The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 5 runs 57 lines of dialogue, spoken by 3 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
Shylock ♂
Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:–
What, Jessica!–thou shalt not gormandise,
As thou hast done with me:–What, Jessica!–
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out;–
Why, Jessica, I say!
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:–
What, Jessica!–thou shalt not gormandise,
As thou hast done with me:–What, Jessica!–
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out;–
Why, Jessica, I say!
Launcelot ♂
Why, Jessica!
Shylock ♂
Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Launcelot ♂
Your worship was wont to tell me that
I could do nothing without bidding.
I could do nothing without bidding.
Jessica ♀
Call you? what is your will?
Shylock ♂
I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:
There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house. I am right loath to go:
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.
There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house. I am right loath to go:
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.
Launcelot ♂
I beseech you, sir, go: my young master doth expect
your reproach.
your reproach.
Shylock ♂
So do I his.
Launcelot ♂
An they have conspired together, I will not say you
shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not
for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on
Black-Monday last at six o'clock i' the morning,
falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four
year, in the afternoon.
shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not
for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on
Black-Monday last at six o'clock i' the morning,
falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four
year, in the afternoon.
Shylock ♂
What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces,
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements:
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear,
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;
Say I will come.
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces,
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements:
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear,
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;
Say I will come.
Launcelot ♂
I will go before, sir. Mistress, look out at
window, for all this, There will come a Christian
boy, will be worth a Jewess' eye.
window, for all this, There will come a Christian
boy, will be worth a Jewess' eye.
Shylock ♂
What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?
Jessica ♀
His words were 'Farewell mistress;' nothing else.
Shylock ♂
The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder;
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than the wild-cat: drones hive not with me;
Therefore I part with him, and part with him
To one that would have him help to waste
His borrow'd purse. Well, Jessica, go in;
Perhaps I will return immediately:
Do as I bid you; shut doors after you:
Fast bind, fast find;
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than the wild-cat: drones hive not with me;
Therefore I part with him, and part with him
To one that would have him help to waste
His borrow'd purse. Well, Jessica, go in;
Perhaps I will return immediately:
Do as I bid you; shut doors after you:
Fast bind, fast find;
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
Jessica ♀
Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost,
I have a father, you a daughter, lost.
I have a father, you a daughter, lost.
57 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Shylock | 39 | 68.4% |
| Launcelot | 14 | 24.6% |
| Jessica | 4 | 7.0% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 39 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 19 lines.
Total speakers on stage
3 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 2
This is Scene 5 of 9 in Act 2 of The Merchant of Venice.
Scene length vs. play average
At 57 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 4 · Next: Act 2 Scene 6
About Act 2 Scene 5 of The Merchant of Venice
Who carries Act 2 Scene 5 of The Merchant of Venice?
Shylock, with 39 lines — about 68% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 3 speakers and the lead holding 68% of the lines, this scene is a showcase for the lead voice.