Merchant of Venice (Play Script – Text): Act 5

This section contains the script of Act 5 of Merchant of Venice the play by William Shakespeare.

Read: Merchant of Venice the play by William Shakespeare (Brief Summary, Cast and characters).

ACT V
SCENE I. Belmont. Avenue to PORTIA’S house.

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 Troyan walls
And sigh’d 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 dismay’d 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 gather’d 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 no body come; But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter STEPHANO

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 return’d?

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 LAUNCELOT

LAUNCELOT Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola!

LORENZO Who calls?

LAUNCELOT Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo? Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!

LORENZO Leave hollaing, man: here.

LAUNCELOT Sola! where? where?

LORENZO Here.

LAUNCELOT 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, I 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 Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring 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.

Music

JESSICA
I am never merry when I hear sweet 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 turn’d 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 the 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 Unto the king be by, and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

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 season’d 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’ healths, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Are they return’d?

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 tell-tales, 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 [To NERISSA] By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong; 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 your 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! no, God’s my judge, 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 scrubbed boy, No higher than thyself; the judge’s clerk, A prating boy, that begg’d 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 [Aside] Why, I were best to cut my left hand off And swear I lost the ring defending it.

GRATIANO My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg’d it and indeed Deserved it too; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg’d 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 my honour, madam, by my soul, No woman had it, but a civil doctor, Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me And begg’d the ring; the which I did deny him And suffer’d him to go displeased away; Even he that did uphold 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; For, by these blessed candles of the night, Had you been there, I think you would have begg’d 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 any thing 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 that 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 the unhappy subject of these quarrels.

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

BASSANIO Portia, forgive me this enforced 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 his wealth; Which, but for him that had your husband’s ring, 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.

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

NERISSA And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor’s clerk, 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; 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 even but now return’d; I have not yet Enter’d my house. Antonio, you are welcome; And I have better news in store for you Than you expect: unseal this letter soon; There you shall find three of your argosies Are richly come to harbour suddenly: You shall not know by what strange accident I chanced 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 bed-fellow: 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 possess’d of.

LORENZO Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved 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, That 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