Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Act 1 - Scene 3
Venice. A public place.
Shylock : Three thousand ducats; well.
Bassanio : Ay, sir, for three months.
Shylock : For three months; well.
Bassanio : For the which, as I told you, Antonio shall be bound.
Shylock : Antonio shall become bound; well.
Bassanio : May you stead me? will you pleasure me? shall I
[p]know your answer?
Shylock : Three thousand ducats for three months and Antonio bound.
Bassanio : Your answer to that.
Shylock : Antonio is a good man.
Bassanio : Have you heard any imputation to the contrary?
Shylock : Oh, no, no, no, no: my meaning in saying he is a
[p]good man is to
have you understand me that he is
[p]sufficient. Yet his means are in
supposition: he
[p]hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another to
the
[p]Indies; I understand moreover, upon the Rialto, he
[p]hath a
third at Mexico, a fourth for England, and
[p]other ventures he hath,
squandered abroad. But ships
[p]are but boards, sailors but men: there
be land-rats
[p]and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves,
I
[p]mean pirates, and then there is the peril of waters,
[p]winds and
rocks. The man is, notwithstanding,
[p]sufficient. Three thousand
ducats; I think I may
[p]take his bond.
Bassanio : Be assured you may.
Shylock : I will be assured I may; and, that I may be assured,
[p]I will bethink
me. May I speak with Antonio?
Bassanio : If it please you to dine with us.
Shylock : Yes, to smell pork; to eat of the habitation which
[p]your prophet the
Nazarite conjured the devil into. I
[p]will buy with you, sell with
you, talk with you,
[p]walk with you, and so following, but I will not
eat
[p]with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. What
[p]news on
the Rialto? Who is he comes here?
Bassanio : This is Signior Antonio.
Shylock : [Aside] How like a fawning publican he looks!
[p]I hate him for he is
a Christian,
[p]But more for that in low simplicity
[p]He lends out
money gratis and brings down
[p]The rate of usance here with us in
Venice.
[p]If I can catch him once upon the hip,
[p]I will feed fat
the ancient grudge I bear him.
[p]He hates our sacred nation, and he
rails,
[p]Even there where merchants most do congregate,
[p]On me, my
bargains and my well-won thrift,
[p]Which he calls interest. Cursed be
my tribe,
[p]If I forgive him!
Bassanio : Shylock, do you hear?
Shylock : I am debating of my present store,
[p]And, by the near guess of my
memory,
[p]I cannot instantly raise up the gross
[p]Of full three
thousand ducats. What of that?
[p]Tubal, a wealthy Hebrew of my
tribe,
[p]Will furnish me. But soft! how many months
[p]Do you
desire?
[p][To ANTONIO]
[p]Rest you fair, good signior;
[p]Your
worship was the last man in our mouths.
Antonio : Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow
[p]By taking nor by giving
of excess,
[p]Yet, to supply the ripe wants of my friend,
[p]I'll
break a custom. Is he yet possess'd
[p]How much ye would?
Shylock : Ay, ay, three thousand ducats.
Antonio : And for three months.
Shylock : I had forgot; three months; you told me so.
[p]Well then, your bond;
and let me see; but hear you;
[p]Methought you said you neither lend
nor borrow
[p]Upon advantage.
Antonio : I do never use it.
Shylock : When Jacob grazed his uncle Laban's sheep--
[p]This Jacob from our
holy Abram was,
[p]As his wise mother wrought in his behalf,
[p]The
third possessor; ay, he was the third--
Antonio : And what of him? did he take interest?
Shylock : No, not take interest, not, as you would say,
[p]Directly interest:
mark what Jacob did.
[p]When Laban and himself were
compromised
[p]That all the eanlings which were streak'd and
pied
[p]Should fall as Jacob's hire, the ewes, being rank,
[p]In the
end of autumn turned to the rams,
[p]And, when the work of generation
was
[p]Between these woolly breeders in the act,
[p]The skilful
shepherd peel'd me certain wands,
[p]And, in the doing of the deed of
kind,
[p]He stuck them up before the fulsome ewes,
[p]Who then
conceiving did in eaning time
[p]Fall parti-colour'd lambs, and those
were Jacob's.
[p]This was a way to thrive, and he was blest:
[p]And
thrift is blessing, if men steal it not.
