too little, or if he spills blood or mismeasures by a hair’s weight, he will be punished with death and loss of property.
- Analysis: Portia turns Shylock’s obsession with exactness against him. It’s poetic justice—he is undone by his own rigidity.
- Language: Legal jargon, hyperbole, precise measurement vocabulary (“scruple,” “estimation of a hair”).
- Themes: Justice vs. mercy, power, irony, downfall.
GRATIANO
“A second Daniel! A Daniel, Jew! / Now, infidel, I have you on the hip.”
- Explanation: Gratiano again mocks Shylock by calling Portia a second Daniel (the biblical wise judge). “On the hip” means to have an advantage over someone.
- Analysis: Gratiano shows no mercy and relishes Shylock’s humiliation.
- Themes: Prejudice, justice, cruelty.
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture.”
- Explanation: Portia challenges Shylock—why isn’t he going ahead now? She knows he cannot without incriminating himself.
- Technique: Dramatic irony.
- Themes: Power dynamics, justice, entrapment.
SHYLOCK
“Give me my principal and let me go.”
- Explanation: Shylock now tries to back out—he asks just for the original money he lent.
- Analysis: He’s defeated and humiliated. His vengeance has backfired.
- Themes: Downfall, mercy denied, reversal of power.
BASSANIO
“I have it ready for thee. Here it is.”
- Explanation: Bassanio is still willing to pay the principal, even now.
- Themes: Friendship, loyalty, mercy.
PORTIA (as Balthazar)
“He hath refused it in the open court. / He shall have merely justice and his bond.”
- Explanation: Portia reminds everyone that Shylock refused payment earlier, so he gets only what the law allows—nothing more.
- Analysis: Her words are laced with irony. The law that Shylock clung to has now trapped him.
- Themes: Law vs. justice, poetic justice, manipulation.
GRATIANO
“A Daniel still, say I! A second Daniel!— / I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.”
- Explanation: Gratiano continues his mockery, enjoying Shylock’s ruin, and ironically thanks him for introducing the term “Daniel.”
- Themes: Revenge, mockery, the cruelty of justice.
SHYLOCK
“Shall I not have barely my principal?”
- Explanation: Shylock makes a final plea, asking at least for his original loan.
- Analysis: He is stripped of power and dignity. The law now turns against him completely.
- Themes: Mercy denied, downfall, rigidity of law.
PORTIA, as Balthazar
“Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture / To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.”
- Explanation: Portia tells Shylock he can only take what he is legally entitled to — the pound of flesh, but not a drop of blood. If he attempts it, he risks legal punishment.
- Technique: Formal diction, threatening tone
- Theme: Justice vs. mercy, law and retribution
SHYLOCK
“Why, then, the devil give him good of it! / I’ll stay no longer question.”
- Explanation: Shylock bitterly says Antonio can have the money; he won’t argue anymore.
- Technique: Religious allusion (“the devil”), bitterness
- Theme: Loss, humiliation, revenge turned to defeat
PORTIA
“Tarry, Jew. / The law hath yet another hold on you.”
- Explanation: Portia stops Shylock and says there’s another legal issue that will affect him.
- Technique: Imperative, suspense
- Theme: Justice turning on the oppressor
“It is enacted in the laws of Venice…” (entire law section)
- Explanation: Portia recites a Venetian law that states if a foreigner threatens the life of a citizen, half his property goes to the victim, the other half to the state, and his life lies in the Duke’s mercy.
- Technique: Legal language, conditional phrasing, escalation
- Theme: The power of the law, foreignness and prejudice
“Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.”
- Explanation: Portia orders Shylock to beg for mercy.
- Technique: Imperative verb, power reversal
- Theme: Mercy, humiliation, role reversal
GRATIANO
“Beg that thou mayst have leave to hang thyself!…”
- Explanation: Gratiano mocks Shylock, saying he doesn’t even have money left to buy a rope to hang himself.
- Technique: Mockery, dark humor
- Theme: Cruelty, revenge
DUKE
“That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit, / I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.”
- Explanation: The Duke shows Christian mercy by sparing Shylock’s life before he even asks.
- Technique: Contrast, grace, power display
- Theme: Christian values of mercy, power and authority
“For half thy wealth, it is Antonio’s…”
- Explanation: The Duke declares half of Shylock’s wealth goes to Antonio, and the other half to the state (unless the Duke reduces the penalty).
- Technique: Legal judgment, division of property
- Theme: Justice vs. vengeance, power over property
PORTIA
“Ay, for the state, not for Antonio.”
- Explanation: Portia emphasizes the division should benefit the state, not enrich Antonio unjustly.
- Theme: Fairness, rule of law
SHYLOCK
“Nay, take my life and all…”
- Explanation: Shylock says they might as well kill him, as he cannot live without his wealth.
- Technique: Hyperbole, pathos, metaphor (“prop that doth sustain my house”)
- Theme: Loss, identity tied to wealth, despair
PORTIA
“What mercy can you render him, Antonio?”
- Explanation: Portia now asks Antonio how merciful he wants to be to his former enemy.
- Technique: Questioning, shift in control
- Theme: Mercy vs. revenge
GRATIANO
“A halter gratis…”
- Explanation: Gratiano cruelly says the only thing Shylock deserves is a free noose.
