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Then the pound of flesh I would have gleefully taken from his heart, I would have plucked it out!
I was happy, and even gave one small offering to god! But that was a waste. The day came and his ship never came, and so I went to his Grace the Duke. You would chuckle if you got to see the Duke's face that day! He read the contract, got the biggest men and most learned of them find fault with it. No. It is Shylock's contract and the Duke knew that he had to get Antonio. So they sent the Bailiff and ordered to have him summoned. Now, I expected him to come and plead for time. The miserable man! But there comes this Lawyer Balthasar., Pluck out his eyes! He argues against me. The Duke asked me why I was cruel. Cruel! I remember what I told the Duke: "Now, for your answer: So can I give no reason, nor I will not, more than a lodged hate and a certain loathing I bear Antonio that I follow thus: A losing suit against him. Are you answer'd?" (Shakespeare. Mit. The Merchant of Venice)
His Lordship stood silent and let the proceedings begin. This Balthasar, first he goes about glorifying mercy, telling me to take mercy, shower it on all. How can that be wife? Have I ever done such thing? Has any one ever shown mercy to a poor Jew? Why must I? I closed mine ears against that. Then when He knew I won't relent, he pounced on the contract, and it seemed a closed case. For the first...
He even invited me to get ready with the scale and the knife! I foolishly called him a Daniel come to judgment! There was something feminine in there I could not fathom. I think you are laughing wife, that horrible cackle of yours. But know that I was almost ready to stab, when this Balthasar says:" Tarry a little; there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; the words expressly are 'a pound of flesh:' Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh; but, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice." (Shakespeare. Mit. The Merchant of Venice)
Now then I was foxed. Not only that he also made out a law that as a foreigner who conspired to take a life of a citizen my goods, and property would be forfeit! And you know what happened wife? The worst was that they married off your daughter to that wastrel and both became Christians! My goods, money and everything gone! This house is all that I have now, and this silly room with your damned portrait for which I spent 3 marks!" [angrily throws the portrait away and tucks himself in the bed]
References
Shakespeare. Mit. The Merchant of Venice. Accessed [Online] 16 February, 2013 from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/merchant/full.html
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