ACT 1
Scene 1

...jest be laughable.
Enter Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano.

...attend on yours.
My Lord Bassanio, since you have found Antonio,
We two will leave you. But at dinner time
I pray you have in mind where we must meet.

...exhortation after dinner.
Well, we will leave you then till dinner time.
I must be one of these same dumb wise men,
For Gratiano never lets me speak.

...maid not vendible.
Gratiano and Lorenzo exit.

ACT 2
Scene 4

...thy loving wife.
Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino, and Solanio.
Nay, we will slink away in supper time,
Disguise us at my lodging, and return
All in an hour.

...mind not undertook.
’Tis now but four o’clock. We have two hours
To furnish us.

Enter Lancelet.
Friend Lancelet, what’s the news?

...seem to signify.
Handing him Jessica’s letter.
I know the hand; in faith, ’tis a fair hand,
And whiter than the paper it writ on
Is the fair hand that writ.

...your leave, sir.
Whither goest thou?

...master the Christian.
Hold here, take this. Giving him money.
Tell gentle Jessica
I will not fail her. Speak it privately.
Go, gentlemen,
Will you prepare you for this masque tonight?
I am provided of a torchbearer.

...so will I.
Meet me and Gratiano
At Gratiano’s lodging some hour hence.

...from fair Jessica?
I must needs tell thee all. She hath directed
How I shall take her from her father’s house,
What gold and jewels she is furnished with,
What page’s suit she hath in readiness.
If e’er the Jew her father come to heaven,
It will be for his gentle daughter’s sake;
And never dare misfortune cross her foot
Unless she do it under this excuse,
That she is issue to a faithless Jew.
Come, go with me. Peruse this as thou goest; Handing him the letter.
Fair Jessica shall be my torchbearer.
They exit.

Scene 6

...the strumpet wind!
Enter Lorenzo.

...of this hereafter.
Sweet friends, your patience for my long abode.
Not I but my affairs have made you wait.
When you shall please to play the thieves for wives,
I’ll watch as long for you then. Approach.
Here dwells my father Jew.—Ho! Who’s within?

...know your tongue.
Lorenzo, and thy love.

...I am yours?
Heaven and thy thoughts are witness that thou art.

...to a boy.
Descend, for you must be my torchbearer.

...should be obscured.
So are you, sweet,
Even in the lovely garnish of a boy.
But come at once,
For the close night doth play the runaway,
And we are stayed for at Bassanio’s feast.

...and no Jew!
Beshrew me but I love her heartily,
For she is wise, if I can judge of her,
And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true,
And true she is, as she hath proved herself.
And therefore, like herself, wise, fair, and true,
Shall she be placèd in my constant soul.

Enter Jessica, below.
What, art thou come? On, gentleman, away!
Our masquing mates by this time for us stay.
All but Gratiano exit.

ACT 3
Scene 2

...and stake down.
Enter Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio, a messenger from Venice.

...are entirely welcome.
to Bassanio
I thank your Honor. For my part, my lord,
My purpose was not to have seen you here,
But meeting with Salerio by the way,
He did entreat me past all saying nay
To come with him along.

...’twixt us twain.
They exit.

Scene 4

...I care not.
Enter Portia, Nerissa, Lorenzo, Jessica, and Balthazar, a man of Portia’s.
Madam, although I speak it in your presence,
You have a noble and a true conceit
Of godlike amity, which appears most strongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.
But if you knew to whom you show this honor,
How true a gentleman you send relief,
How dear a lover of my lord your husband,
I know you would be prouder of the work
Than customary bounty can enforce you.

...lays upon you.
Madam, with all my heart.
I shall obey you in all fair commands.

...shall meet again.
Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you!

...you well, Jessica.
Lorenzo and Jessica exit.

Scene 5

...coals for money.
Enter Lorenzo.

...Here he comes.
I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Lancelet,
if you thus get my wife into corners!

...price of pork.
I shall answer that better to the commonwealth
than you can the getting up of the Negro’s
belly! The Moor is with child by you, Lancelet.

...took her for.
How every fool can play upon the word! I
think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into
silence, and discourse grow commendable in none
only but parrots. Go in, sirrah, bid them prepare for
dinner.

...have all stomachs.
Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you!
Then bid them prepare dinner.

...is the word.
Will you cover, then, sir?

...know my duty.
Yet more quarreling with occasion! Wilt
thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an
instant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his
plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the
table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to
dinner.

...conceits shall govern.
O dear discretion, how his words are suited!
The fool hath planted in his memory
An army of good words, and I do know
A many fools that stand in better place,
Garnished like him, that for a tricksy word
Defy the matter. How cheer’st thou, Jessica?
And now, good sweet, say thy opinion
How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio’s wife?

...not her fellow.
Even such a husband
Hast thou of me as she is for a wife.

...too of that!
I will anon. First let us go to dinner.

...have a stomach!
No, pray thee, let it serve for table talk.
Then howsome’er thou speak’st, ’mong other things
I shall digest it.

...set you forth.
They exit.

ACT 5
Scene 1

...to this house?
Enter Lorenzo and Jessica.
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 Trojan walls
And sighed his soul toward the Grecian tents
Where Cressid lay that night.

...ran dismayed away.
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.

...renew old Aeson.
In such a night
Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,
And with an unthrift love did run from Venice
As far as Belmont.

...a true one.
In such a night
Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

...Stephano, a Messenger.
Who comes so fast in silence of the night?

... A friend.
A friend? What friend? Your name, I pray you, friend.

...happy wedlock hours.
Who comes with her?

...master yet returned?
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.

...ho! Sola, sola!
Who calls?

...Lorenzo, sola, sola!
Leave holloaing, man! Here.

...Sola! Where, where?
Here!

...morning, sweet soul.
to Jessica
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.
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 patens of bright gold.
There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still choiring 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 Stephano and musicians.
Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn.
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear,
And draw her home with music.

...hear sweet music.
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 turned to a modest gaze
By the sweet power of music. Therefore the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods,
Since naught 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.

...awaked! Music ceases.
That is the voice,
Or I am much deceived, of Portia.

...the bad voice.
Dear lady, welcome home.

...Are they returned?
Madam, they are not yet,
But there is come a messenger before
To signify their coming.

...A trumpet sounds.
Your husband is at hand. I hear his trumpet.
We are no tell-tales, madam, fear you not.

...without a fee.
Handing him a paper.

...dies possessed of.
Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way
Of starvèd people.

...safe Nerissa’s ring.
They exit.