Act 5

Scene 1 / running scene 20

Enter Lorenzo and Jessica

LORENZO The moon shines bright. In such a night as this,

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees

And they did make no noise, in such a night

Troilus methinks mounted the Trojan walls

And sighed his soul toward the Grecian tents

Where Cressid lay that night.

JESSICA In such a night

Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew,

And saw the lion's shadow ere himself ,

And ran dismayed away.

LORENZO In such a night

Stood Dido with a willow in her hand

Upon the wild sea banks and waft her love

To come again to Carthage.

JESSICA In such a night

Medea gathered the enchanted herbs

That did renew old Aeson.

LORENZO In such a night

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice

As far as Belmont.

JESSICA In such a night

Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,

Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,

And ne'er a true one.

LORENZO In such a night

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew ,

Slander her love , and he forgave it her.

JESSICA I would out-night you , did nobody come.

But hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter [ Stephano, a ] Messenger

LORENZO Who comes so fast in silence of the night?

STEPHANO A friend.

LORENZO A friend? What friend? Your name, I pray you, friend?

STEPHANO Stephano is my name, and I bring word

My mistress will before the break of day

Be here at Belmont. She doth stray about

By holy crosses , where she kneels and prays

For happy wedlock hours.

LORENZO Who comes with her?

STEPHANO None but a holy hermit and her maid.

I pray you is my master yet returned?

LORENZO He is not, nor we have not heard from him.

But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,

And ceremoniously let us prepare

Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

Enter Clown [ Lancelet ]

LANCELET Sola , sola! Wo ha, ho! Sola, sola!

LORENZO Who calls?

LANCELET Sola! Did you see Master Lorenzo?

And Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!

LORENZO Leave hollowing , man! Here.

LANCELET Sola! Where, where?

LORENZO Here.

LANCELET Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news: my master will be here ere morning.

[ Exit ]

LORENZO Sweet soul, let's in , and there expect their coming.

And yet no matter. Why should we go in?

My friend Stephano, signify , pray you,

Within the house, your mistress is at hand,

And bring your music forth into the air .

[ Exit Stephano ]

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

Here will we sit and let the sounds of music

Creep in our ears. Soft stillness and the night

Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven

They sit

Is thick inlaid with patens of bright gold.

There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st

But in his motion like an angel sings,

Still choiring to the young-eyed cherubins ;

Such harmony is in immortal souls,

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay

Doth grossly close it in , we cannot hear it.

[ Enter Musicians ]

Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn!

With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,

And draw her home with music.

JESSICA I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

Play music

LORENZO The reason is, your spirits are attentive .

For do but note a wild and wanton herd

Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds , bellowing and neighing loud,

Which is the hot condition of their blood .

If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,

Or any air of music touch their ears,

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand ,

Their savage eyes turned to a modest gaze

By the sweet power of music: therefore the poet

Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods ,

Since nought so stockish , hard and full of rage,

But music for time doth change his nature.

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils .

The motions of his spirit are dull as night

And his affections dark as Erebus .

Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.

Enter Portia and Nerissa

PORTIA That light we see is burning in my hall.

How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

NERISSA When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

PORTIA So doth the greater glory dim the less.

A substitute shines brightly as a king

Until a king be by , and then his state

Empties itself, as doth an inland brook

Into the main of waters . Music! Hark!

Music

NERISSA It is your music, madam, of the house.

PORTIA Nothing is good, I see, without respect .

Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

NERISSA Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.

PORTIA The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark

When neither is attended , and I think

The nightingale, if she should sing by day,

When every goose is cackling, would be thought

No better a musician than the wren.

How many things by season seasoned are

To their right praise and true perfection!

Peace, ho! The moon sleeps with Endymion

And would not be awaked.

Music ceases

LORENZO That is the voice,

Or I am much deceived, of Portia.

PORTIA He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo,

By the bad voice.

LORENZO Dear lady, welcome home.

PORTIA We have been praying for our husbands' welfare,

Which speed , we hope, the better for our words .

Are they returned?

LORENZO Madam, they are not yet,

But there is come a messenger before ,

To signify their coming.

PORTIA Go in, Nerissa.

Give order to my servants that they take

No note at all of our being absent hence,

Nor you, Lorenzo, Jessica, nor you.

A tucket sounds

LORENZO Your husband is at hand. I hear his trumpet.

We are no telltales, madam; fear you not.

PORTIA This night methinks is but the daylight sick.

