Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Shy. Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound.

Bass. Your answer to that.

Shy. Antonio is a good man.

Bass. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shy. Ho! no, no, no, no;—my meaning, in saying he is a good man, is to have you understand me that he is sufficient. Yet his means are in supposition: he hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand moreover upon the Rialto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England; and other ventures he hath, squandered abroad. But ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats and waterrats, land-thieves and water-thieves, I mean, pirates: and then there is the peril of waters, winds, and rocks. The man is, notwithstanding, sufficient. Three thousand ducats;-I

think I may take his bond.

Bass. Be assured you may.

Shy. I will be assured I may; and, that I may be assured, I will bethink me. May I speak with Antonio?

Bass. If it please you to dine with us.

Shy. Yes, to smell pork; to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the Devil into. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. What news on the Rialto? - Who is he comes here?

Enter ANTONIO.

Bass. This is Signior Antonio.

Shy. [Aside.] How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian ; 4

But more, for that in low simplicity

He lends out money gratis, and brings down

The rate of usance here with us in Venice.5

2 Squandered here means simply scattered, dispersed; a frequent usage of the time.

3 Alluding to the permission given to the Legion of devils to enter into the herd of swine: St. Luke viii. 33. - Habitation is used of the body; the dwelling-place, in this instance, of the devils.

4 For was often used with the exact sense of our because.

5 Usance, usury, and interest were all terms of precisely the same import in Shakespeare's time; there being then no such law or custom whereby usury has since come to mean the taking of interest above a certain rate. How the taking of interest, at whatever rate, was commonly esteemed, is shown in Lord Bacon's Essay of Usury, where he mentions the popular ar guments against it: "That the usurer is the greatest Sabbath-breaker, because his plough goeth every Sunday; that the usurer breaketh the first law that was made for mankind after the fall, which was, 'in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread;' that usurers should have orange-tawny bonnets

[blocks in formation]

I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our sacred nation; and he rails,
Even there where merchants most do congregate,
On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls interest: Cursed be my tribe,
If I forgive him!

Bass.

Shylock, do you hear?

Shy. I am debating of my present store; And, by the near guess of my memory,

I cannot instantly raise up the gross

Of full three thousand ducats: What of that?
Tubal, a wealthy Hebrew of my tribe,

Will furnish me.

But, soft! how many months

Do you desire? [To ANT.] Rest you fair, good Signior; Your worship was the last man in our mouths.

Ant. Shylock, albeit I neither lend nor borrow,

By taking nor by giving of excess,

Yet, to supply the ripe wants of my friend,
I'll break a custom. Is he yet possess'd'
How much you would?

Shy.

[ocr errors]

Ay, ay, three thousand ducats.

Ant. And for three months.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Shy. I had forgot; three months; you told me so.
Well then, your bond; and, let me see,
But hear you:
Methought you said you neither lend nor borrow
Upon advantage.

Ant.

I do never use it.

Shy. When Jacob graz'd his uncle Laban's sheep,This Jacob from our holy Abraham was

(As his wise mother wrought in his behalf)

The third possessor; ay, he was the third,8

Ant. And what of him? did he take interest?

Shy. No, not take interest; not, as you would say,
Directly interest: mark what Jacob did,
When Laban and himself were compromis'd,

That all the eanlings which were streak'd and pied
Should fall as Jacob's hire.

because they do Judaize; that it is against nature for money to beget money, and the like." The words in Italic show that usury was regarded as a badge of Judaism.

6 Some explain this as a phrase of wrestling; others, of hunting. To have one on the hip was to have the advantage of him; as when a wrestler seized his antagonist by that part, or a hound a deer.

7 Possessed was often used for informed. Excess, second line before means in excess of the sum lent; that is, interest.

[ocr errors]

8 The third, reckoning Abraham himself as the first.. See Genesis xxvii.

This was a way to thrive, and he was blest;
And thrift is blessing, if men steal it not.9

Ant. This was a venture, sir, that Jacob serv'd for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,

But sway'd and fashion'd by the hand of Heaven.
Was this inserted 1o to make interest good?
Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams?
Shy. I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast.
But note me, Signior.

