⚖️ The Trial Scene: Key Quotes
- “An inhuman wretch uncapable of pity, void and empty from any dram of mercy.”
- Speaker: The Duke
- Context: The Duke describes Shylock’s lack of compassion before the trial even begins, setting a biased tone against him.
- “If you deny it, let the danger light upon your charter and your city’s freedom.”
- Speaker: Shylock
- Context: Shylock warns the Duke that if the law isn’t followed, Venice will lose its reputation as a place of fair trade and legal integrity.
- “So can I give no reason, nor will I not, more than a lodged hate and a certain loathing I bear Antonio.”
- Speaker: Shylock
- Context: Shylock admits he has no logical reason for wanting the pound of flesh other than a deep-seated, “lodged” hatred for Antonio.
- “You may as well question with the wolf, Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb.”
- Speaker: Antonio
- Context: Antonio tells Bassanio that arguing with Shylock is useless; he believes Shylock’s cruelty is as natural and unchangeable as a wolf’s predatory instincts.
- “Let me have judgement and the Jew his will.”
- Speaker: Antonio
- Context: Feeling hopeless and weary, Antonio asks the court to stop arguing and simply deliver the sentence so he can face his fate.
- “If every ducat in six thousand ducats were in six parts and every part a ducat, I would not draw them. I would have my bond.”
- Speaker: Shylock
- Context: Shylock emphasises that no amount of money—not even 36,000 ducats—will satisfy him. He values his revenge over wealth.
- “The quality of mercy is not strained.”
- Speaker: Portia (disguised as Balthazar)
- Context: This begins the famous “Mercy Speech.” Portia explains that mercy cannot be forced (strained); it must be given freely and naturally.
- “There is no power in Venice can alter a decree established.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: Portia “agrees” with Shylock initially, stating that once a law is set, it cannot be changed. This gives Shylock a false sense of victory.
- “There is no power in the tongue of man to alter me.”
- Speaker: Shylock
- Context: Shylock remains stubborn, declaring that no human being can talk him out of collecting his bond.
- “Is it so nominated in the bond?”
- Speaker: Shylock
- Context: When Portia asks if he has a doctor nearby to stop Antonio from bleeding to death, Shylock refuses because the written contract didn’t explicitly require one.
- “This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: The turning point. Portia reveals the legal loophole: the bond allows for a pound of flesh, but mentions nothing about blood.
- “If thou dost shed one drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are… confiscate unto the state of Venice.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: The trap snaps shut. Since it is physically impossible to cut flesh without spilling blood, Shylock is legally paralysed.
- “He hath refused it in the open court. He shall have merely justice and his bond.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: When Shylock tries to back down and take the money instead, Portia refuses. He insisted on “justice” (the strict letter of the law), so now he must face the consequences of that same law.
- “Thou hast contrived against the very life of the defendant.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: Portia explains that because Shylock (an alien/foreigner) sought the life of a Venetian citizen, his life and property are now at the mercy of the Duke.