It looks a little paler. 'Tis a day,

Such as the day is when the sun is hid.

Enter Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano and their followers

BASSANIO We should hold day with the Antipodes ,

If you would walk in absence of the sun .

PORTIA Let me give light , but let me not be light,

For a light wife doth make a heavy husband,

And never be Bassanio so for me,

But God sort all! You are welcome home, my lord.

BASSANIO I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend.

This is the man, this is Antonio,

To whom I am so infinitely bound .

PORTIA You should in all sense be much bound to him,

For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.

ANTONIO No more than I am well acquitted of .

PORTIA Sir, you are very welcome to our house.

It must appear in other ways than words:

Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.

GRATIANO By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong.

To Nerissa

In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk.

Would he were gelt that had it, for my part ,

Since you do take it, love, so much at heart.

PORTIA A quarrel, ho, already? What's the matter?

GRATIANO About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring

That she did give me, whose posy was

For all the world like cutler's poetry

Upon a knife, 'Love me, and leave me not.'

NERISSA What talk you of the posy or the value?

You swore to me when I did give it you,

That you would wear it till the hour of death

And that it should lie with you in your grave.

Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,

You should have been respective and have kept it.

Gave it a judge's clerk! But well I know

The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face that had it.

GRATIANO He will, an if he live to be a man.

NERISSA Ay, if a woman live to be a man.

GRATIANO Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,

A kind of boy, a little scrubbèd boy,

No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk,

A prating boy, that begged it as a fee.

I could not for my heart deny it him.

PORTIA You were to blame — I must be plain with you —

To part so slightly with your wife's first gift.

A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger

And so riveted with faith unto your flesh.

I gave my love a ring and made him swear

Never to part with it, and here he stands.

I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it,

Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth

That the world masters . Now, in faith, Gratiano,

You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief.

An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it.

BASSANIO Why, I were best to cut my left hand off

Aside

And swear I lost the ring defending it.

GRATIANO My lord Bassanio gave his ring away

Unto the judge that begged it and indeed

Deserved it too. And then the boy, his clerk,

That took some pains in writing, he begged mine,

And neither man nor master would take aught

But the two rings.

PORTIA What ring gave you my lord?

Not that, I hope, which you received of me.

BASSANIO If I could add a lie unto a fault,

I would deny it. But you see my finger

Hath not the ring upon it. It is gone.

PORTIA Even so void is your false heart of truth.

By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed

Until I see the ring.

NERISSA Nor I in yours till I again see mine.

BASSANIO Sweet Portia,

If you did know to whom I gave the ring,

If you did know for whom I gave the ring,

And would conceive for what I gave the ring,

And how unwillingly I left the ring,

When nought would be accepted but the ring,

You would abate the strength of your displeasure.

PORTIA If you had known the virtue of the ring,

Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,

Or your own honour to contain the ring,

You would not then have parted with the ring.

What man is there so much unreasonable,

If you had pleased to have defended it

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty

To urge the thing held as a ceremony ?

Nerissa teaches me what to believe:

I'll die for't but some woman had the ring.

BASSANIO No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,

No woman had it, but a civil doctor ,

Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me

And begged the ring; the which I did deny him

And suffered him to go displeased away —

Even he that had held up the very life

Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady?

I was enforced to send it after him.

I was beset with shame and courtesy.

My honour would not let ingratitude

So much besmear it . Pardon me, good lady!

And by these blessèd candles of the night ,

Had you been there, I think you would have begged

The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.

PORTIA Let not that doctor e'er come near my house.

Since he hath got the jewel that I loved,

And that which you did swear to keep for me,

I will become as liberal as you.

I'll not deny him anything I have,

No, not my body nor my husband's bed.

Know him I shall, I am well sure of it.

Lie not a night from home. Watch me like Argus .

If you do not, if I be left alone,

Now, by mine honour , which is yet mine own,

I'll have the doctor for my bedfellow.

NERISSA And I his clerk: therefore be well advised

How you do leave me to mine own protection.

GRATIANO Well, do you so. Let not me take him, then.

For if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen .

ANTONIO I am th'unhappy subject of these quarrels.

PORTIA Sir, grieve not you. You are welcome notwithstanding.

BASSANIO Portia, forgive me this enforcèd wrong,

And in the hearing of these many friends,

I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,

Wherein I see myself—

PORTIA Mark you but that!

In both my eyes he doubly sees himself .

