Merchant of Venice; Act III, Scene i

 

The Merchant of Venice.         Act 3, Scene 1.      Shylock

This speech is used in our interview with Elise Thoron and Julie Felise Dubiner

Shakespeare:

Why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone,
cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse
never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it
till now: two thousand ducats in that; and other
precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter
were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!
would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in
her coffin! No news of them? Why, so: and I know
not what’s spent in the search: why, thou loss upon
loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to
find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge:
nor no in luck stirring but what lights on my
shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears
but of my shedding.

Thoron:

Why there, there, there, there, a diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfurt.  The curse never fell upon our Nation until now, I never felt it until now. Two thousand ducats in that diamond, and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my feet, and the jewels in her ears: would she were entombed at my feet, and the ducats inside her coffin.  No news of them, why so? And I don’t know how much is spent in the search.  Why you — loss upon loss!  The thief has gone taking so much, yet it takes so much to find the thief, and no satisfaction, no revenge.  No, there’s no ill luck stirring but what lands on my shoulders, no sighs but my own breathing, no tears but those I shed.