Page 18 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

ACT ONE - Scene Two 1.2

Portia’s house at Belmont. Enter Portia with her waiting-woman, Nerissa. 1

—Portia
2
3
By my word, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of this great world.
—Nerissa
4
You would be, sweet° madam, if your miseries were in the same abundance as are your good
fortunes. And yet, for all° I see, those who indulge° with too much are as sick as those who
5
6
starve with too little. It is the means to happiness, therefore, to be seated in the mean. Excess
7
is soon accompanied by gray° hairs, while moderation° brings longer life.° 8
—Portia
Wise words and well-delivered. 9

—Nerissa
They would be better if well-followed.

—Portia
10
11
If to do good were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels would be° churches +to

1. The name Nerissa is derived from the Italian root, ner, which means dark, thus suggesting that Nerissa has dark
hair or a dark complexion, while Portia’s complexion is fair and her hair is blond. A waiting-woman is different
from a maid: she is not a servant, and she can marry whomever she chooses. Hence, Nerissa, plays the part of a
facilitator and confidant for Portia rather than a servant.
2. {by my troth} In truth / I tell you truly / In faith
3. little body: a figure of speech which implies that the body is small or frail in comparison to the ‘great world’
(rather than implying a body that is small in comparison to other bodies).
4. / in equal measure to
5. {they are as sick that surfeit too much as they that starve with nothing}
surfeit too much: live in excess, have too much, over-indulge, (eat too much)
starve with nothing: have nothing, (have too little food).
6. {It is no mean happiness, therefore, to be seated in the mean.}
> A large amount of happiness, therefore, comes to one who is positioned in the middle, between the
extremes of life.
mean: meager, medium, small, middle-of-the road
no mean happiness: no meager happiness; no medium happiness; great happiness
/ There is much happiness, therefore, to sit between too much and too little.
/ Therefore, the means to happiness is to be seated in the mean.
7. {Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer}
/ Excess makes you old before your time, while moderation allows you to live longer.
8. sweet: dear / fine all: {aught} indulge: {surfeit} / glut / stuff themselves
gray hairs: {white hairs} > rapid aging, aging before one’s time
moderation: {competency} / sufficiency / having what you need
brings longer life: {lives longer}
9. {Good sentences and well-pronounced}
sentences: sayings, sentiments, teachings
well-delivered: well-spoken
10. The sense here is that if doing good were as easy as knowing what were good to do—which it is not—than
everyone would be doing good deeds, such as going to church and giving to the poor. This meaning could be
further clarified with an added line: ‘If to do good were as easy as to know what were good to do, +than everyone
would do good:,
11. {chapels had been churches} / chapels would become churches