The quality of mercy is not ;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place . It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons . Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see : we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give 'gainst the merchant there.
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
Answer:
These words are spoken by Portia, a wealthy and beautiful heiress disguised as a young lawyer acting on behalf of Antonio, the friend of her (now) husband Bassanio. The backgound is that Antonio borrowed a substantial sum of money from Shylock the Jew with a view to it being used to finance Bassanio's (by now successful) pursuit of Portia's hand in marriage. Antonio's ships have been lost at sea, rendering him unable to repay the loan, and Shylock is demanding his literal pound of flesh, which was the condition of the loan. The disguised Portia uses some fine legal quibbling to dissuade Shylock from exacting his threat, and Antonio is thus saved.
Portia's plea for mercy and compassion is in stark contrast to the greed and materialism that held sway in the Venice of the day, and the fact that it wins out is perhaps a sign that goodness can sometimes prevail over evil and revenge. Another theme of the play is the conflict between Christianity and Judaism.
The play is classed as a comedy, although it verges dangerously close to tragedy when Shylock prepares to sharpen his knife to excise his pound of flesh from Antonio's body.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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