Page 64 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

ACT TWO – Scene Five 2.5.0

Venice. Enter Shylock and Launcelet

—Shylock
Well, thou shalt° see—thy eyes shall be thy judge— / shall / will
The difference ‘tween° old Shylock and Bassanio. {of}
[calling] Hey° Jessica! Thou shalt not stuff thyself 1 {What}
As thou hast done with me. [calling] Hey° Jessica! {What}
Nor sleep, and snore, and wear out all your pants
2
From sitting round all day. [calling louder] Hey° Jessica! {Why}

—Launcelet
Hey° Jessica! {Why}

—Shylock Who bids thee call? Not I.
I do not bid thee call.

—Launcelet Your worship always
Told me I could do nothing without bidding. 3

Enter Jessica

—Jessica
Have you been calling me?° What is your will? {Call you?}

—Shylock
I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:
Here are my keys. But why then° should I go? {wherefore}

1. {Thou shalt not gormandize} / Thou shall not gluttonize.
A curious combination of a Jewish type commandment, ‘thou shalt not’ and a Christian admonition against
gluttony.
2. {And sleep, and snore, and rend apparel out}
/ And sleep and snore, and wear out all your clothes / And wear out clothes from sitting ‘round all day.
/ And sleep and snore and wear out the bottom | Of pants from sitting on them all day long.
/ And sleep, and wear out the seat of your pants | From all your sitting on them all the day.
rend: this terms usually implies tearing. In this context—where Launcelet sleeps and snores on the job—rend
would imply the wearing out of clothes through sitting on them all day, thinning the fabric—especially at the seat of
one’s pants—making them more prone to tears and rips.
3. { Shy: And sleep and snore and rend apparel out
Why Jessica, I say!
Launce: Why Jessica!
Shy: Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Launce: Your worship was wont to tell me I could do nothing without bidding.}