The Copy Book

The Quality of Mercy

Shylock is savouring revenge on Antonio for years of disgusting mistreatment, but the judge warns him to temper his demands.

Abridged
before 1598

Queen Elizabeth I 1558-1603

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By John Everett Millais (1829-1896), from the Metropolitan Museum of Art via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

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The Quality of Mercy

By John Everett Millais (1829-1896), from the Metropolitan Museum of Art via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Source
X

‘Portia’, by John Everett Millais (1829-1896), painted in 1886. When Portia emphasised that the court of Venice prided itself on being ‘strict’, Shylock was exultant, sensing victory. But Portia would appeal to this ‘strictness’ again soon afterwards. After Shylock angrily rejected a cash settlement of thrice the debt, she insisted that the pound of flesh must be exact to the last ounce, and without any blood whatsoever, blood not being mentioned in the bond: thus was Shylock’s obsessive revenge thwarted. Shakespeare appals us with the hateful anti-semitism of Antonio (see Act I Scene 3), but the moral is that had Shylock enforced his just penalty, then neither mercy nor justice would have prevailed, only hatred.

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Introduction

In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio has helped his friend Bassanio by borrowing from a Jewish moneylender named Shylock. Antonio has always treated Shylock with disgusting scorn, so when he defaults on his bond Shylock goes gleefully to court to enforce the grisly penalty agreed: a pound of flesh — unaware that Bassanio’s wife Portia has pulled some strings and will judge the case herself, in disguise of course.

Portia. Do you confess the bond?

Antonio. I do.

Portia. Then must the Jew be merciful.

Shylock. On what compulsion must I? tell me that.

Portia. The quality of mercy is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes:
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this, —
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation:* we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.* I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence ’gainst the merchant there.

Shylock. My deeds upon my head!* I crave the law,
The penalty and forfeit of my bond.

Abridged

From ‘The Merchant of Venice’ (1600, 1879, 1906) by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

* See Psalm 130:3: “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”

* Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Christians have behaved in a supercilious and hypocritical fashion to poor Shylock, and this may seem like another example, loftily recommending the spirit of the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer to a Jew smarting at shocking ill use. See Matthew 5:7 and Matthew 6:9-15. Yet the sentiment is thoroughly Jewish. See for example Sirach 28:2: “Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done unto thee, so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest.”

* See Matthew 27:25, when the crowd shouts out at Jesus’s trial: “His blood be on us, and on our children.”

Précis

In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, moneylender Shylock bridled when the judge implied that he ‘must’ show mercy to his debtor Antonio. In a famous reply the judge, Portia in disguise, acknowledged that mercy cannot be forced: but for that very reason, held it superior to coercion, more truly kingly and more godly; but Shylock insisted on his rights. (60 / 60 words)

In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, moneylender Shylock bridled when the judge implied that he ‘must’ show mercy to his debtor Antonio. In a famous reply the judge, Portia in disguise, acknowledged that mercy cannot be forced: but for that very reason, held it superior to coercion, more truly kingly and more godly; but Shylock insisted on his rights.

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Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, or, ought, since, unless, until, whereas, whether.

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Word Games

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Awe. Crave. Gentle.

2 Merchant. Not. We.

3 Become. Must. Thy.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

Opposites Find in Think and Speak

Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Beneath. 2. Best. 3. Gentle. 4. Give. 5. Head. 6. More. 7. Most. 8. Powerful. 9. Teach.

Show Useful Words (A-Z order)

Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.

Homophones Find in Think and Speak

In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Knead. Need. 2. Knot. Not. 3. Pray. Prey. 4. Him. Hymn. 5. There. Their. They’re. 6. Place. Plaice. 7. Hart. Heart. 8. Taught. Taut. 9. Sees. Seas. Seize.

Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak

Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.

dd (10+3)

See Words

add. aided. dad. dead. deed. did. died. diode. dude. odd.

dado. dodo. dud.

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