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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by “William Shakespeare”
A Contemporary English Version,
Emended and Rectified with Notes and Commentary
by Jonathan Star
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
DUKE OF VENICE
PRINCE OF MOROCCO (MOROCHO-Q1, MOROCHUS-Q1)
PRINCE OF ARRAGON (ARAGON)
A suitors to Portia
ANTONIO (ANTHONIO-Q1 ), a merchant of Venice, friend of Bassanio
BASSANIO, winner of Portia
LEONARDO, a servant to Bassanio
GRATZIANO (GRATIANO-Q1, GRAZIANO), friend of Bassanio, with Nerissa
LORENZO (LORENSO), friend of Gratziano, with Jessica
SALARINO |
SALANIO-Q1 (SOLANIO-Q1) | friends of Antonio
SALERIO, a messenger from Venice |
SHYLOCK (SHYLOCKE-Q1) a Jewish money-lender
JESSICA, daughter of Shylock, with Lorenzo
TUBAL (TUBALL-Q1), a Jew, friend of Shylock
LAUNCELET -Q1 (LANCELET-Q2, LAUNCELOT, LANCELOT), a fool, servant to Shylock
OLD GOBBO (GOBBO), father to Launcelet
PORTIA, an heiress of Belmont
NERISSA, her waiting-woman
BALTHASAR-Q1 (BALTHAZAR) |
STEPHANO (STEFANO) | servants of Portia
MESSENGER, for Portia
SERVANT (SERVINGMAN), for Portia
MAN, messenger for Antonio
MESSENGER, for Jessica
Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice,
a Jailor, Servants and other Attendants
[See Additional Notes, 0.1.1, for a further discussion on the names]
Editions and Printing Dates:-
First Quarto (Q1), 1600. The Most Excellent Historie of the Merchant of Venice.
Second Quarto (Q2), 1619. The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice.
Third Quarto (Q3), 1637. The Most Excellent Historie of the Merchant of Venice.
First Folio (F1), 1623; Second Folio (F2), 1632; Third Folio (F3), 1663; Fourth Folio (F4), 1685
Punctuation Key
Punctuation Key:-
a) All line numbering and text references generally follow The Merchant of Venice, Oxford
Edition, edited by Jay L. Halio, 1993.
b) Text found within {special brackets} is a reference to the text as found in Q1.
c) Text which follows ‘ / ’ or ‘// ’ indicates alternative renderings.
d) Words found within + single brackets , indicate text which was not found in the original yet
which was suggested by, or which clarifies, the original. Words found within ++ double brackets
,, indicate text which has been added to the original and which was not indicated nor suggested
by the original text.
e) Text found within jopen square bracketsk was not found in the original but is directly indicated
by the original.
f) Text found within [brackets] indicate text which is found in the original but which is suspect.
g) An arrow ‘ > ‘ indicates a commentary on the text.
Page 2
ACT ONE - Scene One (1.1)
1. These opening lines of Antonio are not found in the original play and were added to focus and clarify the central
conflict of the play (between Antonio and Shylock) which is principally over usury, not religion. In the original we
find Antonio musing over his serious and concerned demeanor (or “sadness’) yet such a theme has no direct
relevance to the plot nor does it set up a context for understanding the action of play. [To understand usury as it was
viewed in Elizabethan England, see Additional Note, 1.1.0]
2. / But I am sickened by their very sight
3. / A plague afflicting the goodness of man / A plague upon the righteousness of man / A plague afflicting the spirit
of man / A plague destroying the very heart of man / A plague that ravages the heart of man / A plague that crushes (/
destroys / ruins / shatters) the spirit of man / That which destroys the righteousness of man
4. / And all their contracts, listing penalties / And all the loans they make with forfeitures
5. / Made with a show of kindness and of friendship / Made under pretense of kindness and friendship / With shows
of kindness and seeming friendship
6. / Are none but fell deceit and thievery
7. Option, add line: +Taking a loan beyond their means to pay,,
8. / All one has worked for and gained in his life / All that a man has made and gained in life / All that a man has
gained in years of work
9. / Would soon come to a sad and ruinous end / / Would end in sorrow, pain, and tearful ruin / Would end in
sadness and a tearful ruin / Would come to sadness and ruin in the end.
10. / ‘Tis a greed most obscene and despicable / Showing a greed obscene and despicable / It is a show of greed,
gross and despicable
11. / They but entrap those who are most desperate:
Having them sign a bond to borrow money
For which they cannot repay, then as forfeit,
And after great despair, all that these men have
Is taken, all they have worked for is lost;
All is but gone to these heartless usurers.
