S hylock, the Jew, lived at Venice. He had amassed an immense fortune by lending money at great interest to Christian merchants. Shylock, being a hardhearted man, exacted the payment of the money he lent with such severity that he was much disliked by all good men, and particularly by Antonio, a young merchant of Venice; and Shylock as much hated Antonio, because he used to lend money to people in distress, and would never take any interest for the money he lent．

Antonio was the kindest man that lived, and was greatly beloved by all his fellow-citizens; but the friend who was nearest and dearest to his heart was Bassanio, a noble Venetian, who had nearly exhausted his little fortune by living in too expensive a manner for his slender means. Whenever Bassanio wanted money Antonio assisted him．

One day Bassanio came to Antonio and told him that he wished to repair his fortune by a wealthy marriage with a lady whom he dearly loved, whose father, that was lately dead, had left her sole heiress to a large estate; however, not having money to furnish himself with an appearance befitting the lover of so rich an heiress, he asked Antonio to add to the many favors he had shown him by lending him three thousands ducats ．

Antonio had no money by him at that time to lend his friend; but expecting soon to have some ships come home full with merchandise, he said he would go to Shylock, and borrow the money upon the credit of those ships．

Antonio and Bassanio went together to Shylock, and Antonio asked the Jew to lend him three thousand ducats．

To this request the Jew replied, “You have insulted me a number of times, and now it appears you need my help. Shall I bend low and say, ‘Fair sir, you spit upon me on last Wednesday;another time you called me dog, and for these courtesies I am to lend you moneys?’”

Antonio replied, “I am as like to call you so again, and to spit on you again. If you will lend me this money, lend it not to me as to a friend, but rather lend it to me as to an enemy, that,if I break, you may better exact the penalty.”

Thinking this over a moment, Shylock then answered,“Alright. I will forget the shames you have put upon me, and I will supply your wants and take no interest for my money. Only I ask you, Antonio, to go with me to a lawyer and there sign in merry sport a bond that, if you did not repay the money by a certain day, you will forfeit a pound of flesh, to be cut off from any part of your body that I please.”

Bassanio said Antonio should not sign to such a bond for him; but Antonio insisted that he would sign it, for before the day of payment came his ships would return filled with many times the value of the money. And Antonio, indeed, signed the bond, thinking it really was (as the Jew said) merely in sport．

Bassanio being so kindly supplied with money by his friend Antonio, at the hazard of his life, set out for the lady’s home in Belmont, attended by a gentleman of the name of Gratiano.And as fortune would have it, Bassanio proved successful in his suit. Portia, as this lady was called, in a short time consented to accept of him for a husband．

Bassanio confessed to Portia that he had no fortune and that his high birth and noble ancestry were all that he could boast of; she, who loved him for his worthy qualities and had riches enough not to regard wealth in a husband,answered, “This house, these servants, and myself are yours, my lord; I give them with this ring,” presenting a ring to Bassanio．

Bassanio, overpowered with gratitude, took the ring, and promised never to part with it．

Gratiano and Nerissa, Portia’s waiting-maid, were in attendance upon their lord and lady when Portia so gracefully promised to become the obedient wife of Bassanio; and Gratiano, wishing Bassanio and the generous lady joy, desired permission to be married to Nerissa at the same time．

Portia willingly consenting, Bassanio pleasantly said, “Then our wedding feast shall be much honored by your marriage,Gratiano.”

The happiness of these lovers was sadly crossed at this moment by the entrance of a messenger, who brought a letter from Antonio containing fearful tidings. Bassanio read Antonio’s letter and then told Portia about the debt that he and his friend owed Shylock．

“His ships did not come in,” he said, referring to the letter he just received. “Now he is in jail, awaiting his punishment at the hands of that terrible money-lender.”

“Oh, my dear love,” said Portia, “dispatch all business and go help your friend. We’ll marry before you go, so that you’ll have access to my money and you can easily pay the money lender back.”

The instant all four were married, Bassanio and Gratiano set out in great haste for Venice, where they found Antonio in prison．

Sadly, Shylock would not accept Bassanio’s money, insisting upon having a pound of Antonio’s flesh. A day was appointed to try this shocking cause before the Duke of Venice, and Bassanio awaited in dreadful suspense the event of the trial．

Portia, upon hearing of the course of events, resolved to go herself to Venice and speak in Antonio’s defense. She had a relation who was a counselor in the law; to this gentleman,whose name was Bellario, she wrote, and, stating the case to him, desired his opinion, and that with his advice he would also send her the dress worn by a counselor. When the messenger returned he brought letters from Bellario of advice how to proceed, and also everything necessary for her equipment .

Portia dressed herself and her maid, Nerissa, in men’s clothing, and, putting on the robes of a counselor, she took Nerissa along with her as her clerk; setting out immediately,they arrived at Venice on the very day of the trial. The cause was just going to be heard before the Duke and Senators of Venice in the Senate House when Portia entered this high court of justice and presented a letter from Bellario, in which that learned counselor wrote to the duke, saying he would have come himself to plead for Antonio but that he was prevented by sickness, and he requested that the learned young Doctor Balthasar (so he called Portia) might be permitted to plead in his absence. This the Duke granted, much wondering at the youthful appearance of the stranger, who was prettily disguised by her counselor’s robes and her large wig．

And now began this important trial. Portia first addressed herself to Shylock; and allowing that he had a right by the Venetian law to have the forfeit expressed in the bond, she spoke so sweetly of the noble quality of mercy as would have softened any heart but the unfeeling Shylock’s, who still insisted upon a pound of flesh from Antonio．

Bassanio begged the counselor to take acceptation with Antonio, but Portia gravely answered that laws once established must never be altered．

Shylock, much encouraged by these words, gave Portia the bond to look over and confirm his right to inflict punishment．

Portia read the bond and announced, “This bond is forfeited, and by this the Jew may lawfully claim a pound of flesh, to be by him cut off nearest Antonio’s heart.”

