The Merchant of Venice illustration

The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

Act 2, Scene 5

Original Text

Enter Shylock the Jew and Launcelet his man that was the clown. SHYLOCK. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge, The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.— What, Jessica!—Thou shalt not gormandize As thou hast done with me;—What, Jessica!— And sleep, and snore, and rend apparel out. Why, Jessica, I say!

Original Text

LAUNCELET. Why, Jessica! SHYLOCK. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call. LAUNCELET. Your worship was wont to tell me I could do nothing without bidding.

Original Text

Enter Jessica. JESSICA. Call you? What is your will? SHYLOCK. 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.

Original Text

LAUNCELET. I beseech you, sir, go. My young master doth expect your reproach. SHYLOCK. So do I his. LAUNCELET. And they have conspired 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 o’clock i’ th’ morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in th’ afternoon.

Original Text

SHYLOCK. 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.

Original Text

LAUNCELET. 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.

Original Text

[_Exit Launcelet._] SHYLOCK. What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha? JESSICA. His words were “Farewell, mistress,” nothing else.

Original Text

SHYLOCK. 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.

Original Text

[_Exit._] JESSICA. Farewell, and if my fortune be not crost, I have a father, you a daughter, lost.

Original Text

[_Exit._]

Act 2, Scene 5