Daily Happenings from poetsareangels

Taken from the Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

ACT II, SCENE II.—VENICE. A Street.

Bass. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on

this:                                             [stow’d,

These things being bought and orderly be-

Return in hast, for I do feast to-night

My best esteem’d acquaintance: hie thee, go.

Leon. My best endeavors shall be done

herein.

Enter GRATIANO.

Gra. Where is your master?

Leon.              Yonder, sir, he walks.   [Exit.

Gra. Signior Bassanio,——

Bass. Gratiano!

Gra. I have a suit to you.

Bass.                       You have obtain’d it.

Gra. You must not deny me: I must go with

you to Belmont.                          [Gratiano;

Bass. Why, then you must.—But hear thee,

Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice;—

Parts that become thee happily enough,

And in such eyes as ours appear not faults;

But where thou art not known, why, there

they show

Something too liberal. Pray thee, take pain

To allay with some cold drops of modesty

Thy skipping spirit; lest, though thy wild be-

haviour,

I be misconstrued in the place I go to,

And lose my hopes.

Gra.                       Signior Bassanio, hear me:

If I do not put on a sober habit,

Talk with respect, and swear but now and then,

Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look de-

murely,

Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine

eyes

Thus with my had, and sigh, and say amen,

Use all the observance of civility,

Like one well studied in a sad ostent

To please his grandam, never trust me more.

Bass. Well, we shall see your bearing.

Gra. Nay, but I bar to-night; you shall not

gage me

By what we do to-night.

Bass.                           No, that were pity;

I would entreat you rather to put on

Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends

That purpose merriment. But fare you well:

I have some business.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the rest;

But we will visit you at supper-time.

[Exeunt.

(On 1/1/15 – Join me for the continuation of “The Merchant of Venice”,

ACT II, SCENE III.—The same. A Room in SHYLOCK’S

House.