Shylock immediately began to sharpen his knife, and all was awful expectation in the court with every heart full of grief for Antonio．

Portia asked if the scales were ready to weigh the flesh;and she said to the Jew, “Shylock, you must have some surgeon by, lest he bleed to death.”

Shylock, whose whole intent was that Antonio should bleed to death, said, “There is no mention of blood in the bond.”

Portia replied, “Exactly. This bond here gives you no drop of blood; the words expressly are, ‘a pound of flesh’. If in the cutting off the pound of flesh you shed one drop of blood, your lands and goods are by the law to be confiscated to the state of Venice.”

Now as it was utterly impossible for Shylock to cut off the pound of flesh without shedding some of Antonio’s blood, this wise discovery of Portia’s saved the life of Antonio．

Shylock, finding himself defeated in his cruel intent, said,with a disappointed look, that he would take the money. And Bassanio, rejoiced beyond measure at Antonio’s unexpected deliverance, cried out, “Here is the money!”

But Portia stopped him, saying, “Shylock. By the laws of Venice your wealth is forfeited to the state for having conspired against the life of one of its citizens, and your life lies at the mercy of the duke; therefore, down on your knees and ask him to pardon you.”

The duke then said to Shylock, “I pardon you your life before you ask it. Half your wealth belongs to Antonio; the other half comes to the state. Now go!”

The duke then released Antonio and dismissed the court．

Bassanio said to Portia, “Most worthy gentleman, I and my friend Antonio have by your wisdom been this day acquitted of grievous penalties, and I beg you will accept of the three thousand ducats due Shylock.”

Portia could not be prevailed upon to accept the money. But upon Bassanio still pressing her to accept of some reward, she,pointing to the ring she had given him, said, “Give me that ring upon your finger there.”

Bassanio was sadly distressed that the counselor should ask him for the only thing he could not part with; but not wanting to appear ungrateful, he yielded, and gave the ring to Portia. And then the “clerk”, Nerissa, who had also given Gratiano a ring, begged her husband’s ring, and Gratiano (following his lord) gave it to her. And there was laughing among these ladies to think, when they got home, how they would tax their husbands with giving away their rings and swear that they had given them as a present to some woman．

That evening, everyone met at Portia’s to celebrate Antonio’s freedom. Not long after the evening had got underway, the guests perceived Nerissa and her husband quarreling in a corner of the room．

“A quarrel already?” said Portia. “What is the matter?”

Gratiano replied, “Lady, it is about a simple ring that Nerissa gave me.”

“You swore to me that you would keep it till the hour of death,” cried Nerissa, “and now you say you gave it to the lawyer’s clerk. I know you gave it to a woman.”

“By this hand,” replied Gratiano, “I gave it to a clerk of the young counselor that, by his wise pleading, saved Antonio’s life.Bassanio gave his to the counselor himself.”

Portia, hearing this, reproached Bassanio for giving away her ring. She too pretended to believe he had given it to another woman．

Bassanio was very unhappy to have so offended his dear lady, and he said with great earnestness, “No, by my honor, no woman had it, but a civil doctor who refused three thousands ducats of me and begged the ring. What could I do, sweet Portia?”

“I fear that it is because of me that all this has happened,”said Antonio with sadness．

“Then you shall be his surety,” said Portia handing a ring to Antonio. “Give him this ring and bid him keep it better than the other.”

When Bassanio looked at this ring he was strangely surprised to find it was the same he gave away; and then Portia told him how she was the young counselor, and Nerissa was her clerk; and Bassanio bound, to his unspeakable wonder and delight, that it was by the noble courage and wisdom of his wife that Antonio’s life was saved．

And Portia, smiling, gave Antonio letters which by some chance had fallen into her hands, which contained an account of Antonio’s ships, that were supposed lost, being safely arrived in the harbor. So these tragic beginnings of this rich merchant’s story were all forgotten in the unexpected good fortune which ensued; and there was leisure to laugh at the comical adventure of the rings and the husbands that did not know their own wives．

Jew /dʒu:/ n. 犹太人

ducat /ˈdʌkət/ n. 达克特（旧时在多个欧洲国家通用的金币）

merchandise /ˈmɜ:tʃəndaɪz/ n. 货物；商品

bond /bɒnd/ n. 契约

forfeit /ˈfɔ:fɪt/ vt. 自愿放弃

Belmont / b e l ˈ mɒn t / n . 贝尔蒙特，在原剧中，这是美好、理想之地的代名词

cross /krɒs/ vt. 横过

access /ˈækses/ n. 使用权；机会；通道

counselor /ˈkaʊnsələ/ n. 法律顾问，律师

equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 设备，装备

learned /ˈlɜ:nɪd/ adj . 博学的

grant /ɡrɑ:nt/ vt. 允许，同意

acceptation /ˌæksepˈteɪʃən/ n. 受理，接受

intent /ɪnˈtent/ n. 目的；意图

dismiss /dɪsˈmɪs/ vt. 解散；解雇

acquit /əˈkwɪt/ vt. 宣判……无罪

yield /ji:ld/ vi. 放弃；屈服

civil /ˈsɪvəl/ adj. 民事的，根据民法的 Z5Xv2ARo/hUV/fPPqVK0zUXkY9RRFrlMgOOqBWQMIhxucDzjcFnoHYWvSqE2wWKY