Monologue

Shylock Monologue from The Merchant of Venice

From The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

male · defiant · 1:08 min

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What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong? You have among you many a purchas’d slave, Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts, Because you bought them. Shall I say to you “Let them be free, marry them to your heirs? Why sweat they under burdens? Let their beds Be made as soft as yours, and let their palates Be season’d with such viands”? You will answer “The slaves are ours.” So do I answer you: The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought; ’tis mine and I will have it. If you deny me, fie upon your law! There is no force in the decrees of Venice. I stand for judgment. Answer; shall I have it?

About this piece

Shylock confronts the court, expressing his grievances against the treatment of his people and asserting his right to the bond he has made with Antonio.

40s · anger · justice · power · identity · revenge

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