12. / . . . and gained in life | Is lost—but gone to these heartless usurers. |
‘Tis an obscene, despisèd greed they show.
1. These opening lines of Antonio are not found in the original play and were added to focus and clarify the central
conflict of the play (between Antonio and Shylock) which is principally over usury, not religion. In the original we
find Antonio musing over his serious and concerned demeanor (or “sadness’) yet such a theme has no direct
relevance to the plot nor does it set up a context for understanding the action of play. [To understand usury as it was
viewed in Elizabethan England, see Additional Note, 1.1.0]
2. / But I am sickened by their very sight
3. / A plague afflicting the goodness of man / A plague upon the righteousness of man / A plague afflicting the spirit
of man / A plague destroying the very heart of man / A plague that ravages the heart of man / A plague that crushes (/
destroys / ruins / shatters) the spirit of man / That which destroys the righteousness of man
4. / And all their contracts, listing penalties / And all the loans they make with forfeitures
5. / Made with a show of kindness and of friendship / Made under pretense of kindness and friendship / With shows
of kindness and seeming friendship
6. / Are none but fell deceit and thievery
7. Option, add line: +Taking a loan beyond their means to pay,,
8. / All one has worked for and gained in his life / All that a man has made and gained in life / All that a man has
gained in years of work
9. / Would soon come to a sad and ruinous end / / Would end in sorrow, pain, and tearful ruin / Would end in
sadness and a tearful ruin / Would come to sadness and ruin in the end.
10. / ‘Tis a greed most obscene and despicable / Showing a greed obscene and despicable / It is a show of greed,
gross and despicable
11. / They but entrap those who are most desperate:
Having them sign a bond to borrow money
For which they cannot repay, then as forfeit,
And after great despair, all that these men have
Is taken, all they have worked for is lost;
All is but gone to these heartless usurers.
12. / . . . and gained in life | Is lost—but gone to these heartless usurers. |
‘Tis an obscene, despisèd greed they show.
Page 3
13. / ‘Tis more a foul disease
14. / But oft you’ve heard me moan,° /my grievance
15. / But here this face so sad, we know not well. | Why look ye so, my friend; what has got you?
/ But here this face so saddened, ‘tis a sight | We know not well. Why look ye so, my friend?
/ But here this face so sad,‘tis not a sight | We know. Why look ye so, my friend? Why so?
16. The original play begins here, with Antonio talking about his sad and worrisome state. The play opens in media
res, in the middle of an ongoing conversation between Antonio, Salarino, and Salanio, where Antonio is answering a
question that was asked before the action of the play begins.
17. The term sad generally means grave, serious, or concerned. The commiserating images supplied by Salarino and
Salanio (your mind is tossing on the ocean) suggest that Antonio’s state resembles some kind of uneasiness or worry
rather than sadness or depression. In all of this we never discover why Antonio is so grave or concerned—is it his
nature to be grave (as later suggested by himself) or has his concern been brought about by some recent event? In
either case, the issue of Antonio’s grave nature has no bearing on the play nor does it make any further appearance.
Antonio’s talk of ‘sadness’ (or concern) could simply be a tool which allows the Sals to describe the grandeur of
Antonio’s sea ventures. Some commentators hold that the early talk of ‘sadness’ is meant to present a sense of
foreboding but the jovial way that the subject is approached precludes this. [See Additional Note, 1.1.1] [For a
rectification of this scene, as it may have appeared in an earlier draft, see Appendix].
18. {It wearies me, you say it wearies you}
As it stands, this line is somewhat misplaced and may be an appendage from an earlier draft, where the
opening conversation was between Antonio, Gratziano, and Lorenzo, and where this line was originally voiced by
Gratziano. This lines suggest that Antonio has spoken about his serious nature on numerous occasions, so much so
that it wearies him (talking about it) and it wearies Salarino (and Salanio) upon hearing it. The line (as it stands in
the original) is also questionable, since Antonio’s sadness seems to be something newly experienced by the Sals, and
not something they could have grown weary of. In addition, the Sals, who are unmitigated supporters of Antonio,
would never have told Antonio that they were weary of hearing about his concerns.