In each eye, one. Swear by your double self,

And there's an oath of credit .

BASSANIO Nay, but hear me.

Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear

I never more will break an oath with thee.

ANTONIO I once did lend my body for thy wealth,—

To Bassanio

Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,

To Portia

Had quite miscarried . I dare be bound again,

My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord

Will never more break faith advisedly .

PORTIA Then you shall be his surety . Give him this

And bid him keep it better than the other.

She gives Antonio the ring

ANTONIO Here, Lord Bassanio. Swear to keep this ring.

BASSANIO By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor!

PORTIA I had it of him. Pardon, Bassanio,

For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me.

NERISSA And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano,

For that same scrubbèd boy, the doctor's clerk,

Shows her ring

In lieu of this last night did lie with me.

GRATIANO Why, this is like the mending of highways

In summer, where the ways are fair enough.

What, are we cuckolds ere we have deserved it?

PORTIA Speak not so grossly . You are all amazed.

Here is a letter, read it at your leisure.

She gives a letter

It comes from Padua, from Bellario.

There you shall find that Portia was the doctor,

Nerissa there her clerk. Lorenzo here

Shall witness I set forth as soon as you,

And but e'en now returned. I have not yet

Entered my house. Antonio, you are welcome,

And I have better news in store for you

Than you expect. Unseal this letter soon.

Gives him a letter

There you shall find three of your argosies

Are richly come to harbour suddenly:

You shall not know by what strange accident

I chancèd on this letter.

ANTONIO I am dumb .

BASSANIO Were you the doctor and I knew you not?

GRATIANO Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold?

NERISSA Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it,

Unless he live until he be a man.

BASSANIO Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow.

When I am absent, then lie with my wife.

ANTONIO Sweet lady, you have given me life and living ;

For here I read for certain that my ships

Are safely come to road .

PORTIA How now, Lorenzo?

My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

NERISSA Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee.

There do I give to you and Jessica,

From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,

After his death, of all he dies possessed of.

LORENZO Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way

Of starvèd people.

PORTIA It is almost morning,

And yet I am sure you are not satisfied

Of these events at full . Let us go in,

And charge us there upon inter'gatories ,

And we will answer all things faithfully.

GRATIANO Let it be so. The first inter'gatory

That my Nerissa shall be sworn on is,

Whether till the next night she had rather stay ,

Or go to bed now, being two hours to day.

But were the day come, I should wish it dark,

Till I were couching with the doctor's clerk.

Well, while I live I'll fear no other thing

So sore as keeping safe Nerissa's ring .

Exeunt

Textual Notes

Q = First Quarto text of 1600

Q2 = Second Quarto text of 1619

F = First Folio text of 1623

F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632

Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor

SD = stage direction

SH = speech heading (i.e. speaker's name)

List of parts = Ed

1.1.0 SD Salerio and Solanio = Ed. F = Salarino, and Salanio

1.1.8 SH SALERIO = Ed. F = Sal. Q = Salarino. SHs for first three speeches of Antonio's friends' reversed in F, due to confusing SHs in Q : Salarino, Salanio, Salar. 15 SH SOLANIO = Q (Salanio) . F = Salar . 28 docked = Ed. F = docks 62 SH SALERIO = Ed. F = Sala. (his next two speeches: Sal.) 70 SD Salerio = Ed. F = Salarino 116 Is = Ed. F = It is 118 are two = F. Q = are as two 157 do me now = Q. F = doe

1.2.4 small = F. Q = meane 12 be one = F. Q = to be one 14 reason is not in = F. Q = reasoning is not in the 17 Is it = Q. F = It is 31 Palatine = Q2. F = Palentine 35 rather to be = F. Q = rather be 37 Bon = Ed. F = Boune 41 throstle = Ed. F = Trassell 43 should = F. Q = shall 51 other = F. Q = Scottish. Altered in F so as not to offend Scottish King James 73 wish = F. Q = pray God grant 80 seek you = F. Q = seeke for you

1.3.26 Rialto = Ed. F = Ryalta 37 well-won = Q. F = well-worne 53 ye = Q. F = he 74 peeled spelled pil'd in F 103 spit spelled spet in F 113 should = F. Q = can 116 spat spelled spet in F 124 of barren = F. Q = for barren 127 penalties = F. Q = penaltie 143 it pleaseth = F. Q = pleaseth 172 terms = Q. F = teames

