The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 3 runs 21 lines of dialogue, spoken by 2 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 140 lines. This scene is part of Act 2 of The Merchant of Venice.
Full Dialogue
Jessica ♀
I am sorry thou wilt leave my father so:
Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness.
But fare thee well, there is a ducat for thee:
And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest:
Give him this letter; do it secretly;
And so farewell: I would not have my father
See me in talk with thee.
Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness.
But fare thee well, there is a ducat for thee:
And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest:
Give him this letter; do it secretly;
And so farewell: I would not have my father
See me in talk with thee.
Launcelot ♂
Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue. Most beautiful
pagan, most sweet Jew! if a Christian did not play
the knave and get thee, I am much deceived. But,
adieu: these foolish drops do something drown my
manly spirit: adieu.
pagan, most sweet Jew! if a Christian did not play
the knave and get thee, I am much deceived. But,
adieu: these foolish drops do something drown my
manly spirit: adieu.
Jessica ♀
Farewell, good Launcelot.
Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child!
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian and thy loving wife.
Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child!
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian and thy loving wife.
21 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Jessica | 16 | 76.2% |
| Launcelot | 5 | 23.8% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 16 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 11 lines.
Total speakers on stage
2 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 2
This is Scene 3 of 9 in Act 2 of The Merchant of Venice.
Scene length vs. play average
At 21 lines, this scene is shorter than the The Merchant of Venice average scene in The Merchant of Venice (~140 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 2 Scene 2 · Next: Act 2 Scene 4