I think: {you say} I hear, I know, I believe, I’m sure. This line (and especially the reference to you say) is
most likely a remnant from a prior draft of the play where it opened, in media res, with Antonio, Gratziano, and
Lorenzo (and not with Salarino and Salanio.) Hence, the familiar and history-based phrase, you say, was likely
directed to Gratziano (as a singular)—a person who was familiar with Antonio’s sad musings, and a person who
would have told Antonio that he (Gratziano) was weary of hearing about Antonio’s sadness. As neither Salarino nor
Salanio have heard much about Antonio’s sadness in the past—and as neither are so chummy and bold as to tell
Antonio they are weary of hearing about it—neither would have made such a comment. [See Additional Notes,
1.1.2]
14. / But oft you’ve heard me moan,° /my grievance
15. / But here this face so sad, we know not well. | Why look ye so, my friend; what has got you?
/ But here this face so saddened, ‘tis a sight | We know not well. Why look ye so, my friend?
/ But here this face so sad,‘tis not a sight | We know. Why look ye so, my friend? Why so?
16. The original play begins here, with Antonio talking about his sad and worrisome state. The play opens in media
res, in the middle of an ongoing conversation between Antonio, Salarino, and Salanio, where Antonio is answering a
question that was asked before the action of the play begins.
17. The term sad generally means grave, serious, or concerned. The commiserating images supplied by Salarino and
Salanio (your mind is tossing on the ocean) suggest that Antonio’s state resembles some kind of uneasiness or worry
rather than sadness or depression. In all of this we never discover why Antonio is so grave or concerned—is it his
nature to be grave (as later suggested by himself) or has his concern been brought about by some recent event? In
either case, the issue of Antonio’s grave nature has no bearing on the play nor does it make any further appearance.
Antonio’s talk of ‘sadness’ (or concern) could simply be a tool which allows the Sals to describe the grandeur of
Antonio’s sea ventures. Some commentators hold that the early talk of ‘sadness’ is meant to present a sense of
foreboding but the jovial way that the subject is approached precludes this. [See Additional Note, 1.1.1] [For a
rectification of this scene, as it may have appeared in an earlier draft, see Appendix].
18. {It wearies me, you say it wearies you}
As it stands, this line is somewhat misplaced and may be an appendage from an earlier draft, where the
opening conversation was between Antonio, Gratziano, and Lorenzo, and where this line was originally voiced by
Gratziano. This lines suggest that Antonio has spoken about his serious nature on numerous occasions, so much so
that it wearies him (talking about it) and it wearies Salarino (and Salanio) upon hearing it. The line (as it stands in
the original) is also questionable, since Antonio’s sadness seems to be something newly experienced by the Sals, and
not something they could have grown weary of. In addition, the Sals, who are unmitigated supporters of Antonio,
would never have told Antonio that they were weary of hearing about his concerns.
I think: {you say} I hear, I know, I believe, I’m sure. This line (and especially the reference to you say) is
most likely a remnant from a prior draft of the play where it opened, in media res, with Antonio, Gratziano, and
Lorenzo (and not with Salarino and Salanio.) Hence, the familiar and history-based phrase, you say, was likely
directed to Gratziano (as a singular)—a person who was familiar with Antonio’s sad musings, and a person who
would have told Antonio that he (Gratziano) was weary of hearing about Antonio’s sadness. As neither Salarino nor
Salanio have heard much about Antonio’s sadness in the past—and as neither are so chummy and bold as to tell
Antonio they are weary of hearing about it—neither would have made such a comment. [See Additional Notes,
1.1.2]
Page 3
19. +And why it lingers on, / And why is has (/grips) me so / And why it doth remain / And why I hold it so
The line found in Q1 ( I am to learn) is truncated, containing only two iambs (feet), as opposed to the usual
five—i.e., four syllables as opposed to ten. It is also missing a connector, such as ‘and.’ Thus, the line as it appears
is likely an error, and was not intended by the author. This short line could resulted from a smudge mark, rendering
the text unreadable or some other such error. [For theories about this truncated line, See Additional Notes, 1.1.5]
20. There are several anomalies with respect to Antonio’s opening lines, including the words ‘you say’ [2], the
truncated line 5, and the repetitive and unsupported content of lines 6 and 7. Clearly these later two lines [6-7] are
orphaned, repeat the sentiment of the previous lines, and weaken the overall import of the passage. Due to their
prominent position in the original play (appearing in the opening passage), and being that they stand rather harmless,
they could remain; being that they weaken the passage, may have found their way into the text by error—and in
context of the emended opening about usury—these lines should be deleted. [See Additional Notes, 1.1.6]
21. / Your mind does toss like ships upon the wave
22. {Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood} / Like proud magnificoes° upon° the wave,
burghers: wealthy Venetians, rich citizens
23. {Or as it were the pageants of the sea} / Or like the grand water-floats of a pageant
/ Or like the festive pageants of the sea
pageants of the sea: floats and displays that were used on ships, as part of a festive pageantry held on the water.
