directory
home contact

The Merchant of Venice

Please see the bottom of this page for helpful resources.

ACT IV SCENE II The same. A street. 
[Enter PORTIA and NERISSA]
PORTIAInquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed
And let him sign it: we'll away to-night
And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.
[Enter GRATIANO]
GRATIANOFair sir, you are well o'erta'en
My Lord Bassanio upon more advice
Hath sent you here this ring, and doth entreat
Your company at dinner.
PORTIAThat cannot be:
His ring I do accept most thankfully:
And so, I pray you, tell him: furthermore,10
I pray you, show my youth old Shylock's house.
GRATIANOThat will I do.
NERISSASir, I would speak with you.
[Aside to PORTIA]
I'll see if I can get my husband's ring,
Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.
PORTIA[Aside to NERISSA] Thou mayst, I warrant.
We shall have old swearing15
That they did give the rings away to men;
But we'll outface them, and outswear them too.
[Aloud]
Away! make haste: thou knowist where I will tarry.
NERISSACome, good sir, will you show me to this house?
[Exeunt]

Next: The Merchant of Venice, Act 5, Scene 1

______

Explanatory Notes for Act 4, Scene 2
From The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Felix E. Schelling. New York: American Book Co.


Notice the care with which Portia, as Balthasar, carries out her professional duty in sending the deed to Shylock for his signature; and how her request that Gratiano show the way to the Jew's house affords to Nerissa an opportunity to get back her ring from her husband also.

15. old swearing, great, plenty of swearing.

How to cite the explanatory notes:
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Felix E. Schelling. New York: American Book Co., 1903. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2011. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/merchant_4_2.html >.
______

Related Articles

 Setting, Atmosphere and the Unsympathetic Venetians in The Merchant of Venice
 Themes in The Merchant of Venice
 A Merry Devil: Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice
 Three Interpretations of Shylock

 Introduction to Shylock
 Shakespeare Sisterhood: Exploring the Character of Portia
 Exploring the Nature of Shakespearean Comedy
 How to Pronounce the Names in The Merchant of Venice

 The Character of Antonio
 The Merchant of Venice: Q & A
 Conflicts of Law and Equity in The Merchant of Venice
 Shakespeare's Second Period: Exploring The Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet

 The Merchant of Venice: Plot Summary
 Famous Quotations from The Merchant of Venice
 Shakespeare Quotations (by Play and Theme)
 Quotations About William Shakespeare

 Why Shakespeare is so Important
 Shakespeare's Language
 Shakespeare's Boss: The Master of Revels

 Shakespeare Timeline: Part 1 (1558-1599)
 A Shakespeare Timeline: Part 2 (1600-1604)
 A Shakespeare Timeline: Part 3 (1605-1616)