- Technique: Cruel irony, sarcasm
- Theme: Revenge, mockery
ANTONIO
“So please my lord… I am content…”
- Explanation: Antonio offers mercy: let Shylock keep half his wealth to pass on after death to Lorenzo (who married Shylock’s daughter), on two conditions — that Shylock becomes a Christian and wills all his property to Lorenzo and Jessica.
- Technique: Conditional mercy, power manipulation
- Theme: Forced conversion, Christian dominance, property as power
DUKE
“He shall do this, or else I do recant…”
- Explanation: The Duke makes it legally binding: if Shylock refuses, he loses his pardon.
- Theme: Power of authority, compliance through coercion
PORTIA
“Art thou contented, Jew? What dost thou say?”
- Explanation: Portia forces Shylock to verbally accept the conditions.
- Technique: Formal language, control
- Theme: Humiliation, social pressure
SHYLOCK
“I am content.”
- Explanation: He accepts in defeat.
- Technique: Short, resigned response
- Theme: Submission, broken pride
PORTIA
“Clerk, draw a deed of gift.”
- Explanation: Portia instructs a legal document to be made transferring Shylock’s possessions.
- Theme: Legal finality, property confiscation
SHYLOCK
“I pray you give me leave to go from hence…”
- Explanation: Shylock asks to leave, claiming he’s not well, and agrees to sign later.
- Technique: Understated emotion, exit in shame
- Theme: Defeat, loss of identity
DUKE
“Get thee gone, but do it.”
- Explanation: The Duke dismisses Shylock and reminds him to follow through.
- Technique: Authoritative command
- Theme: Power imbalance, social outcasting
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.”
- Meaning: Gratiano mocks Shylock by saying instead of a Christian baptism with two godfathers, he deserves ten to hang him (as in a jury).
- Language: Sarcasm, wordplay (font = baptismal font, gallows = execution).
- Theme: Revenge, Prejudice, Justice vs. Mercy
DUKE:
“Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner.”
- He invites “Balthazar” (Portia in disguise) to dinner out of gratitude.
PORTIA:
“I must away this night toward Padua, And it is meet I presently set forth.”
- Portia declines the invitation, pretending she must leave immediately. She’s maintaining her disguise.
- Theme: Disguise & Deception
DUKE:
“Antonio, gratify this gentleman, For in my mind you are much bound to him.”
- He urges Antonio to reward Balthazar (Portia), saying they owe him greatly.
❤️ The Gift of the Ring:
BASSANIO:
“Three thousand ducats due unto the Jew, We freely cope your courteous pains withal.”
- He offers the money they saved (originally owed to Shylock) as a reward.
ANTONIO:
“And stand indebted… in love and service evermore.”
- He adds that they owe more than just money—they owe gratitude and loyalty.
PORTIA:
“He is well paid that is well satisfied… My mind was never yet more mercenary.”
- She politely declines. She pretends not to want money, claiming satisfaction from helping them is enough.
- Language: Irony (she does want something—Bassanio’s ring).
- Theme: Love, Generosity, Gender roles (in disguise)
BASSANIO:
“Take some remembrance of us as a tribute…”
- He insists on giving her something as a keepsake.
PORTIA:
“Give me your gloves… I’ll take this ring from you…”
- She says she’ll take the gloves and then slyly requests the ring that Portia (his wife) gave him.
- Language: Dramatic irony—audience knows she’s his wife.
BASSANIO:
“This ring, good sir? Alas, it is a trifle.”
- He tries to refuse, saying the ring is too small a gift.
- Theme: Loyalty, Marriage, Promises
PORTIA:
“I will have nothing else but only this.”
- She insists—it’s part of her plan to test his loyalty.
- Theme: Testing Love, Deception, Symbolism (ring = bond)
BASSANIO:
“There’s more depends on this than on the value…”
- He implies the ring is symbolically priceless—it’s a promise to his wife.
PORTIA:
“You taught me first to beg… now you teach me how a beggar should be answered.”
- She mocks his refusal with clever wordplay.
- Language: Witty repartee, rhetorical irony.
- Theme: Power reversal, Cleverness of women, Marriage dynamics
BASSANIO:
“This ring was given me by my wife…”
- He explains the sentimental value and the vow he made.
PORTIA:
“That ’scuse serves many men to save their gifts…”
- She dismisses his reasoning, cleverly challenging his love.
- Language: Mockery, satire.
🪙 Antonio Steps In:
ANTONIO:
“My Lord Bassanio, let him have the ring…”
- Antonio persuades Bassanio to give it up, using his own friendship as pressure.
- Theme: Male friendship vs. Romantic loyalty
BASSANIO:
“Go, Gratiano… Give him the ring…”
- He gives in—sending Gratiano after “Balthazar” with the ring.
- Theme: Testing fidelity, Foreshadowing marital tension
Final Actions:
“Come, you and I will thither presently… Fly toward Belmont…”
- Bassanio and Antonio plan to return home early. Ironically, they will unknowingly be reunited with their wives—who now hold secrets.
🎭 Literary Analysis:
- Dramatic Irony: The audience knows Balthazar is actually Portia, but Bassanio and Antonio do not.
- Symbolism: The ring symbolizes love, loyalty, and trust. Giving it away—despite his vow—reveals Bassanio’s weakness under pressure.
- Themes:
- Justice vs. Mercy (Shylock is denied both)
- Love and Loyalty (tested between wife and friend)
- Deception & Disguise (Portia’s clever manipulation)
- Prejudice and Power (Christian mockery of Shylock)
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