The Merchant of Venice: Act 3, Scene 5 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 3, Scene 5 of The Merchant of Venice from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Lancelet, the Clown, and Jessica. LANCELET Yes, truly, for look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children. Therefore I promise you I fear you. I was always plain with you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter. Therefore be o’ good cheer, for truly I think you 5 are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither. JESSICA And what hope is that, I pray thee? LANCELET Marry, you may partly hope that your father 10 got you not, that you are not the Jew’s daughter. JESSICA That were a kind of bastard hope indeed; so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me! LANCELET Truly, then, I fear you are damned both by father and mother; thus when I shun Scylla your 15 father, I fall into Charybdis your mother. Well, you are gone both ways. JESSICA I shall be saved by my husband. He hath made me a Christian. LANCELET Truly the more to blame he! We were Christians 20 enow before, e’en as many as could well live one by another. This making of Christians will raise the price of hogs. If we grow all to be pork eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money. 25	At Portia's garden in Belmont, Lancelet (Shylock's deserting clown) talks with Jessica (Shylock's deserting daughter). Always a riot, Lancelet says Jessica is damned to hell because she's the daughter of a Jew. There's hope for her in the possibility that she's not actually her father's daughter, but Jessica points out that if that's true, she'd be punished for her mother's sins instead. Lancelet agrees that Jessica is damned either way. But she points out that she'll be saved by her husband, who will make her Christian when he marries her. The trouble with this, says Lancelot, is that there are enough Christians already, and more Christians will mean more pork-eaters, which will raise the price of pork.
Enter Lorenzo. JESSICA I’ll tell my husband, Lancelet, what you say. Here he comes. LORENZO I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Lancelet, if you thus get my wife into corners! JESSICA Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo. Lancelet 30 and I are out. He tells me flatly there’s no mercy for me in heaven because I am a Jew’s daughter; and he says you are no good member of the commonwealth, for in converting Jews to Christians you raise the price of pork. 35 LORENZO I shall answer that better to the commonwealth than you can the getting up of the Negro’s belly! The Moor is with child by you, Lancelet. LANCELET It is much that the Moor should be more than reason; but if she be less than an honest 40 woman, she is indeed more than I took her for. LORENZO How every fool can play upon the word! I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and discourse grow commendable in none only but parrots. Go in, sirrah, bid them prepare for 45 dinner. LANCELET That is done, sir. They have all stomachs. LORENZO Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you! Then bid them prepare dinner. LANCELET That is done too, sir, only “cover” is the 50 word. LORENZO Will you cover, then, sir? LANCELET Not so, sir, neither! I know my duty. LORENZO Yet more quarreling with occasion! Wilt thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an 55 instant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. LANCELET For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for 60 the meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humors and conceits shall govern. Lancelet exits. LORENZO O dear discretion, how his words are suited! The fool hath planted in his memory 65 An army of good words, and I do know A many fools that stand in better place, Garnished like him, that for a tricksy word Defy the matter. How cheer’st thou, Jessica? And now, good sweet, say thy opinion 70 How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio’s wife? JESSICA Past all expressing. It is very meet The Lord Bassanio live an upright life, For having such a blessing in his lady He finds the joys of heaven here on Earth, 75 And if on Earth he do not merit it, In reason he should never come to heaven. Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match, And on the wager lay two earthly women, And Portia one, there must be something else 80 Pawned with the other, for the poor rude world Hath not her fellow. LORENZO Even such a husband Hast thou of me as she is for a wife. JESSICA Nay, but ask my opinion too of that! 85 LORENZO I will anon. First let us go to dinner. JESSICA Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach! LORENZO No, pray thee, let it serve for table talk. Then howsome’er thou speak’st, ’mong other things I shall digest it. 90 JESSICA Well, I’ll set you forth. They exit.	Lorenzo then enters and fakes concern over Lancelet getting cozy with Jessica. He jokes that Lancelet has already gotten too comfortable with a Moorish woman, who now carries the clown's child. Lancelet, unfazed, says the girl is so promiscuous that anybody could be the father. Then we get lots of quipping about Lancelet calling the house to prepare dinner, and some talk about how the clown never speaks straight. Lancelet leaves and Lorenzo asks Jessica what she thinks of Portia. Jessica is full of praise for Portia, whom she claims has no equal on earth. Lorenzo is a little taken aback by Jessica's warm words and teases that Jessica has in him a husband as worthy as Portia is a wife. Jessica says, "Oh really?" She offers to tell him what she thinks about that, but Lorenzo jokes that she should wait until they've sat down for dinner. It will be easier for him to digest whatever "praise" she has to offer along with the meal.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Lancelet, the Clown, and Jessica.