Pageants, like modern-day floats used in a parade, refer to large displays (such as castles, ships, or other staged
figures) that were wheeled about the streets in ancient shows or pageants, or ships that provided such displays.
24. {Do overpeer the petty traffickers} / Where they but dwarf the petty traffickers
overpeer: peer over, look down on, tower above
petty traffickers: / petty trading ships / petty trade vessels / smaller merchant ship / smaller trading ships
25. {That curtsey to them, do them reverence} / That come to lower their topsails in reverence / That do but bow to
them in utter reverence / And moving them to curtsy low in reverence / Impelling them to bow in awe reverence
cursy (Q1 = cursie) / curtsy: bow down. Refers to the image of: a) small ships that bob around in the wake of a
passing argosy, which seemingly (and impelled by the wake) bow down or curtsy to these larger ships, or b) small
cargo ships which would lower their topmasts as a sign of respect at the passing of a much larger ship. In both
cases, there a show of reverence, akin to a tradesman bowing to a passing dignitary of higher rank
26. woven wing: The large sails on Antonio’s ships are likened to the wings of flying bird (for their speed) or to the
‘billowing splendor’ of the clothes worn by wealthy burghers.
27. / Were all my wealth involved in such ventures
28. {I should be still} / Each day I’d be
still: always
29. {Plucking the grass to know where sits the wind}
The line found in Q1 ( I am to learn) is truncated, containing only two iambs (feet), as opposed to the usual
five—i.e., four syllables as opposed to ten. It is also missing a connector, such as ‘and.’ Thus, the line as it appears
is likely an error, and was not intended by the author. This short line could resulted from a smudge mark, rendering
the text unreadable or some other such error. [For theories about this truncated line, See Additional Notes, 1.1.5]
20. There are several anomalies with respect to Antonio’s opening lines, including the words ‘you say’ [2], the
truncated line 5, and the repetitive and unsupported content of lines 6 and 7. Clearly these later two lines [6-7] are
orphaned, repeat the sentiment of the previous lines, and weaken the overall import of the passage. Due to their
prominent position in the original play (appearing in the opening passage), and being that they stand rather harmless,
they could remain; being that they weaken the passage, may have found their way into the text by error—and in
context of the emended opening about usury—these lines should be deleted. [See Additional Notes, 1.1.6]
21. / Your mind does toss like ships upon the wave
22. {Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood} / Like proud magnificoes° upon° the wave,
burghers: wealthy Venetians, rich citizens
23. {Or as it were the pageants of the sea} / Or like the grand water-floats of a pageant
/ Or like the festive pageants of the sea
pageants of the sea: floats and displays that were used on ships, as part of a festive pageantry held on the water.
Pageants, like modern-day floats used in a parade, refer to large displays (such as castles, ships, or other staged
figures) that were wheeled about the streets in ancient shows or pageants, or ships that provided such displays.
24. {Do overpeer the petty traffickers} / Where they but dwarf the petty traffickers
overpeer: peer over, look down on, tower above
petty traffickers: / petty trading ships / petty trade vessels / smaller merchant ship / smaller trading ships
25. {That curtsey to them, do them reverence} / That come to lower their topsails in reverence / That do but bow to
them in utter reverence / And moving them to curtsy low in reverence / Impelling them to bow in awe reverence
cursy (Q1 = cursie) / curtsy: bow down. Refers to the image of: a) small ships that bob around in the wake of a
passing argosy, which seemingly (and impelled by the wake) bow down or curtsy to these larger ships, or b) small
cargo ships which would lower their topmasts as a sign of respect at the passing of a much larger ship. In both
cases, there a show of reverence, akin to a tradesman bowing to a passing dignitary of higher rank
26. woven wing: The large sails on Antonio’s ships are likened to the wings of flying bird (for their speed) or to the
‘billowing splendor’ of the clothes worn by wealthy burghers.
27. / Were all my wealth involved in such ventures
28. {I should be still} / Each day I’d be
still: always
29. {Plucking the grass to know where sits the wind}
Tags-
William Shakespeare.
Merchant Of Venice.
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