The Merchant of Venice
Act II, Scene 5
Venice. Before Shylock’s house.
From: Shylock and Jessica
1914
- Enter Shylock the Jew and his man that was, the Clown
- Launcelot.
Shylock
1 - 6- Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
- The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.—
- What, Jessica!—Thou shalt not gurmandize,
- As thou hast done with me—What, Jessica!—
- And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out—
- Why, Jessica, I say!
Launcelot
7- Why, Jessica!
Shylock
8- Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Launcelot
9- Your worship was wont to tell me I could do nothing without bidding.
- Enter Jessica.
Jessica
10- Call you? What is your will?
Shylock
11 - 18- I am bid forth to supper, Jessica.
- There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?
- I am not bid for love, they flatter me,
- But yet I’ll go in hate, to feed upon
- The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
- Look to my house. I am right loath to go;
- There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
- For I did dream of money-bags tonight.
Launcelot
19 - 20- I beseech you, sir, go. My young master doth expect your
- reproach.
Shylock
21- So do I his.
Launcelot
22 - 26- And they have conspir’d together. I will not say you shall
- see a masque, but if you do, then it was not for nothing
- that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Monday last at six a’
- clock i’ th’ morning, falling out that year on Ash We’n’sday
- was four year in th’ afternoon.
Shylock
27 - 38- What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:
- Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum
- And the vile squealing of the wry-neck’d fife,
- Clamber not you up to the casements then,
- Nor thrust your head into the public street
- To gaze on Christian fools with varnish’d faces;
- But stop my house’s ears, I mean my casements;
- Let not the sound of shallow fopp’ry enter
- My sober house. By Jacob’s staff I swear
- I have no mind of feasting forth tonight;
- But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah,
- Say I will come.
There are my keys.
From: Stories from Shakespeare
Gertrude Demain Hammond, 1910
Launcelot
39 - 42- I will go before, sir. Mistress, look out at window for all
- this—
- There will come a Christian by,
- Will be worth a Jewess’ eye.
- Exit.
Shylock
43- What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha?
Jessica
44- His words were “Farewell, mistress!”—nothing else.
Shylock
45 - 54- The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder,
- Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
- More than the wild-cat. Drones hive not with me,
- Therefore I part with him, and part with him
- To one that I would have him help to waste
- His borrowed purse. Well, Jessica, go in,
- Perhaps I will return immediately.
- Do as I bid you, shut doors after you;
- Fast bind, fast find—
- A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
- Exit.
Jessica
55 - 56- Farewell, and if my fortune be not cross’d,
- I have a father, you a daughter, lost.
- Exit.
Shylock and Jessica
1887