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1597

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  THE DUKE OF VENICE
  THE PRINCE OF MOROCCO, suitor to Portia
  THE PRINCE OF ARRAGON, " " "
  ANTONIO, a merchant of Venice
  BASSANIO, his friend, suitor to Portia
  SOLANIO, friend to Antonio and Bassanio
  SALERIO, " " " " "
  GRATIANO, " " " " "
  LORENZO, in love with Jessica
  SHYLOCK, a rich Jew
  TUBAL, a Jew, his friend
  LAUNCELOT GOBBO, a clown, servant to Shylock
  OLD GOBBO, father to Launcelot
  LEONARDO, servant to Bassanio
  BALTHASAR, servant to Portia
  STEPHANO, " " "

  PORTIA, a rich heiress
  NERISSA, her waiting-maid
  JESSICA, daughter to Shylock

  Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice,
    Gaoler, Servants, and other Attendants

<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM
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WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE
DISTRIBUTED SO LONG AS SUCH COPIES (1) ARE FOR YOUR OR OTHERS
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SCENE: Venice, and PORTIA'S house at Belmont

ACT I. SCENE I. Venice. A street

Enter ANTONIO, SALERIO, and SOLANIO

  ANTONIO. In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
    It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
    But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
    What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
    I am to learn;
    And such a want-wit sadness makes of me
    That I have much ado to know myself.
  SALERIO. Your mind is tossing on the ocean;
    There where your argosies, with portly sail-
    Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood,
    Or as it were the pageants of the sea-
    Do overpeer the petty traffickers,
    That curtsy to them, do them reverence,
    As they fly by them with their woven wings.
  SOLANIO. Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth,
    The better part of my affections would
    Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still
    Plucking the grass to know where sits the wind,
    Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads;
    And every object that might make me fear
    Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
    Would make me sad.
  SALERIO. My wind, cooling my broth,
    Would blow me to an ague when I thought
    What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
    I should not see the sandy hour-glass run
    But I should think of shallows and of flats,
    And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand,
    Vailing her high top lower than her ribs
    To kiss her burial. Should I go to church
    And see the holy edifice of stone,
    And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks,
    Which, touching but my gentle vessel's side,
    Would scatter all her spices on the stream,
    Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks,
    And, in a word, but even now worth this,
    And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought
    To think on this, and shall I lack the thought
    That such a thing bechanc'd would make me sad?
    But tell not me; I know Antonio
    Is sad to think upon his merchandise.
  ANTONIO. Believe me, no; I thank my fortune for it,
    My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
    Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate
    Upon the fortune of this present year;
    Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad.
  SOLANIO. Why then you are in love.
  ANTONIO. Fie, fie!
  SOLANIO. Not in love neither? Then let us say you are sad
    Because you are not merry; and 'twere as easy
    For you to laugh and leap and say you are merry,
    Because you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus,
    Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time:
    Some that will evermore peep through their eyes,
    And laugh like parrots at a bag-piper;
    And other of such vinegar aspect
    That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile
    Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable.

Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and GRATIANO

    Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman,
    Gratiano and Lorenzo. Fare ye well;
    We leave you now with better company.
  SALERIO. I would have stay'd till I had made you merry,
    If worthier friends had not prevented me.
  ANTONIO. Your worth is very dear in my regard.
    I take it your own business calls on you,
    And you embrace th' occasion to depart.
  SALERIO. Good morrow, my good lords.
  BASSANIO. Good signiors both, when shall we laugh? Say when.
    You grow exceeding strange; must it be so?
  SALERIO. We'll make our