Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Dramatis Perfonæ.

DUKE of Venice.

Morochius, a Moorish Prince,

}

Suiters to Portia.

Prince of Arragon,

Anthonio, the Merchant of Venice.

Bassanio, his Friend, in love with Portia.

Salanio,

Solarino,

Gratiano,

Friends to Anthonio and Baffanio.

Lorenzo, in love with Jeffica.

Shylock, a Jew.

Tubal, a Jew, his Friend.

Launcelot, a Clown, Servant to the Jew.
Gobbo, an old Man, Father to Launcelot.
Leonardo, Servant to Baffanio.

Balthazar,

}

Servants to Portia.

Stephano,

Portia, an Heirefs of great Quality and Fortune.

Neriffa, Confident to Portia.

Jeffica, Daughter to Shylock.

Senators of Venice, Officers, Jailer, Servants and other Attendants.

SCENE, partly at Venice; and partly at Belmont, the Seat of Portia upon the Continent.

THE

THE

MERCHANT of VENICE.

A C T I. SCENE I.

A Street in Venice.

Enter Anthonio, Solarino, and Salanio.
ANTHONIO.

IN footh, I know not why I am fo fad :
It wearies me; you fay, it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What ftuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
am to learn

I

And fuch a want-wit fadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Sal. Your mind is toffing on the ocean;
There, where your *Argofies with portly Sail,
Like figniors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or as it were the pageants of the Sea,
Do over-peer the petty traffickers,

That curtly to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.
Sola. Believe me, Sir, had I fuch venture forth,
The better part of my affections would
Be with my hopes abroad. I fhould be ftill
Plucking the grafs, to know where fits the wind;
Peering in maps for ports, and peers, and roads;
And every object, that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
Would make me fad.

Argoly, a Ship from Argo.

Mr. Pope.

Sal.

Sal. My wind, cooling my broth,

Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
I fhould not fee the fandy hour-glofs run,
But I fhould think of fhallows and of flats;
And fee my wealthy Andrew dock'd in fand,
Vailing her high top lower than her ribs,
To kifs her burial.

Should I go to church,

And fee the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me ftrait of dang'rous rocks?
Which, touching but my gentle veffel's fide,
Would scatter all the spices on the ftream,
Enrobe the roaring waters with my filks;
And in a word, but even now worth this,
And now worth nothing. Shall I have the thought
To think on this, and fhall I lack the thought,
That such a thing, bechanc'd, would make me fad?
But tell not me ;- I know, Anthonio

Is fad to think upon his merchandize.

Anth. Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it, My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,

Nor to one place; nor is my whole eftate
Upon the fortune of this present year:
Therefore, my merchandize makes me not sad.
Sola. Why then you are in love.

Anth. Fie, fie!

Sola. Not in love neither! then let's fay, you're fad, Because you are not merry; and 'twere as easy For you to laugh and leap, and fay, you're merry, Because you are not fad. *Now by two-headed Janus, Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time: Some that will evermore peep through their eyes, And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper; And others of fuch vinegar-aspect,

*

[ocr errors]

That

Now by two-headed Janus,] Here Shakespear fhews his Knowledge in the antique. By two-headed Janus is meant those antique bifrontine Heads, which generally reprefent a young and smiling

Face

« ZurückWeiter »