Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 1 and 2 Summary, Act 5 Summary

Act 4 - Scene 1

In the longest and most emotional scene of the play, Antonio faces trial for Bassanio's loan. The Duke of Venice greets expresses pity for Antonio, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. Antonio declares that he is ready to suffer quietly. He knows that the Duke has done everything he can within the law to help him.   The Duke summons Shylock into the courtroom and addresses him, saying that he believes that Shylock means only to frighten Antonio by extending this drama. Shylock is adamant, however; he wants the penalty of a pound of flesh as repayment for the three thousand ducats. Shylock offers no explanation for his insistence. Shylock hates Antonio, and for him that is reason enough.   Bassanio attempts to reason with Shylock but he fails. Antonio tells Bassanio that he is wasting his time. He himself asks for no further pleas; he begs that judgment be quickly given. Bassanio cannot believe that his friend is serious. He offers six thousand ducats, but Shylock refuses. When the Duke asks Shylock how he expects to receive mercy when he offers none, Shylock replies that he has no need for mercy, as he has done nothing wrong. He compares his wanting of flesh to the slave-owning Christians who were unwilling to free the Jews.   The Duke announces that he has summoned Doctor Bellario, a lawyer, to come and make a judgement. This case is too much for one man to render a single opinion on; therefore, Shylock's demand for judgment will have to wait, and he will have to cease his demand or else the court will be dismissed.   Bassanio tries, without much success, to cheer up the despairing Antonio, vowing that he himself shall give Shylock his own life in place of Antonio's.   Nerissa enters the courtroom disguised as a lawyer's clerk, giving the Duke a letter from Doctor Bellario. As the Duke reads the letter, Shylock sharpens his knife on the sole of his shoe to the horror of Antonio's friends. The Duke announces that Doctor Bellario is ill and cannot come to court and that he has sent a young lawyer named Balthasar as his replacement.   Portia enters, disguised as Balthasar. The Duke welcomes her and asks whether she is familiar with the circumstances of the case. Portia answers that she knows the case well, and the Duke calls Shylock and Antonio before her. She asks Antonio if his bond is a valid one, and he admits that it is. She then tells him that Shylock must be merciful. This shocks Shylock and in one of the most famous speeches in the play, he questions why he must be merciful.    She continues and says that mercy is an attribute of God. It is freely bestowed to temper justice, and those who grant mercy ennoble themselves, especially those people who have the power to dispense punishment and yet award mercy instead. Shylock brushes aside her speech, however, by reiterating his demands for justice and revenge.   Portia asks whether Antonio is able to pay the money, and Bassanio offers Shylock twice the sum owed and he is willing to pay the bond ten times over, or with his own life. Bassanio begs the court to bend the law, reasoning that such a small infraction is a little wrong for a great right. Portia pronounces that Venetian law is indeed binding. Thus, Antonio's bond is legal, and Shylock can collect the pound of flesh.   Portia orders Shylock to have a surgeon on hand to prevent Antonio from bleeding to death, but Shylock refuses because it wasn't stated in the terms of the loan. Antonio says goodbye to Bassanio, telling him not to mourn for his death.  Both Bassanio and Gratiano say that they would give up everything, including their wives, in order to save Antonio. Portia and Nerissa mutter that they are unlikely to appreciate such sentiments.    Shylock is impatient to start taking his pound of flesh, but is interrupted by Portia. She says their loan stipulates a pound of flesh only, and nothing else. She urges Shylock to continue collecting his pound of flesh, but reminds him that if a drop of blood is spilled, then he will be guilty of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen and all his lands and goods will be confiscated by the state.    Shylock realises that he has been foiled, saying that he is now willing to take Bassanio's offer of three times the amount of the bond. However, Portia denies him this, saying he can only have the pound of flesh.    Portia reminds Shylock of the penalty that non-citizens face when they threaten the life of a Venetian. In such a case, half of Shylock’s property would go to the state, while the other half would go to Antonio. She tells Shylock that she has seen sufficient proof that Shylock seeks Antonio's life both directly and indirectly and tells him to beg for mercy from the Duke.    The Duke declares that he will show Shylock mercy, sparing his life and asking only for a fine. Shylock says that they may as well take his life because it is worthless without his money. Antonio also shows him mercy, offering to return his share of Shylock’s estate on two conditions: Shylock converts to Christianity and gives all of his money to Jessica and Lorenzo upon his death. Shylock agrees and leaves the court.   The Duke invites the young lawyer to dinner, but Portia declines. She also declines Bassanio's offer of three thousand ducats as her legal fee. Bassanio and Antonio insist that she take something so they can show their gratitude. Portia finally agrees and asks for Antonio's gloves and Bassanio's ring. Bassanio says she can ask for anything except the ring. It was a present from his wife, who made him promise never to part with it. Antonio urges Bassanio to give her the ring.   Bassanio gives in and sends Gratiano to run after Portia and present her with the ring. Antonio and Bassanio then leave for Antonio’s house to plan their trip to Belmont.

