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63
Thou mak’st thy knife keen. But no metal can—
No, not the hoodman’s axe°—bear half the keenness {hangman’s axe} 64
Of thy sharp envy. Can no prayers pierce° thee? / reach

—Shylock
No, none that thou hast wit enough to make.

—Gratziano
O, be thou damned, thou ever-cursèd° dog! {inexecrable}
And for thy life let justice be accused!
Thou almost mak’st me waver in my faith, / sight
And° hold the same opinion as the Greeks 65 {To} > And to
That souls of animals infuse° themselves / instill / install
Into the trunks of men. Thy beastly spirit {currish}/ brutal
Lived in° a wolf who° hanged for killing humans; 66 {Governed} / who’s
Then° from the gallows did his° fell soul fleet, 67 {Even}/ Thus / its
And whilst thou lay in thy unhallowed womb,° {dam}
Infused itself in thee; for thy desires
68 69
Are wolvish, blood-thirsty,° and ravenous. {bloody, starved}

—Shylock
Till thou canst rail° the seal from off my bond > remove
Thou but offend’st° thy lungs to speak so loud.° / only harm // with all thy shouting
70
Repair thy wit, young man,° or it will fall {good youth}
To cureless° ruin. I stand here for law. / hopeless

—Duke
This letter from Ballario doth commend° > recommend

63. / Thou makest keen thy knife. No metal can
64. hangman’s axe: executioner’s axe. Here the term hangman’s is begrudgingly emended with hoodman’s or
hooded man’s, to clarify the reference to an executioner (who is usually hooded) and who employs a sharp axe,
rather than to a hangman, who is more likely to be associated with a rope rather than an axe. In an alternative
rendering the more precise term, executioner—though long-winded—could be used: ‘No, not the ex’cutioner’s
sharpest axe | Bear half the keenness of thy sharp envy. | Can nothing get through? Can no prayer piece thee?’
/ Not even that of a head-chopper’s axe / Not even the fell axe of a hoodman
65. {To hold the opinion with Pythagoras} / To hold a common tenet with the Greeks / To share the same belief as
ancient Greeks.
Gratziano is referring to the Pythagorean doctrine regarding reincarnation and the transmigration of souls (where
an animal soul could incarnate in a human body), which is heresy to Christians.
66. {Governed a wolf, who hanged for human slaughter}
67. {did his fell soul fleet}
fell: deadly, cruel, savage
fleet: pass on, leave (flee) the body
68. / Inhabited a wolf who was but hanged
For human slaughter. Then,° from the gallows,
His deadly soul did flee and thus infused
Itself in thee whilst thou lay in thy mother’s
Vile and unholy womb; for thy desires / Unhallowed womb; for all thy desires
Are wolvish, blood-thirsty,° and ravenous.
69. [See Additional Notes: 4.1.137]
70. repair: use to good end, put to good use, rectify, set in order