Merchant of Venice: Act II, Scene ii
The Merchant of Venice. Act 2, Scene 2. Launcelot
(This text is featured in our interview with Blake Hackler)
1 Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from
2 this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine elbow and
3 tempts me saying to me ‘Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good
4 Launcelot,’ or ‘good Gobbo,’ or good Launcelot
5 Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away. My
6 conscience says ‘No; take heed,’ honest Launcelot;
7 take heed, honest Gobbo, or, as aforesaid, ‘honest
8 Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy
9 heels.’ Well, the most courageous fiend bids me
10 pack: ‘Via!’ says the fiend; ‘away!’ says the
11 fiend; ‘for the heavens, rouse up a brave mind,’
12 says the fiend, ‘and run.’ Well, my conscience,
13 hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely
14 to me ‘My honest friend Launcelot, being an honest
15 man’s son,’ or rather an honest woman’s son; for,
16 indeed, my father did something smack, something
17 grow to, he had a kind of taste; well, my conscience
18 says ‘Launcelot, budge not.’ ‘Budge,’ says the
19 fiend. ‘Budge not,’ says my conscience.
20 ‘Conscience,’ say I, ‘you counsel well;’ ‘ Fiend,’
21 say I, ‘you counsel well:’ to be ruled by my
22 conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master,
23 who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and, to
24 run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the
25 fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil
26 himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil
27 incarnal; and, in my conscience, my conscience is
28 but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel
29 me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more
30 friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are
31 at your command; I will run.