QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: The Merchant of Venice
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: Portia
CONTEXT:
PORTIA
The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes
The thron d monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings,
But mercy is above this sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings.
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this—
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea,
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.

DUTCH:
Genade wordt verleend, niet afgedwongen;
Zij drupt, als zachte regen, uit den hemel
Op de aarde neer, en dubblen zegen brengt ze,
Zij zegent hem, die geeft, en die ontvangt

MORE:
CITED IN US LAW – some examples:
People v. Willett, 44 Ill. App. 3d 545, 547 (1976). Decision of the reviewing court after an ‘unintelligible’ brief (‘When the defendant first appeared in Court, it was involuntarily, he being already in the custody of a fellow Shakespeare would probably have called old ‘Bottom’ the weaver, but who we all know as the Sheriff from down there at the County Slammer’): “We would be perfectly justified in striking defendant’s brief, but, as Shakespeare would probably have said, ‘The quality of mercy is not strain’d.’ The State’s motion is denied.”;
Clinton Mun. Separate Sch. Dist. v. Byrd, 477 So. 2d 237, 242 (Miss., 1985);
In re Freligh, 894 F.2d 881, 886 (1989);
Hector Costa Del Moral v. Servicios Legales De Puerto Rico, 63 F. Supp. 2d 165, 172-173 (1999);
Perales v. Casillas, 903 F.2d 1043, 1053 (5th Cir. 1990);
In the Matter of Grand Jury Proceedings Empaneled May 1988, 894 F.2d 881, 886 (7th Cir. 1990);
US v. France, 886 F.2d 22.3, 228 (9th Cir. 1989);
Johnson v. State, 501 So.2d 158, 159 (Fla. Ct. App. 1987);
In Re Green, 1988 III. LEXIS, at 142;
TKU-Queens Corp., Inc. v. Mabel Food Corp., 90 Misc.2d 48, 393 NYS.2d 272, 273 (NY Civ.Ct. 1977);
Miceli v. Parisi, 44 Misc.2d 712,714,255 NYS 2d 377, 379 (NY Sup. Ct. 1964)(Fitzpatrick, J.): “Were this court able to communicate with Shakespeare, it would be bound to inform him that while mercy cannot be strained in quality, it certainly can be strained in practice. The defendant again defaulted in obeying the directions of the court…”.

Topics: emotion and mood, misquoted