Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 9
Belmont. A room in PORTIA’S house.
Nerissa : Quick, quick, I pray thee; draw the curtain straight:
[p]The Prince of
Arragon hath ta'en his oath,
[p]And comes to his election
presently.
[p][Flourish of cornets. Enter the PRINCE OF
ARRAGON,]
[p]PORTIA, and their trains]
Portia : Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince:
[p]If you choose that
wherein I am contain'd,
[p]Straight shall our nuptial rites be
solemnized:
[p]But if you fail, without more speech, my lord,
[p]You
must be gone from hence immediately.
Prince of Arragon : I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things:
[p]First, never to
unfold to any one
[p]Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail
[p]Of
the right casket, never in my life
[p]To woo a maid in way of
marriage: Lastly,
[p]If I do fail in fortune of my
choice,
[p]Immediately to leave you and be gone.
Portia : To these injunctions every one doth swear
[p]That comes to hazard for
my worthless self.
Prince of Arragon : And so have I address'd me. Fortune now
[p]To my heart's hope! Gold;
silver; and base lead.
[p]'Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he
hath.'
[p]You shall look fairer, ere I give or hazard.
[p]What says
the golden chest? ha! let me see:
[p]'Who chooseth me shall gain what
many men desire.'
[p]What many men desire! that 'many' may be
meant
[p]By the fool multitude, that choose by show,
[p]Not learning
more than the fond eye doth teach;
[p]Which pries not to the interior,
but, like the martlet,
[p]Builds in the weather on the outward
wall,
[p]Even in the force and road of casualty.
[p]I will not choose
what many men desire,
[p]Because I will not jump with common
spirits
[p]And rank me with the barbarous multitudes.
[p]Why, then to
thee, thou silver treasure-house;
[p]Tell me once more what title thou
dost bear:
[p]'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he
deserves:'
[p]And well said too; for who shall go about
[p]To cozen
fortune and be honourable
[p]Without the stamp of merit? Let none
presume
[p]To wear an undeserved dignity.
[p]O, that estates, degrees
and offices
[p]Were not derived corruptly, and that clear
honour
[p]Were purchased by the merit of the wearer!
[p]How many then
should cover that stand bare!
[p]How many be commanded that
command!
[p]How much low peasantry would then be glean'd
[p]From the
true seed of honour! and how much honour
[p]Pick'd from the chaff and
ruin of the times
[p]To be new-varnish'd! Well, but to my
choice:
[p]'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.'
[p]I
will assume desert. Give me a key for this,
[p]And instantly unlock my
fortunes here.
Portia : Too long a pause for that which you find there.
Prince of Arragon : What's here? the portrait of a blinking idiot,
[p]Presenting me a
schedule! I will read it.
[p]How much unlike art thou to
Portia!
[p]How much unlike my hopes and my deservings!
[p]'Who
chooseth me shall have as much as he deserves.'
[p]Did I deserve no
more than a fool's head?
[p]Is that my prize? are my deserts no
better?
Portia : To offend, and judge, are distinct offices
[p]And of opposed natures.
Prince of Arragon : What is here?
[p][Reads]
[p]The fire seven times tried this:
[p]Seven
times tried that judgment is,
[p]That did never choose amiss.
[p]Some
there be that shadows kiss;
[p]Such have but a shadow's
bliss:
[p]There be fools alive, I wis,
[p]Silver'd o'er; and so was
this.
[p]Take what wife you will to bed,
[p]I will ever be your
head:
[p]So be gone: you are sped.
[p]Still more fool I shall
appear
[p]By the time I linger here
[p]With one fool's head I came to
woo,
[p]But I go away with two.
[p]Sweet, adieu. I'll keep my
oath,
[p]Patiently to bear my wroth.
Portia : Thus hath the candle singed the moth.
[p]O, these deliberate fools!
when they do choose,
[p]They have the wisdom by their wit to lose.
Nerissa : The ancient saying is no heresy,
[p]Hanging and wiving goes by
destiny.
Portia : Come, draw the curtain, Nerissa.
Servant : Where is my lady?
Portia : Here: what would my lord?
Servant : Madam, there is alighted at your gate
[p]A young Venetian, one that
comes before
[p]To signify the approaching of his lord;
[p]From whom
he bringeth sensible regreets,
[p]To wit, besides commends and
courteous breath,
[p]Gifts of rich value. Yet I have not seen
[p]So
likely an ambassador of love:
[p]A day in April never came so
sweet,
[p]To show how costly summer was at hand,
[p]As this
fore-spurrer comes before his lord.
Portia : No more, I pray thee: I am half afeard
[p]Thou wilt say anon he is
some kin to thee,
[p]Thou spend'st such high-day wit in praising
him.
[p]Come, come, Nerissa; for I long to see
[p]Quick Cupid's post
that comes so mannerly.
Nerissa : Bassanio, lord Love, if thy will it be!
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 8
Next: Act 3 - Scene 1