LANCELET Yes, truly, for look you, the sins of the father
are to be laid upon the children. Therefore I
promise you I fear you. I was always plain with you,
and so now I speak my agitation of the matter.
Therefore be o’ good cheer, for truly I think you 5
are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do
you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope
neither.

JESSICA And what hope is that, I pray thee?

LANCELET Marry, you may partly hope that your father 10
got you not, that you are not the Jew’s daughter.

JESSICA That were a kind of bastard hope indeed; so
the sins of my mother should be visited upon me!

LANCELET Truly, then, I fear you are damned both by
father and mother; thus when I shun Scylla your 15
father, I fall into Charybdis your mother. Well, you
are gone both ways.

JESSICA I shall be saved by my husband. He hath made
me a Christian.

LANCELET Truly the more to blame he! We were Christians 20
enow before, e’en as many as could well live
one by another. This making of Christians will
raise the price of hogs. If we grow all to be pork
eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the
coals for money. 25

At Portia's garden in Belmont, Lancelet (Shylock's deserting clown) talks with Jessica (Shylock's deserting daughter).

Always a riot, Lancelet says Jessica is damned to hell because she's the daughter of a Jew. There's hope for her in the possibility that she's not actually her father's daughter, but Jessica points out that if that's true, she'd be punished for her mother's sins instead.

Lancelet agrees that Jessica is damned either way. But she points out that she'll be saved by her husband, who will make her Christian when he marries her.

The trouble with this, says Lancelot, is that there are enough Christians already, and more Christians will mean more pork-eaters, which will raise the price of pork.

Enter Lorenzo.

JESSICA I’ll tell my husband, Lancelet, what you say.
Here he comes.

LORENZO I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Lancelet,
if you thus get my wife into corners!

JESSICA Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo. Lancelet 30
and I are out. He tells me flatly there’s no mercy for
me in heaven because I am a Jew’s daughter; and
he says you are no good member of the commonwealth,
for in converting Jews to Christians you
raise the price of pork. 35

LORENZO I shall answer that better to the commonwealth
than you can the getting up of the Negro’s
belly! The Moor is with child by you, Lancelet.

LANCELET It is much that the Moor should be more
than reason; but if she be less than an honest 40
woman, she is indeed more than I took her for.

LORENZO How every fool can play upon the word! I
think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into
silence, and discourse grow commendable in none
only but parrots. Go in, sirrah, bid them prepare for 45
dinner.

LANCELET That is done, sir. They have all stomachs.

LORENZO Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you!
Then bid them prepare dinner.

LANCELET That is done too, sir, only “cover” is the 50
word.

LORENZO Will you cover, then, sir?

LANCELET Not so, sir, neither! I know my duty.

LORENZO Yet more quarreling with occasion! Wilt
thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an 55
instant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his
plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the
table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to
dinner.

LANCELET For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for 60
the meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in
to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humors and conceits
shall govern.

Lancelet exits.

LORENZO
O dear discretion, how his words are suited!
The fool hath planted in his memory 65
An army of good words, and I do know
A many fools that stand in better place,
Garnished like him, that for a tricksy word
Defy the matter. How cheer’st thou, Jessica?
And now, good sweet, say thy opinion 70
How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio’s wife?

JESSICA
Past all expressing. It is very meet
The Lord Bassanio live an upright life,
For having such a blessing in his lady
He finds the joys of heaven here on Earth, 75
And if on Earth he do not merit it,
In reason he should never come to heaven.
Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be something else 80
Pawned with the other, for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

LORENZO Even such a husband
Hast thou of me as she is for a wife.

JESSICA
Nay, but ask my opinion too of that! 85

LORENZO
I will anon. First let us go to dinner.

JESSICA
Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach!

LORENZO
No, pray thee, let it serve for table talk.
Then howsome’er thou speak’st, ’mong other things
I shall digest it. 90

JESSICA Well, I’ll set you forth.

They exit.

Lorenzo then enters and fakes concern over Lancelet getting cozy with Jessica. He jokes that Lancelet has already gotten too comfortable with a Moorish woman, who now carries the clown's child.

Lancelet, unfazed, says the girl is so promiscuous that anybody could be the father.

Then we get lots of quipping about Lancelet calling the house to prepare dinner, and some talk about how the clown never speaks straight. Lancelet leaves and Lorenzo asks Jessica what she thinks of Portia.

Jessica is full of praise for Portia, whom she claims has no equal on earth. Lorenzo is a little taken aback by Jessica's warm words and teases that Jessica has in him a husband as worthy as Portia is a wife.

Jessica says, "Oh really?" She offers to tell him what she thinks about that, but Lorenzo jokes that she should wait until they've sat down for dinner. It will be easier for him to digest whatever "praise" she has to offer along with the meal.

The Merchant of Venice: Act 3, Scene 5 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 3, Scene 5 of The Merchant of Venice from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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