The Merchant of Venice

Shakescleare Translation

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Merchant of Venice Translation

Act 3, Scene 4
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Enter PORTIA, NERISSA, LORENZO, JESSICA, and BALTHAZAR, a man of PORTIA’s

LORENZO
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.
5 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.

Madam, if I may say so in front of you, I believe you have the noble and true goodwill of a
god, which is most apparent in the way you are dealing with the absence of your
husband. If you knew the man whom you are helping, how honest a gentleman you are
sending relief to, how close a friend of your husband he is, then I know you would be even
prouder of what you are doing than you are now.

PORTIA
10 I never did repent for doing good,
Nor shall not now; for in companions
That do converse and waste the time together
Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must be needs a like proportion
15 Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit,
Which makes me think that this Antonio,
Being the bosom lover of my lord,
Must needs be like my lord. If it be so,
How little is the cost I have bestowed
20 In purchasing the semblance of my soul
From out the state of hellish cruelty!
This comes too near the praising of myself.
Therefore no more of it. Hear other things.
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands

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 25 The husbandry and manage of my house
Until my lord’s return.
For mine own part,
I have toward heaven breathed a secret vow
To live in prayer and contemplation,
30 Only attended by Nerissa here
Until her husband and my lord’s return.
There is a monastery two miles off,
And there will we abide. I do desire you
Not to deny this imposition,
35 The which my love and some necessity
Now lays upon you.

I have never regretted doing good, and I will not do so now. Friends who converse and
spend time together a lot, who love each other equally, share similar manners and spirit,
so I think that this Antonio, being so close to my husband, must be like him. If he is as
good as my husband, then it is a small sum of money that I have spent in purchasing his
rescue from hellish cruelty, since he resembles my soul, my husband. But I'm coming too
close to praising myself. Therefore I won't say anything more. Let's talk about something
else. Lorenzo, I put you in charge of managing my household until my husband returns. As
for myself, I have made a secret vow to heaven to live a life of prayer and contemplation,
accompanied only by Nerissa here, until both our husbands return. There is a monastery
two miles away where we will stay. I ask you not to refuse the duty I've asked of you,
which necessity and my love for you compels me to lay on you.

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

Madam, I will obey you with all my heart in your fair commands.

PORTIA
My people do already know my mind
40 And will acknowledge you and Jessica
In place of Lord Bassanio and myself.
So fare you well till we shall meet again.

My servants already know my intentions and will obey you and Jessica in place of Lord
Bassanio and me. Farewell until we meet again.

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 LORENZO
Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you!

May you have pleasant thoughts and happy times!

JESSICA
I wish your ladyship all heart’s content.

I wish you contentment, my lady.

PORTIA
45 I thank you for your wish, and am well pleased
To wish it back on you. Fare you well, Jessica.

Thank you for your wish, and I am pleased to wish you the same. Farewell, Jessica.

Exeunt JESSICA and LORENZO

Now, Balthazar,
As I have ever found thee honest true,
So let me find thee still.
50 [gives BALTHAZAR a letter]
Take this same letter,
And use thou all th' endeavour of a man
In speed to Padua. See thou render this
Into my cousin’s hands, Doctor Bellario.
55 And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagined speed
Unto the traject, to the common ferry
Which trades to Venice. Waste no time in words,
But get thee gone. I shall be there before thee.

Now, Balthazar, be honest and true as I have always found you to be in the past.

[She gives BALTHAZAR a letter] Take this letter and go as fast as you can to Padua. Give
the letter to my cousin, Doctor Bellario. Bring whatever notes and clothes he gives you
and take them with you as you catch the ferry to Venice as quickly as you possibly can.
Don't waste any time chitchatting; just go right away. I will be in Venice before you.

BALTHAZAR
60 Madam, I go with all convenient speed.

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 Madam, I will go as quickly as I can.

Exit BALTHAZAR

PORTIA
Come on, Nerissa, I have work in hand
That you yet know not of. We’ll see our husbands
Before they think of us.

Come on, Nerissa, I have a plan you don't know about yet. We'll see our husbands before
they even think of us.

NERISSA
Shall they see us?

Will they see us?

PORTIA
65 They shall, Nerissa, but in such a habit
That they shall think we are accomplishèd
With that we lack. I’ll hold thee any wager,
When we are both accoutred like young men,
I’ll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
70 And wear my dagger with the braver grace,
And speak between the change of man and boy
With a reed voice, and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride, and speak of frays
Like a fine bragging youth, and tell quaint lies,
75 How honorable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and died—
I could not do withal!— Then I’ll repent
And wish for all that, that I had not killed them.
And twenty of these puny lies I’ll tell,
80 That men shall swear I have discontinued school
Above a twelvemonth. I have within my mind
A thousand raw tricks of these bragging jacks
Which I will practice.

They will, Nerissa, but we will be dressed as the very thing we currently lack: men. I'll bet
you anything that when we are disguised as men I'll be the more handsome one, and I'll
carry my dagger with more manly bravery. My voice will sound high-pitched like a
teenager not yet a man, and I'll turn my womanly steps into a manly walk. I'll talk about

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 fights like a bragging young man and tell white lies about how honorable ladies sought
my love and practically died when I denied them because I couldn't be bothered with
them! And then I'll repent and say that I wish I hadn't caused their deaths. I'll tell twenty of
these little lies, and men will swear that I am just a year out of school. I have a thousand of
these little tricks and brags up my sleeve that I'll use.

NERISSA
Why, shall we turn to men?

Are we going to turn to men?

PORTIA
85 Fie, what a question’s that
If thou wert near a lewd interpreter!
But come, I’ll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park gate. And therefore haste away,
90 For we must measure twenty miles today.

What a question that is! Turn to men for sex? Is your mind in the gutter? But come with
me, and I'll tell you my whole plan when we're in the carriage waiting for us at the gate.
Hurry up, because we have twenty miles to travel today.

Exeunt

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