Enter Lancelet Gobbo the Clown, alone. LANCELET Certainly my conscience will serve me to
run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine
elbow and tempts me, saying to me “Gobbo,
Lancelet Gobbo, good Lancelet,” or “good Gobbo,”
or “good Lancelet Gobbo, use your legs, take 5
the start, run away.” My conscience says “No. Take
heed, honest Lancelet, take heed, honest Gobbo,”
or, as aforesaid, “honest Lancelet Gobbo, do not
run; scorn running with thy heels.” Well, the most
courageous fiend bids me pack. “Fia!” says the 10
fiend. “Away!” says the fiend. “For the heavens,
rouse up a brave mind,” says the fiend, “and run!”
Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my
heart, says very wisely to me “My honest friend
Lancelet, being an honest man’s son”—or rather, 15
an honest woman’s son, for indeed my father did
something smack, something grow to—he had a
kind of taste—well, my conscience says “Lancelet,
budge not.” “Budge,” says the fiend. “Budge not,”
says my conscience. “Conscience,” say I, “you 20
counsel well.” “Fiend,” say I, “you counsel well.”
To be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the
Jew my master, who (God bless the mark) is a kind
of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I should be
ruled by the fiend, who (saving your reverence) is 25
the devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil
incarnation, and, in my conscience, my conscience
is but a kind of hard conscience to offer to counsel
me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more
friendly counsel. I will run, fiend. My heels are at 30
your commandment. I will run. | Lancelet Gobbo, Shylock's servant, stands before Shylock's house, having a very serious and hilariously muddled conversation with himself about his desire to quit his job. He says his conscience tells him to stay with Shylock out of loyalty, but some fiend in his brain is telling him he should run away. He reasons crookedly: since his conscience tells him to stay with the devil incarnate, clearly the thing to do is run away, loyalty be damned. |
Enter old Gobbo with a basket. GOBBO Master young man, you, I pray you, which is
the way to Master Jew’s? LANCELET, aside O heavens, this is my true begotten
father, who being more than sandblind, high gravelblind, 35
knows me not. I will try confusions with him. GOBBO Master young gentleman, I pray you, which is
the way to Master Jew’s? LANCELET Turn up on your right hand at the next
turning, but at the next turning of all on your left; 40
marry, at the very next turning, turn of no hand,
but turn down indirectly to the Jew’s house. GOBBO Be God’s sonties, ’twill be a hard way to hit.
Can you tell me whether one Lancelet, that dwells
with him, dwell with him or no? 45 LANCELET Talk you of young Master Lancelet? Aside.
Mark me now, now will I raise the waters.—Talk
you of young Master Lancelet? GOBBO No master, sir, but a poor man’s son. His
father, though I say ’t, is an honest exceeding poor 50
man and, God be thanked, well to live. LANCELET Well, let his father be what he will, we talk
of young Master Lancelet. GOBBO Your Worship’s friend, and Lancelet, sir. LANCELET But I pray you, ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech 55
you, talk you of young Master Lancelet? GOBBO Of Lancelet, an ’t please your mastership. LANCELET Ergo, Master Lancelet. Talk not of Master
Lancelet, father, for the young gentleman, according
to Fates and Destinies, and such odd sayings, the 60
Sisters Three, and such branches of learning, is
indeed deceased, or, as you would say in plain
terms, gone to heaven. GOBBO Marry, God forbid! The boy was the very staff
of my age, my very prop. 65 LANCELET, aside Do I look like a cudgel or a hovel-post,
a staff or a prop?—Do you know me, father? GOBBO Alack the day, I know you not, young gentleman.
But I pray you tell me, is my boy, God rest his
soul, alive or dead? 70 LANCELET Do you not know me, father? GOBBO Alack, sir, I am sandblind. I know you not. LANCELET Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might
fail of the knowing me. It is a wise father that
knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you 75
news of your son. He kneels. Give me your blessing.
Truth will come to light, murder cannot be hid
long—a man’s son may, but in the end, truth will
out. GOBBO Pray you, sir, stand up! I am sure you are not 80
Lancelet my boy. LANCELET Pray you, let’s have no more fooling about
it, but give me your blessing. I am Lancelet, your
boy that was, your son that is, your child that shall
be. 85 GOBBO I cannot think you are my son. LANCELET I know not what I shall think of that; but I
am Lancelet, the Jew’s man, and I am sure Margery
your wife is my mother. GOBBO Her name is Margery, indeed. I’ll be sworn if 90
thou be Lancelet, thou art mine own flesh and
blood. Lord worshiped might He be, what a beard
hast thou got! Thou hast got more hair on thy chin
than Dobbin my fill-horse has on his tail. LANCELET, standing up It should seem, then, that 95
Dobbin’s tail grows backward. I am sure he had
more hair of his tail than I have of my face when I
last saw him. GOBBO Lord, how art thou changed! How dost thou
and thy master agree? I have brought him a present. 100
How ’gree you now? LANCELET Well, well. But for mine own part, as I have
set up my rest to run away, so I will not rest till I
have run some ground. My master’s a very Jew.
Give him a present! Give him a halter. I am 105
famished in his service. You may tell every finger I
have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you are come!
