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the Rialto; a beggar that was used to come so smug upon the mart. Let him look to his bond.
He was wont to call me ‘usurer’—let him look to his bond. He was wont to lend money for a
Christian courtesy—let him look to his bond.

—Salarino
Why, I am sure, if he forfeit thou wilt not take his flesh. What’s that good for?

—Shylock 28
29
To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced 30
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me, and hindered me half a million times. He hath laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains,
scorned my nation, thwarted my ventures, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies—and what’s
his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, arms, legs, 32
33
senses, affections, desires? +Are we not, fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons,
subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter
and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not
laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are

described Antonio’s ventures as, ‘ventures he hath squandered abroad’ [1.3.20-21] and so the term might refer to
Antonio’s overly extended ventures.
27. upon the mart: at the Rialto; where the merchants and traders meet
28. According to theory, Salarino and Salanio were not found in the original draft of the play (nor the second
draft—for in that draft Salarino alone existed) but the pair came about as part of a third draft—whose main function
was to talk about, and give news of, the main characters. Thus, it is likely that Shylock’s famous speech was
originally a monologue, with Shylock making his plea to the audience, rather than two supporters of Antonio (who
would not sympathize with, nor understand, Shylock’s position). Several anomalies in the text support this theory
(that Salarino and Salanio were added as part of a later draft), including a) The stage direction reads: ‘Solanio and
Salarino.’ rather than ‘Enter Salarino and Solanio.’ (as is found in 2.8), and there is no line spacing before this entry
to signify a new scene; b) Shylock’s entry is placed in the position of an character exit, not an entrance and reads,
‘Enter Shylocke’ as opposed to ‘Enter Shylocke.’ c) When a man from Antonio enters to signify the exist of Salarino
and Salanio, the speech heading for ‘Man’ is missing, and there is a misplaced line space before the line, d) the stage
direction, Enter Tuball, is listed twice (instead of once), e) the stage direction reads Exeunt Gentlemen, as opposed
to Exeunt, etc.
Thus, in an earlier draft, this may have been a monologue, with Shylock alone. In a later draft, this was
likely two scenes, with Salarino and Salanio exiting after line 18 [‘I would it might prove the end of his losses.] We
find support for this in the misplaced and anomalous connecting line [19-20], and also in the superfluous and
uninspired dialogue between the Sals and Shylock [21-49], none of which moves the plot, most of which is askew
(especially the part where the Sals are comparing Shylock to his daughter), and all of which seems to be a later
addition. Hence, a restoration of this scene would be to split the scene into two and delete a portion of the middle
section: a) 3.1.1—3.1.18 [keep], with Exeunt of both Sals after line 18; 3.1.19—3.1.50 [delete]. Enter Shylock, and
begin with line 51: ‘He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million. . .’ b) Shylock could begin at line 41, and
reference his speech to Antonio: ‘Antonio has had another loss at sea: Now he is a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare
scarce show his head on the Rialto . . . He was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy: let him look to his bond.
And if he forfeit, will I take his flesh? +What’s ask me,what’s that good for? To bait fish withal. If it will feed
nothing else, it will feed my revenge. . . c) Salarino and Salanio could remain on stage, unnoticed, as Shylock gives
his speech. When the speech is over, a Man from Antonio could enter and bid them to leave [3.1.70-72].
Alternatively, Shylock could notice them (when the man enters) and shout out just before they exit: Shy: ‘You knew,
none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter’s flight.’ Exeunt Shy:[to himself] She is damned for it.
(Alternatively: Salarino could make a last retort, saying: ‘That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge.’)
29. / To use for baiting fish. / To use for fishing bait.
30. / dishonored / humiliated
31. {hindered me half a million}: a) hindered me again and again, a half a million times, b) caused me a loss of half a
million ducats in profit
/ hindered me a million times
32. {dimensions} / a body frame / bones > which make up a person’s height
33. {affections, passions}
Affections generally refers to objective desires, things a person likes, things influenced by the senses; passions
refer more to subjective feelings, stirred from the heart.