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Some men are dull and° not inclined to eat / sluggish,
23 24
Even when served a feast of gaping pig.
Some men° go mad if they behold a cat; 25 / that
And others, when the bagpipe sings a note,° {sings i’th’nose} / plays a tune
27
26
Do wet their pants in fright. And thus one’s nature° {For affection}
28
Rules over feeling° and sways it t’the mood° 29 / Rules our emotion // bent / temper
30
Of what it° likes or loathes. Now, for your answer: it > our nature
As there is no° firm reason to be rendered° / Just as there’s no / given

23. / Even before a feast of gaping pig. / A meal so served upon a gaping pig. / When seeing plates of food and
stuffed pig meat.
24. {Some men there are love not a gaping pig}
/ Some men there are dislike to see a pig, | +It’s mouth agape and served upon a platter.,
Refers to someone who is not moved to eat, even when sitting at a feast, where such grand items as a gaping pig—a
pig with its mouth held open by an apple—are served Shylock may be making an oblique reference to himself: he
would not eat (i.e., loves not) the feast of the pork which Christians find so desirable
25. {Some that are mad if they behold a cat} The reference is unclear, but suggests the humor of black bile, which
commonly refers to melancholy but also to one beset by haunting dreams and ‘vain imaginations.’ Thus, the image
of a cat, in this instance, may refer to a person who is mad in terms of false imaginings and superstition—which is
the kind of misplaced fear and superstition he may attribute to harmless alley cats.
26. {And others when the bag-pipes sings i’th’nose | Cannot contain their urine;}
sings i’th’nose: sings in the nose: a) sings its sad song through its nose (horn), b) sings with a nasal type voice or
sound
Bagpipes were known to play mournful tunes. Crying tears (from the eyes) would be the natural response of
most men, whereas peeing in one’s own pants would not. Here, according to one’s humour, Shylock is describing
someone overtaken by fear (so much so that he would pee in his pants out of fright) as opposed to someone besieged
by sadness. Perhaps the confusion is intentional on the part of the playwright, suggesting that Shylock knows the
basic theory of the humours but is confused as to their correct application.
This confusion could be rectified (and Shylock made to appear more apt) by associating the bagpipe with
melancholy, rather that fright; thus, by replacing ‘urine’ with ‘weeping,’ the reference would be to a person besieged
by sadness (and tears) rather than by fright (and urine). Thus, a more cogent reference to the humours would be:
‘And others when the bagpipe sings i’th nose | Cannot contain their weeping.’
27. {For affection}
affection: a) one’s affect; one’s disposition, inherent temperament, or inborn nature; b) affections, such as likes
and desires. [See 3.1.55: ‘Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections,
passions;’]
28. it: one’s emotions, feelings, passions, etc.
29. {Masters of passion, sways it to the mood}
passion: emotions, feelings, sentiments. Generally refers to the full range of emotional responses a person can
have, including but not limited to, passion. The sense here is that one’s nature (one’s humour or inherent
disposition), rules over all his emotions, and sways it (one’s emotions) to the mood (mold, color, structure) of how
one’s nature is so inclined (i.e., to what it likes or loathes). [See Additional Notes, 4.1.49]
Masters of passion: That which rules over our emotions and feelings (passion). ‘Masters’ could also be seen as
a reference to young men, young counterparts of emotions—but this is an unwarranted stretch. Likewise, Masters of
passion is often emended to read, Mistress of passion (Oxford, Norton, Applause, Bevington, Kittredge), suggesting
that affection (interpreted as desires) is the cohort of (the mistress of) our emotions (passion). Interpreting
‘affection’ to mean ‘desire (as opposed to one’s natural inclination or disposition) is problematic since such and
interpretation makes no meaningful connection to the whole of the passage, which is about man’s unchanging nature
(or humour). Thus, affection should relate to one’s humour or inherent nature, as opposed to the more tenuous
interpretation as ‘desires.’
The phrase, as it appears in Q1, Maisters of passion, is problematic and some editors emending it as,
Masters oft passion (Cambridge), or Masters joft k passion (Folger)—neither of which illumine or clarify. (These
emendations, though lacking, are still superior to the mishandled, Mistress of passion). It is likely that the intended
passage was simply: ‘Masters our passion’ which is in keeping with the general idea that our inherent nature or
disposition (affection) rules over (masters) our various feelings and emotions (passion).
30. / . . . ‘Tis one’s own nature | That rules o’er feeling and doth sway our mood | To what it likes or loathes
/ . . . For our own nature, | Ruler of passion, ever sways our mood | To what it likes or loathes.
/ . . . and sways it to move | By what it likes or loathes
/ . . . and affects our mood | To what it likes or loathes