Page 51 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

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till I have run some ground. My master’s a very° Jew. Give him a present?—rather give him a
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noose! I am famished in his service; you may count° every rib I have with your fingers.
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+Launcelet guides Old Gobbo’s fingers to the side of his chest; Old Gobbo’s fingers fall
down to Launcelet’s pot belly; Launcelet again guides Old Gobbo’s fingers to his ribs, and
they again fall to his belly. Launcelet retreats.,

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Father, I am glad you are come. Give your present, for me, to one Master Bassanio, who indeed
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fashions his servants with fine new uniforms. If I serve not him, I will run as far as God has
made ground. 42

Enter Bassanio, with Leonardo and other followers

O rare fortune! Here comes the man—to him, father, +give your gift to him., 44
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—Bassanio [to one of his men]
You may do so, but let it be done quickly that supper be ready at the latest by° five o’clock. See
these letters delivered, put the new uniforms to making, and direct° Gratziano to come anon to
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my lodging.

34. In Q1 the word play is on the two meanings of rest: ‘I have set up my rest (i.e., risk it all), in deciding to run
away, and I will not rest till I have run some ground.’ Alternatively, a play could be made on the word made (or
taken): ‘I’ve made (taken) my final stance, which is to run away, so I will not rest till I have made (taken) some
ground.’
35. Add: +I provide him with comsummed° service and for this get but the lowest wages., Consummed, a slip for
consummate, but also with the implication that Launcelet eats a lot.
36. Add: +as he allows me no more than three meals a day.,
37. {You may tell every finger I have with my ribs}
The line is backwards, and should read: ‘You may tell every rib I have with your fingers.’ A more literal
rendering might be: ‘You may count every rib as if it were a finger.’
38. very: true \ veritable count: {tell} / recognize
39. A common staging is one where Launcelet spreads out his fingers on his own rib cage and then guides his
father’s hand to feels his fingers as if they were his exposed ribs.
40. {Give me your present } / Give your present on my behalf
41. {gives rare new liveries} / gives rare new outfits +to his servants, / gives embroidered costumes +to his workers, /
suits his workers with fine new costumes
42. Launcelet seems to be making some heroic claim of ‘making ground, or running to the far ends of the earth’ yet
in Venice, which is a series of island, his ‘end’ would come after a few hundred yards.
43. / What a stroke of luck!
44. In Q1, the line reads: {To him father, for I am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer.}
for I am a Jew: for I am a villain
This appears as another ex post facto line added to the text—which is also evidenced in 24-25 and 160. As
expected, most of these corrupted (and Jew-disparaging) lines, are added toward the end of a passage, where they
can most easily be ‘slipped into’ the text (without much disruption). However, in virtually all cases, these
‘corrupted emendations’ appear misplaced, gratuitous, and orphaned from the rest of the passage—both in terms of
style and content.
45. Bassanio is busy preparing for his departure to Belmont, which is to take place later that night.
put the new uniforms to making: {put the liveries to making} refers to the uniforms (not yet made) which are
needed for the servants who will be attending Bassanio on his trip to Belmont.
and direct Gratziano: this also refers to Bassanio’s trip—Bassanio seeks to take Gratziano with him to
Belmont, even before Gratziano makes his request to go [2.2.170] [See Additional Notes, 2.2.113]
46. done quickly: {so hasted} at the lasted by: {at the farthest by} no later than direct: {desire} / please have