The Merchant of Venice, Act 3 Scene 3 runs 39 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 3 of The Merchant of Venice.
Full Dialogue
Shylock ♂
Gaoler, look to him: tell not me of mercy;
This is the fool that lent out money gratis:
Gaoler, look to him.
This is the fool that lent out money gratis:
Gaoler, look to him.
Antonio ♂
Hear me yet, good Shylock.
Shylock ♂
I'll have my bond; speak not against my bond:
I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond.
Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause;
But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs:
The duke shall grant me justice. I do wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond.
Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause;
But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs:
The duke shall grant me justice. I do wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
Antonio ♂
I pray thee, hear me speak.
Shylock ♂
I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee speak:
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more.
I'll not be made a soft and dull-eyed fool,
To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield
To Christian intercessors. Follow not;
I'll have no speaking: I will have my bond.
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more.
I'll not be made a soft and dull-eyed fool,
To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield
To Christian intercessors. Follow not;
I'll have no speaking: I will have my bond.
Salarino ♂
It is the most impenetrable cur
That ever kept with men.
That ever kept with men.
Antonio ♂
Let him alone:
I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers.
He seeks my life; his reason well I know:
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures
Many that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.
I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers.
He seeks my life; his reason well I know:
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures
Many that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.
Salarino ♂
I am sure the duke
Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.
Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.
Antonio ♂
The duke cannot deny the course of law:
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice, if it be denied,
Will much impeach the justice of his state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go:
These griefs and losses have so bated me,
That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
To-morrow to my bloody creditor.
Well, gaoler, on. Pray God, Bassanio come
To see me pay his debt, and then I care not!
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice, if it be denied,
Will much impeach the justice of his state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go:
These griefs and losses have so bated me,
That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
To-morrow to my bloody creditor.
Well, gaoler, on. Pray God, Bassanio come
To see me pay his debt, and then I care not!
39 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio | 19 | 48.7% |
| Shylock | 16 | 41.0% |
| Salarino | 4 | 10.3% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 19 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 13 lines.
Total speakers on stage
3 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 3
This is Scene 3 of 5 in Act 3 of The Merchant of Venice.
Scene length vs. play average
At 39 lines, this scene is shorter than the The Merchant of Venice average scene in The Merchant of Venice (~140 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 3 Scene 2 · Next: Act 3 Scene 4