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nydus/The Merchant of VenicePublic

To help his friend Bassanio woo the beautiful Portia, the Venetian merchant Antonio borrows a large sum from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender.

Page 28 of 161
Table of Contents

Act I

Antonio
This was a venture, sir, that Jacob served for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But sway’d and fashion’d by the hand of heaven.
Was this inserted to make interest good?
Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams?
Shylock
I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast:
But note me, signior.
Antonio
Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
Shylock
Three thousand ducats; ’tis a good round sum.
Three months from twelve; then, let me see; the rate⁠—
Antonio
Well, Shylock, shall we be beholding to you?
Shylock
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances:
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,
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