Antonio : This was a venture, sir, that Jacob served for;
[p]A thing not in his
power to bring to pass,
[p]But sway'd and fashion'd by the hand of
heaven.
[p]Was this inserted to make interest good?
[p]Or is your gold
and silver ewes and rams?
Shylock : I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast:
[p]But note me, signior.
Antonio : Mark you this, Bassanio,
[p]The devil can cite Scripture for his
purpose.
[p]An evil soul producing holy witness
[p]Is like a villain
with a smiling cheek,
[p]A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
[p]O,
what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
Shylock : Three thousand ducats; 'tis a good round sum.
[p]Three months from
twelve; then, let me see; the rate--
Antonio : Well, Shylock, shall we be beholding to you?
Shylock : Signior Antonio, many a time and oft
[p]In the Rialto you have rated
me
[p]About my moneys and my usances:
[p]Still have I borne it with a
patient shrug,
[p]For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
[p]You
call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
[p]And spit upon my Jewish
gaberdine,
[p]And all for use of that which is mine own.
[p]Well then,
it now appears you need my help:
[p]Go to, then; you come to me, and
you say
[p]'Shylock, we would have moneys:' you say so;
[p]You, that
did void your rheum upon my beard
[p]And foot me as you spurn a
stranger cur
[p]Over your threshold: moneys is your suit
[p]What
should I say to you? Should I not say
[p]'Hath a dog money? is it
possible
[p]A cur can lend three thousand ducats?' Or
[p]Shall I bend
low and in a bondman's key,
[p]With bated breath and whispering
humbleness, Say this;
[p]'Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday
last;
[p]You spurn'd me such a day; another time
[p]You call'd me dog;
and for these courtesies
[p]I'll lend you thus much moneys'?
Antonio : I am as like to call thee so again,
[p]To spit on thee again, to spurn
thee too.
[p]If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
[p]As to thy
friends; for when did friendship take
[p]A breed for barren metal of
his friend?
[p]But lend it rather to thine enemy,
[p]Who, if he break,
thou mayst with better face
[p]Exact the penalty.
Shylock : Why, look you, how you storm!
[p]I would be friends with you and have
your love,
[p]Forget the shames that you have stain'd me
with,
[p]Supply your present wants and take no doit
[p]Of usance for
my moneys, and you'll not hear me:
[p]This is kind I offer.
Bassanio : This were kindness.
Shylock : This kindness will I show.
[p]Go with me to a notary, seal me
there
[p]Your single bond; and, in a merry sport,
[p]If you repay me
not on such a day,
[p]In such a place, such sum or sums as
are
[p]Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
[p]Be nominated for
an equal pound
[p]Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
[p]In
what part of your body pleaseth me.
Antonio : Content, i' faith: I'll seal to such a bond
[p]And say there is much
kindness in the Jew.
Bassanio : You shall not seal to such a bond for me:
[p]I'll rather dwell in my
necessity.
Antonio : Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it:
[p]Within these two months,
that's a month before
[p]This bond expires, I do expect return
[p]Of
thrice three times the value of this bond.
Shylock : O father Abram, what these Christians are,
[p]Whose own hard dealings
teaches them suspect
[p]The thoughts of others! Pray you, tell me
this;
[p]If he should break his day, what should I gain
[p]By the
exaction of the forfeiture?
[p]A pound of man's flesh taken from a
man
[p]Is not so estimable, profitable neither,
[p]As flesh of
muttons, beefs, or goats. I say,
[p]To buy his favour, I extend this
friendship:
[p]If he will take it, so; if not, adieu;
[p]And, for my
love, I pray you wrong me not.
Antonio : Yes Shylock, I will seal unto this bond.
Shylock : Then meet me forthwith at the notary's;
[p]Give him direction for this
merry bond,
[p]And I will go and purse the ducats straight,
[p]See to
my house, left in the fearful guard
[p]Of an unthrifty knave, and
presently
[p]I will be with you.
Antonio : Hie thee, gentle Jew.
[p][Exit Shylock]
[p]The Hebrew will turn
Christian: he grows kind.
Bassanio : I like not fair terms and a villain's mind.
Antonio : Come on: in this there can be no dismay;
[p]My ships come home a month
before the day.
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