Page 155 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

150 151
Hear° Jew. O learnèd judge! {Mark}

—Shylock
Is that the law? 152

—Portia Thyself shall see the act.
+’Tis your own deeds that fall° upon your head., / Now your own deeds but fall
For as thou urgest justice, be assured,
153
Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir’st.° / demanded / requested

— Gratziano
O learnèd judge! Hear,° Jew—‘a learnèd judge!’ {Mark} > ‘mark my words’

—Shylock
I take this offer, then. Pay thrice the bond {Pay the bond thrice}
And let the Christian go.

154
—Bassanio Here is the money.

150. {O upright Judge | Mark Jew, O learned Judge.}
This is the first of Gratziano’s mocking repetitions of Shylock and his praise of the judge. Gratziano repeats his
counter-attack on the ‘Jew’ in a mantra-like fashion: O upright judge! Mark, Jew. O learnèd judge! [310]; O learnèd
judge! Mark, Jew—a learnèd judge!’ [314]; O Jew! An upright judge, a learnèd judge! [319]; A second Daniel, a
Daniel, Jew! [329]; A Daniel, still I say, a second Daniel! | I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word. [336]
151. In the original two iambs are missing—which could suggest a pause. Some editions place the ‘pause’ after
Portia’s last line [Unto the state of Venice]—which is clearly not indicated in Q1. Other editions place the pause
after Portia’s line [Thyself shall see the act], which is possible, but unlikely.
Por: Unto the State of Venice [pause]
Gra: O upright judge! Mark Jew! O learnèd judge.
Por: Unto the State of Venice.
Gra: O upright judge!
Mark Jew. O learnèd judge!
Shy: Is that the law
Por: Thyself shall see the act. [pause]
There is unlikely to be a pause after Portia renders her judgement, because Gratziano, in jubilation, would call out at
once. Nor would there be a pause after Portia’s words, Thyself shall see the act, because it comes in the middle of a
thought. Most likely the place for a pause would come after Gratziano’s line, Mark Jew. O learnèd judge!, where a
stunned Shylock must collect his thoughts—in the span of two iambs—before giving a reply.
152. This line is fitting, and would be said with surprise, in the case where Shylock’s intention (to kill Antonio) is
thwarted by Portia. In the case where Shylock intentionally spares Antonio (and stops on his own accord), this line
might appear astray. A more likely line would be: ‘Here, I take the offer.’
153. thou shalt have justice: This refers to the same kind of justice previously demanded by Shylock—justice
without mercy, justice according to the strict letter of the law. Herein Portia turns Shylock’s own merciless literalism
against him and out-literalizing him. She repeats this same charge for justice a few lines later, saying: ‘The Jew shall
have all justice’ [317]; ‘He shall have merely justice and the bond.’ [335]. Ironically, Portia is now embodying the
exact position (justice without mercy) that she had previously argued against. Her position now reflects a decidedly
partial position: since Shylock did not grant mercy he does not deserve to receive it. Such a stance, again, is
contrary to God’s all-embracing (non judgmental) mercy which is dispensed without consideration of a person’s
deservedness, earned worthiness, or past actions.
154. Bassanio is freely offering his (and Portia’s) money, even though the case has already turned against Shylock.
Either Bassanio is ignorant and naive (unaware that he can save himself 3000 ducats), impatient and aloof (having no
concern about the 3000 ducats, only that Antonio be delivered without another moment’s delay), or equitable
(feeling that Shylock deserves, at least, the return of his principle; after all, Shylock’s money did help Bassanio a
great deal).
Is Portia being cruel or prudent? Is she seeking to harm Shylock in retribution for his inhumane actions
against Antonio? Or is she refusing to have Bassanio pay the bond (even though he is eager and willing to pay it) as