The Quality of Mercy: Christian Mercy, Jewish Vengeance - Every. Single. Time.

Christian Mercy, Jewish Vengeance: The Quality of Mercy

How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none?

“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, the world thinks, and I think so too,
That thou but leadest this fashion of thy malice
To the last hour of act, and then ’tis thought
Thou’lt show thy mercy and remorse more strange
Than is thy strange apparent cruelty;
And where thou now exacts the penalty,
Which is a pound of this poor merchant’s flesh,
Thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture,
But touch’d with humane gentleness and love,
Forgive a moi’ty of the principal,
Glancing an eye of pity on his losses,
That have of late so huddled on his back,
Enow to press a royal merchant down,
And pluck commiseration of his state
From brassy bosoms and rough hearts of flints,
From stubborn Turks, and Tartars never train’d
To offices of tender courtesy.
We all expect a gentle answer, Jew.

The Merchant of Venice, Excerpts, Act IV, Scene I: BBC Shakespeare Collection [1980]

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