2.1.0 SD Morocco spelled Morochus in F 32 thee, lady = Q. F = the Ladie 36 page = Ed. F = rage

2.2.1 SH LANCELET = Ed. F = Clo . 2 Gobbo = Q2. F = Iobbe (throughout scene) 17 a kind = F. Q = but a kinde 34 Lancelet = F. Q = Lancelet sir 64 last = Q2. F = lost 123 SD Exit placed two lines earlier in F 133 where they = F. Q = where thou

2.3.9 talk = F. Q = in talk 11 did = Ed. F = doe 12 somewhat = F. Q = something

2.4.0 SD Salerio = Ed. F = Slarino (Sal. for his SHs throughout this scene) 10 shall it = F. Q = it shall 13 Is = Q. F = I

2.5.1 SH SHYLOCK = Q2. F = Iew 26 there = Q. F = their 40 Jewè s = Ed. F = Iewes 44 but = F. Q = and

2.6.0 SD Salerio = Ed. F = Salino 2 a stand = F. Q = stand 7 seal = Q. F = steale 18 a prodigal = F. Q = the prodigal 46 you are = F. Q = are you 60 gentlemen = F. Q = gentleman

2.7.5 many men = Q. F = men 10 Line accidentally printed twice in F 70 tombs = Ed. F = timber

2.8.0 SD Salerio = Ed. F = Salarino 6 comes = F. Q = came 8 gondola spelled Gondilo in F 34 You = Q. F = Yo

2.9.7 thou = F. Q = you 45 peasantry = Q. F = pleasantry 102 Bassanio, Lord Love, = Ed. F = Bassanio Lord, loue

3.1.0 SD Salerio = Ed. F = Salarino 5 gossip's = F. Q = gossip 26 blood = F. Q = my blood 40 what's the = F. Q = what's his 50 SH SERVANT = Ed. Not in F 56 of her = Q. F = of ster 62 how much = F. Q = whats 71 heard = Ed. F = here 79 turquoise = Ed. F = Turkies

3.2.0 SD trains = Q. F = traine 17 if = Q. F = of 34 do = Q. F = doth 44 aloof = Q. F = aloose 63 much, much = Q. F = much 69 eyes = F. Q = eye 83 vice = Ed. F = voice 152 me = Q. F = my 161 nothing = F. Q = something 174 lord = F. Q = Lords 199 have = Q. F = gaue 207 roof = Q2. F = rough 213 is so = F. Q = is 322 SH BASSANIO = Ed. Not in F 324 might see = F. Q = might but see 331 No = Q. F = Nor

3.3.2 lends = F. Q = lent

3.4.13 equal spelled egal in F 50 Padua = Ed. F = Mantua 51 hand = F. Q = hands 54 traject = Ed. F = Tranect

3.5.57–8 merit it, In = Ed. F = meane it, it Is. Q = meane it, it In 65 a wife = F. Q = wife

4.1.52 Mistress = Ed. F = Masters 66 answer = F. Q = answers 75 Why … made = Q. Not in F 78 fretted = F. Q = fretten 80 what = F. Q = what's 112 messenger = Q. F = Messengers 144 endless = F. Q = cureless 165 Came = F. Q = Come 204 court = Q. F = course 224 do I = F. Q = I do 230 No, not = F. Q = Not not 262 should = F. Q = doe 263 Is it so = Q. F = It is not 267 Come = F. Q = You 282 not = F. Q = but 312 Then take = F. Q = Take then 333 it so = F. Q = it but so 340 thee = F. Q = you 350 taken so = F. Q = so taken 407 thou shalt = F. Q = shalt thou 410 home with me = Q. F = with me home

5.1.3 noise = Q. F = nnyse 32 SH STEPHANO = Ed. F = Mes. 41 is = Q. F = it 41 returned = Q. F = rnturn'd 44 us = Q. F = vs vs 55 Sweet soul = Ed. F prints as last words of Lancelet's speech 57 Stephano = Q2. F = Stephen 57 pray = F. Q = I pray 71 it in = Q. F = in it 88 time = F. Q = the time 163 the hour = F. Q = your hour 167 But ... know = F. Q = no God's my Iudge 232 And by = F. Q = For by 263 thy = F. Q = his 272 Pardon = F. Q = Pardon me 286 but e'en now = F. Q = even but now kJpRofqZXDyCXqnDL8HXWTGqsjaPYyD4O6sS9HuGc8/abw7H613u/nGzuqhmPA9q