Give me your present to one Master Bassanio, who
indeed gives rare new liveries. If I serve not him, I
will run as far as God has any ground. O rare 110
fortune, here comes the man! To him, father, for I
am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer. | Old Gobbo—Lancelet's dad, who is mostly blind—shows up looking for his son. He can't tell that he's actually talking to him. Lancelet decides to have some fun with his father before he reveals his identity. He teases that the old man should speak of "Master" Lancelet, not just Lancelet. Old Gobbo is quick to point out that young Gobbo is no Master Lancelet, but just;plain old Lancelet, the son of a poor man. Lancelet continues to mess with the poor old blind man, telling him the "funny" joke that his son is dead.' Lancelet finally reveals himself to be Old Gobbo's son, and there's much ado about how much he's grown. Old Gobbo has brought Shylock a present, and Lancelet suggests his dad give the present to Bassanio instead, as Bassanio is Lancelet's new chosen master. Being Shylock's servant has left him in such a state that you can count each of his ribs (i.e., he's not paid enough to eat properly). |
Enter Bassanio with Leonardo and a follower or two. BASSANIO, to an Attendant You may do so, but let it be
so hasted that supper be ready at the farthest by five
of the clock. See these letters delivered, put the 115
liveries to making, and desire Gratiano to come
anon to my lodging. The Attendant exits. LANCELET To him, father. GOBBO, to Bassanio God bless your Worship. BASSANIO Gramercy. Wouldst thou aught with me? 120 GOBBO Here’s my son, sir, a poor boy— LANCELET Not a poor boy, sir, but the rich Jew’s man,
that would, sir, as my father shall specify— GOBBO He hath a great infection, sir, as one would say,
to serve— 125 LANCELET Indeed, the short and the long is, I serve the
Jew, and have a desire, as my father shall specify— GOBBO His master and he (saving your Worship’s
reverence) are scarce cater-cousins— LANCELET To be brief, the very truth is that the Jew, 130
having done me wrong, doth cause me, as my
father being, I hope, an old man, shall frutify unto
you— GOBBO I have here a dish of doves that I would bestow
upon your Worship, and my suit is— 135 LANCELET In very brief, the suit is impertinent to
myself, as your Worship shall know by this honest
old man, and though I say it, though old man yet
poor man, my father— BASSANIO One speak for both. What would you? 140 LANCELET Serve you, sir. GOBBO That is the very defect of the matter, sir. BASSANIO, to Lancelet
I know thee well. Thou hast obtained thy suit.
Shylock thy master spoke with me this day,
And hath preferred thee, if it be preferment 145
To leave a rich Jew’s service, to become
The follower of so poor a gentleman. LANCELET The old proverb is very well parted between
my master Shylock and you, sir: you have “the
grace of God,” sir, and he hath “enough.” 150 BASSANIO
Thou speak’st it well.—Go, father, with thy son.—
Take leave of thy old master, and inquire
My lodging out. To an Attendant. Give him a livery
More guarded than his fellows’. See it done. Attendant exits. Bassanio and Leonardo talk apart. LANCELET Father, in. I cannot get a service, no! I have 155
ne’er a tongue in my head! Well, (studying his palm)
if any man in Italy have a fairer table which doth
offer to swear upon a book—I shall have good
fortune, go to! Here’s a simple line of life. Here’s a
small trifle of wives—alas, fifteen wives is nothing; 160
eleven widows and nine maids is a simple coming-in
for one man—and then to ’scape drowning
thrice, and to be in peril of my life with the edge of a
featherbed! Here are simple ’scapes. Well, if Fortune
be a woman, she’s a good wench for this gear. 165
Father, come. I’ll take my leave of the Jew in the
twinkling. Lancelet and old Gobbo exit. | Bassanio enters the scene and hears a convoluted attempt by both Lancelet and his father to get Lancelet employed by Bassanio. Bassanio cuts off all the idiocy by announcing that Shylock's already given over Lancelet's service to him, though Lancelet will be leaving a rich Jew to serve a poor gentleman. Lancelet insists he's okay with this, and Bassanio sends Old Gobbo off with young Gobbo to buy some fancy new threads. |
BASSANIO
I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this.
Handing him a paper.
These things being bought and orderly bestowed,
Return in haste, for I do feast tonight 170
My best esteemed acquaintance. Hie thee, go. LEONARDO
My best endeavors shall be done herein. Enter Gratiano. GRATIANO, to Leonardo Where’s your master? LEONARDO Yonder, sir, he walks. Leonardo exits. GRATIANO Signior Bassanio! 175 BASSANIO Gratiano! GRATIANO I have suit to you. BASSANIO You have obtained it. GRATIANO You must not deny me. I must go with you
to Belmont. 180 BASSANIO
Why then you must. But hear thee, Gratiano,
Thou art too wild, too rude and bold of voice—
Parts that become thee happily enough,
And in such eyes as ours appear not faults.
But where thou art not known—why, there they 185
show
Something too liberal. Pray thee take pain
To allay with some cold drops of modesty
Thy skipping spirit, lest through thy wild behavior
I be misconstered in the place I go to, 190
And lose my hopes. GRATIANO Signior Bassanio, hear me.
If I do not put on a sober habit,
Talk with respect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer books in my pocket, look demurely, 195
Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and sigh and say “amen,”
Use all the observance of civility
Like one well studied in a sad ostent
To please his grandam, never trust me more. 200 BASSANIO Well, we shall see your bearing. GRATIANO
Nay, but I bar tonight. You shall not gauge me
By what we do tonight. BASSANIO No, that were pity.
I would entreat you rather to put on 205
Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends
That purpose merriment. But fare you well.
I have some business. GRATIANO
And I must to Lorenzo and the rest.
But we will visit you at supper time. 210 They exit. | Bassanio is then left to talk with the newly arrived Graziano. Graziano insists that Bassanio must take him along to Belmont when he goes to woo Portia. Bassanio is hesitant. Graziano promises he'll be on his very best behavior and won't do anything to ruin Bassanio's chance of winning Portia, and Bassanio says okay. He can come. Then they agree to put off all good behavior until tomorrow, as tonight is a night for celebration. |