THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 3.1

Venice. A street.

[Enter SALANIO and SALARINO]

SALANIO Now, what news on the Rialto?

SALARINO Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd that Antonio hath

a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas;

the Goodwins, I think they call the place; a very

dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcasses of many 5

a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip

Report be an honest woman of her word.

SALANIO I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever

knapped ginger or made her neighbours believe she

wept for the death of a third husband. But it is 10

true, without any slips of prolixity or crossing the

plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio, the

honest Antonio,--O that I had a title good enough

to keep his name company!--

SALARINO Come, the full stop. 15

SALANIO Ha! what sayest thou? Why, the end is, he hath

lost a ship.

SALARINO I would it might prove the end of his losses.

SALANIO Let me say 'amen' betimes, lest the devil cross my

prayer, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. 20

[Enter SHYLOCK]

How now, Shylock! what news among the merchants?

SHYLOCK You know, none so well, none so well as you, of my

daughter's flight.

SALARINO That's certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor

that made the wings she flew withal. 25

SALANIO And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was

fledged; and then it is the complexion of them all

to leave the dam.

SHYLOCK She is damned for it.

SALANIO That's certain, if the devil may be her judge. 30

SHYLOCK My own flesh and blood to rebel!

SALANIO Out upon it, old carrion! rebels it at these years?

SHYLOCK I say, my daughter is my flesh and blood.

SALARINO There is more difference between thy flesh and hers

than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods 35

than there is between red wine and rhenish. But

tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any

loss at sea or no?

SHYLOCK There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a

prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the 40

Rialto; a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon

the mart; let him look to his bond: he was wont to

call me usurer; let him look to his bond: he was

wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy; let him

look to his bond. 45

SALARINO Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take

his flesh: what's that good for?

SHYLOCK To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,

it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and

hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, 50

mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my

bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine

enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath

not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,

dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with 55

the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject

to the same diseases, healed by the same means,

warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as

a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?

if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison 60

us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not

revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will

resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,

what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian

wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by 65

Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you

teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I

will better the instruction.

[Enter a Servant]

Servant Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house and

desires to speak with you both. 70

SALARINO We have been up and down to seek him.

[Enter TUBAL]

SALANIO Here comes another of the tribe: a third cannot be

matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.

[Exeunt SALANIO, SALARINO, and Servant]

SHYLOCK How now, Tubal! what news from Genoa? hast thou

found my daughter? 75

TUBAL I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.

SHYLOCK Why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone,

cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse

never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it

till now: two thousand ducats in that; and other 80

precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter

were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!

would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in

her coffin! No news of them? Why, so: and I know

not what's spent in the search: why, thou loss upon 85

loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to

find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge:

nor no in luck stirring but what lights on my

shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears

but of my shedding. 90

TUBAL Yes, other men have ill luck too: Antonio, as I

heard in Genoa,--

SHYLOCK What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck?

TUBAL Hath an argosy cast away, coming from Tripolis.

SHYLOCK I thank God, I thank God. Is't true, is't true? 95

TUBAL I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.

SHYLOCK I thank thee, good Tubal: good news, good news!

ha, ha! where? in Genoa?

TUBAL Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, in one

night fourscore ducats. 100

SHYLOCK Thou stickest a dagger in me: I shall never see my

gold again: fourscore ducats at a sitting!

fourscore ducats!

TUBAL There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my

company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break. 105

SHYLOCK I am very glad of it: I'll plague him; I'll torture

him: I am glad of it.

TUBAL One of them showed me a ring that he had of your

daughter for a monkey.

SHYLOCK Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my 110

turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor:

I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.

TUBAL But Antonio is certainly undone.

SHYLOCK Nay, that's true, that's very true. Go, Tubal, fee

me an officer; bespeak him a fortnight before. I 115

will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for, were

he out of Venice, I can make what merchandise I

will. Go, go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue;

go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.

[Exeunt]

SALARINO	Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd that Antonio hath
	a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas;
	the Goodwins, I think they call the place; a very
	dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcasses of many	5
	a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip
	Report be an honest woman of her word.

SALANIO	I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever
	knapped ginger or made her neighbours believe she
	wept for the death of a third husband. But it is	10
	true, without any slips of prolixity or crossing the
	plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio, the
	honest Antonio,--O that I had a title good enough
	to keep his name company!--

SALANIO		Ha! what sayest thou? Why, the end is, he hath
		lost a ship.

SALANIO	Let me say 'amen' betimes, lest the devil cross my
	prayer, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.	20
	[Enter SHYLOCK]
	How now, Shylock! what news among the merchants?

SHYLOCK		You know, none so well, none so well as you, of my
		daughter's flight.

SALARINO		That's certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor
		that made the wings she flew withal.	25

SALANIO		And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was
		fledged; and then it is the complexion of them all
		to leave the dam.

SALARINO	There is more difference between thy flesh and hers
	than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods	35
	than there is between red wine and rhenish. But
	tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any
	loss at sea or no?

SHYLOCK	There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a
	prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the	40
	Rialto; a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon
	the mart; let him look to his bond: he was wont to
	call me usurer; let him look to his bond: he was
	wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy; let him
	look to his bond.	45

SALARINO		Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take
		his flesh: what's that good for?

SHYLOCK	To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
	it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
	hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,	50
	mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
	bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
	enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
	not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
	dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with	55
	the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
	to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
	warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
	a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
	if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison	60
	us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
	revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
	resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
	what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
	wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by	65
	Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
	teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
	will better the instruction.
	[Enter a Servant]

Servant		Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house and
		desires to speak with you both.	70

SALANIO		Here comes another of the tribe: a third cannot be
		matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.
		[Exeunt SALANIO, SALARINO, and Servant]

SHYLOCK		How now, Tubal! what news from Genoa? hast thou
		found my daughter?	75

SHYLOCK	Why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone,
	cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse
	never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it
	till now: two thousand ducats in that; and other	80
	precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter
	were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!
	would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in
	her coffin! No news of them? Why, so: and I know
	not what's spent in the search: why, thou loss upon	85
	loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to
	find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge:
	nor no in luck stirring but what lights on my
	shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears
	but of my shedding.	90

TUBAL		Yes, other men have ill luck too: Antonio, as I
		heard in Genoa,--

SHYLOCK		I thank thee, good Tubal: good news, good news!
		ha, ha! where? in Genoa?

TUBAL		Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, in one
		night fourscore ducats.	100

SHYLOCK		Thou stickest a dagger in me: I shall never see my
		gold again: fourscore ducats at a sitting!
		fourscore ducats!

TUBAL		There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my
		company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break.	105

SHYLOCK		I am very glad of it: I'll plague him; I'll torture
		him: I am glad of it.

TUBAL		One of them showed me a ring that he had of your
		daughter for a monkey.

SHYLOCK	Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my	110
	turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor:
	I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.

SHYLOCK	Nay, that's true, that's very true. Go, Tubal, fee
	me an officer; bespeak him a fortnight before. I	115
	will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for, were
	he out of Venice, I can make what merchandise I
	will. Go, go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue;
	go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.
	[Exeunt]