Ant.
Mark you this, Bassanio,
The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul, producing holy witness,
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath! 11
Shy. Three thousand ducats;
Three months from twelve,

[ocr errors]

-'tis a good round sum.
then, let me see, the rate

Ant. Well, Shylock, shall we be beholding to you?
Shy. Signior Antonio, many a time and oft,

In the Rialto, you have rated me

12

About my moneys, and my usances:

Still have I borne it with a patient shrug;
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
You call me misbeliever, cut-throat, dog,
And spet 13 upon my Jewish gaberdine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then, it now appears you need my help:
Go to then; you come to me, and you say,
Shylock, we would have moneys: you say so;
You, that did void your rheum upon my beard,
And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
Over your threshold: moneys is your suit.
What should I say to you? Should I not say,
Hath a dog money? is it possible,

9 See Genesis xxx. 31-43.

10 That is, inserted in the Scriptures.

11 Falsehood here means knavery, treachery, as truth is sometimes used for honesty.

12 In this scene we have already had "on the Rialto," and " upon the Rialto." Concerning the place meant, Rogers thus speaks in one of the notes to his poem on Italy: "Rialto is the name, not of the bridge, but of the island from which it is called; and the Venetians say il ponte di Rialto, as we say Westminster-bridge. In that island is the exchange; and I have often walked there as on classic ground. In the days of Antonio and Bassanio it was second to none."

18 So in the old copies, but commonly changed to spit. As an old form of the word, and as giving a Shylockin tang to the speech, spet ought to be retained. Gaberdine was a long, coarse outer garment or frock. Caliban, in The Tempest, ii. 2, wears one big enough, it seems, to wrap both himself and Trinculo in.

[ocr errors]

A cur can lend three thousand ducats? or
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key,
With 'bated breath and whispering humbleness,
Say this,-

Fair sir, you spet on me on Wednesday last;
You spurn'd me such a day; another time
You call'd me dog; and for these courtesies
I'll lend thus much moneys?

you

Ant. I am as like to call thee so again,
To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friend; (for when did friendship take
A breed 14 of barren metal of his friend?)
But lend it rather to thine enemy;

Who if he break,15 thou may'st with better face
Exact the penalty.

Shy.
Why, look you, how you storm!
I would be friends with you, and have your love,
Forget the shames that you have stain'd me with,
Supply your present wants, and take no doit 16
Of usance for my moneys, and you'll not hear me:
This is kind I offer.

[blocks in formation]

Shy. This kindness will I show:
Go with me to a notary, seal me there
Your single bond; and, in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on such a day,
In such a place, such sum or sums as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me.

Ant. Content, in faith; I'll seal to such a bond,

And say there is much kindness in the Jew.

Bass. You shall not seal to such a bond for me:

I'll rather dwell 17 in my necessity.

Ant. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it: Within these two months, that's a month before This bond expires, I do expect return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

Shy. O, father Abraham, what these Christians are, Whose own hard dealing teaches them suspect

14 Breed is interest, money bred from the principal.

15 For this uniting of the relative and personal pronouns, who and he, in

one subject, see page 39, note 2.

16 Doit was a small Italian coin, considerably less than our cent.

17 That is, continue, or abide.

The thoughts of others! - Pray you, tell me this:
If he should break his day, what should I gain
By the exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man
Is not so estimable, profitable neither,
As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats.
I say,
To buy his favour I extend this friendship:
If he will take it, so; if not, adieu;

And, for my love, I pray you wrong me not.
Ant. Yes, Shylock, I will seal unto this bond.
Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the notary's:
Give him direction for this merry bond,
And I will go and purse the ducats straight;
See to my house, left in the fearful guard 18
Of an unthrifty knave, and presently

I will be with you.

[Exit.

kind.

Ant.
Hie thee, gentle Jew.
The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows
Bass. I like not fair terms and a villain's mind.
Ant. Come on: in this there can be no dismay;
My ships come home a month before the day.

[Exeunt.

ACT II. SCENE I. Belmont. A Room in PORTIA's House.

Flourish of Cornets. Enter the Prince of Morocco, and his
Train; PORTIA, NERISSA, and other of her Attendants.

Mor. Mislike me not for my complexion,
The shadow'd livery of the burnish'd Sun,
To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred.
Bring me the fairest creature northward born,
Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the icicles,
And let us make incision for your love,
To prove whose blood is reddest,1 his or mine.
I tell thee, lady, this aspéct of mine

Hath fear'd the valiant:2 by my love I swear,
The best-regarded virgins of our clime

18 Fearful guard is a guard that is not to be trusted, but gives cause of fear. To fear was anciently to give as well as feel terrors.

1 Red blood is a traditionary sign of courage. Thus Macbeth calls one of his frighted soldiers a lily-liver'd boy; again, in this play, cowards are said to have livers as white as milk; and an effeminate man is termed a milksop.

2 Fear was often used as a transitive verb, in the sense of frighten or terrify. See last note of preceding scene.

« ZurückWeiter »