Act 4 - Scene 1 (2)

Analysis: Sympathy surrounds Antonio in this climactic scene, but dramatic sympathy is also structured around the solitary figure of Shylock. He is an intensely sympathetic figure here, alone in his solitude, surrounded on all sides by his enemies. This will be even more striking at the moment of his defeat.   The purpose of Shylock's speech about slavery is not to condemn the institution of slavery, nor to urge its eradication, but to express that his urges simply mirror those already found among wealthy Venetians, and to demand that his desires be greeted with the same respect.   Audiences in Elizabethan England most likely met Shylock’s demise with something like Gratiano’s cruel and ecstatic glee. In a society that not only craved cultural homogeneity but took drastic measures to attain it, few would have been troubled by the implications of Shylock’s forced conversion.    The outcome of the court case makes The Merchant of Venice's ending atypical of Shakespeare’s comedies, which usually feature a wedding as a means of restoring rightness to the world. Here, however, the lovers are already wed, and the aftertaste of Shylock’s trial is rather bitter, especially to modern audiences.    Since this is the central scene of the play and since it turns on our interpretation of Shylock, it follows that the way we see Shylock here determines the way we see the whole play. If he is played as a near-tragic figure, the conflict between mercy and justice is to some extent obscured. Shylock is left stripped of his daughter, his property, and his religion. That seems a harsh judgment; at times, it is difficult to see Shylock as anything but a figure of pathos.    Love and hate are contrasting themes in this play, and since Shylock is slowly revealed to be the embodiment of hate, there is a satisfying kind of justice in his riches going to a Lorenzo and Jessica.    Important Quotes: "What if my house be troubled with a rat, And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats To have it baned? What, are you answered yet? Some men there are love not a gaping pig, Some that are mad if they behold a cat, And others when the bagpipe sings i’th’ nose Cannot contain their urine; for affection, Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood Of what it likes or loathes. . . . . . . So can I give no reason, nor I will not, More than a lodged hate and a certain loathing I bear Antonio, that I follow thus A losing suit against him. Are you answered? " - Shylock   This speech merits consideration not only because it articulates a range of emotions that often cannot be verbally expressed, but also because Shylock’s language patterns reinforce our impression of his character. The use of repetition in the passage is frequent. Shylock’s tightly controlled speech reflects the narrow and determined focus of his quest to satisfy his hatred.   "You have among you many a purchased slave Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts Because you bought them. Shall I say to you ’Let them be free, marry them to your heirs. Why sweat they under burdens?. . .  . . . You will answer ’The slaves are ours.’ So do I answer you. The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought. ‘Tis mine, and I will have it." - Shylock   "The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. . . . . . . It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings; It is an attribute to God himself, And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this: That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, And that same prayer doth teach us all to render  The deeds of mercy." -  Portia  Portia reveals her skills by appealing to Shylock's methodical mind in this speech. Her argument draws on a careful process of reasoning rather than emotion. Portia warns Shylock that his quest for justice without mercy may result in his own damnation. Portia’s speech casts mercy as a polarizing issue between Judaism and Christianity. Although it seems as if Portia is offering an appeal, in retrospect her speech becomes an ultimatum, a final chance for Shylock to save himself before Portia crushes his legal arguments.   "That ’scuse serves many men to save their gifts. An if your wife be not a madwoman, And know how well I have deserved the ring, She would not hold out enemy forever For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you." - Portia

Act 4 - Scene 2

Portia sends Nerissa to make sure that Shylock signs the deed that will leave his fortune to Jessica and Lorenzo.    Before they leave for Belmont, Gratiano enters, offering Bassanio’s ring to Portia. Portia accepts the ring and asks Gratiano to show Nerissa to Shylock’s house. Nerissa tells Portia that she will try to convince Gratiano to part with his ring as Bassanio did.   Portia is delighted at her friend's plan. She is certain that Nerissa will succeed, and then both of them will have a merry time hearing their husbands try to explain how and why they gave their wedding rings away to other men.   Analysis: It is almost a commonplace that in every one of Shakespeare's romantic comedies, the women emerge as shrewder and wittier than the men. The same is true here; we see Portia and Nerissa outsmart their husbands and get them to hand over the rings they promised to keep.   This scene brings back the comedic tone of the play, bringing the play to its conclusion in the next scene.   Important Quotes: "We shall have old swearing That they did give the rings away to men. But we’ll outface them, and outswear them too." - Portia

Act 5 - Scene 1

In Belmont, Jessica and Lorenzo compare themselves to famous lovers from classical literature, like Troilus and Cressida, Pyramus and Thisbe, and Dido and Aeneas. The couple go back and forth declaring their love for each other when Jessica hears someone approaching. A messenger enters telling them that Portia will return before the next day. Launcelot enters and is delighted that Bassanio will also be returning the next day.   Lorenzo calls for music, and he and Jessica sit on a grassy bank beneath the stars. Portia and Nerissa enter and pause to listen. Lorenzo hears Portia talking to Nerissa and recognizes it immediately. He welcomes her home, and Portia gives orders that no one is to mention her absence. Then, as dawn is about to break, a trumpet announces the arrival of Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano, and their followers.   Portia greets Bassanio, who introduces her to Antonio, who reports in turn that he has been acquitted in the courts of Venice. They are interrupted, however, by Gratiano and Nerissa, who start to argue about the ring. Nerissa chastises her husband not for hurting her feelings, but for breaking his own promise. Gratiano insists that he gave the ring to a lawyer’s clerk as a fee, and Portia criticizes him for parting with so precious a gift, saying that her own husband would never have parted with his ring.    Gratiano reveals that Bassanio also gave his ring away to the lawyer. Both wives pretend to be shocked and angry, and they vow never to sleep with their husbands until they see their wedding rings again. Bassanio pleads with Portia to understand that he gave the ring to a worthy man to whom he was indebted, but Portia dismisses him, saying it is more likely that Bassanio gave the ring to another woman. Portia vows to be equally unfaithful, threatening to offer the same worthy man anything she owns, including her body or her husband’s bed.    Antonio steps in, asking the women to accept his soul should either Bassanio or Gratiano prove unfaithful again. Portia and Nerissa give each of their husbands their ring, claiming that they slept with the gentlemen in order to get back the rings. Before the men get upset, Portia explains that she was the lawyer Balthasar at the trial of Antonio, and Nerissa was her clerk.    Antonio receives news that some of his ships have miraculously arrived in port, and Lorenzo is told that he will inherit Shylock’s fortune. The company rejoices in its collective good fortune.   Analysis: This final scene is much lighter in tone than the trial scene in the previous act. The opening dialogue between Lorenzo and Jessica reestablishes the atmosphere of harmony and humour.  Their dialogue is used to create the general atmosphere of love and night and moonlight, thus establishing the tone of the scene. Lorenzo introduces the theme of love and moonlight with two speeches of great beauty.   Despite there being a happy ending, Shakespeare loads the final scene with the themes of misunderstanding and betrayal between the lovers. Portia and Nerissa work their husbands into a frenzy, but they also know when to stop. These themes also play into the comedic tone of the play; one of the comic elements in the scene is the righteous confusion into which Bassanio and Gratiano are thrown.    Ending the comedy with the ring story serves two purposes. Firstly, Bassanio and Gratiano discover who Antonio's true saviors were. Secondly, there is always the threat of anticlimax at the end of a romantic comedy, when all the loose ends are tied up and the lovers are all reunited. This is uniquely, usually, not the case with Shakespeare. He had a keen sense of the bawdy, and here he tempers his romantic scene with comedy in order to suggest that these lovers are very human lovers; their marriages will have their misunderstandings, but all this can be overcome with the aid of love and with another ingredient, a good sense of humor.   Important Quotes: "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" - Lorenzo   "The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stategems, and spoils. The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus." - Lorenzo   "You were to blame, I must be plain with you, To part so slightly with your wife’s first gift, A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger And so riveted with faith unto your flesh                                                                                                                                                                                         I gave my love a ring and made him swear Never to part with it. And here he stands. I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it Nor pluck it from his finger for the wealth That the world masters." Portia