The quality of mercy ( Shakespeare quote ) - wikipedia The quality of mercy ( Shakespeare quote ) `` The quality of mercy '' is a quote by Portia in William Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice ; it occurs during Act 4, Scene 1, set in a Venetian Court of Justice. It is the speech in which Portia begs Shylock for mercy. Contents 1 Speech 2 Critical commentary 3 Notes 4 Further reading Speech The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest : It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. ' Tis mightiest in the mightiest ; it becomes The thronèd monarch better than his crown. His scepter shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings ; But mercy is above this sceptered sway. It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings ; It is an attribute to God Himself ; And earthly power doth then show likest God 's When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this : That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much To mitigate the justice of thy plea, Which, if thou follow, this strict court of Venice Must needs give sentence ' gainst the merchant there. -- Portia, in William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1. Critical commentary The speech is regarded as one of the great speeches in Shakespeare and is made by Portia, disguised as young lawyer Balthazar, who speaks with heightened eloquence to beg Shylock for mercy after traveling from the fictional town of Belmont to Venice. Mercy and forgiveness are enduring themes that pervade Shakespeare 's works. The quote is an example of the esteem Shakespeare held for those who showed mercy as expressed in his poetry. Shakespeare presented mercy as a quality most valuable to the most powerful, strongest and highest people in society. Professor Harold Fisch, formerly of Bar - Ilan University, argued that the words of Deuteronomy 32 : 2, `` My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew ; as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb, '' were echoed in the first words of the speech, `` The quality of mercy is not strained. / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath. '' Notes All references to The Merchant of Venice, unless otherwise specified, are taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library 's Folger Digital Editions texts edited by Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles. Under their referencing system, 3.1. 55 means act 3, scene 1, line 55. Prologues, epilogues, scene directions, and other parts of the play that are not a part of character speech in a scene, are referenced using Folger Through Line Number : a separate line numbering scheme that includes every line of text in the play. Jump up ^ The Merchant of Venice, 4.1. 190 -- 212. Jump up ^ Shakespeare, William ( 2010 ). Bate, Jonathan and Eric Rasmussen, ed. `` The Merchant of Venice ''. Modern Library. pp. 150 -- 151. ISBN 978 - 1 - 58836 - 874 - 4. Jump up ^ Rosenbaum, Ron ( 2006 ). `` The Shakespeare Wars : Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups ''. Random House. ISBN 0375503390. Jump up ^ Meron, Theodor ( 1998 ). Bloody Constraint : War and Chivalry in Shakespeare. Oxford University Press. p. 133. ISBN 0195123832. Jump up ^ Harold Fisch. `` The Song of Moses : Pastoral in Reverse. '' In Poetry with a Purpose : Biblical Poetics and Interpretation, page 55. Bloomington, Indiana : Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN 0 - 253 - 34557 - X. Further reading Halio, Jay L. ( 1993 ). `` Portia : Shakespeare 's Matlock ? ''. Cardozo Studies in Law and Literature. Cardozo School of Law. 5 ( 1, A Symposium Issue on The Merchant of Venice ) : 57 -- 64. doi : 10.2307 / 743392. ISSN 1043 - 1500. JSTOR 743392 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Kaiser, Leo M. ( 1946 ). `` Shakespeare and St. Jerome ''. The Classical Journal. The Classical Association of the Middle West and South. 41 ( 5 ) : 219 -- 220. ISSN 0009 - 8353. JSTOR 3291889 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Karlan, Pamela S. ( 2011 ). `` In Memoriam : William J. Stuntz ''. Harvard Law Review. The Harvard Law Review Association. 124 ( 8 ) : 1841 -- 1843. ISSN 0017 - 811X. JSTOR 41306763 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). McKendy, Thomas ( 1988 ). `` Gypsies, Jews, and The Merchant of Venice ''. The English Journal. National Council of Teachers of English. 77 ( 7 ) : 24 -- 26. doi : 10.2307 / 818931. ISSN 0013 - 8274. JSTOR 818931 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Miller, Malcolm ( 2000 -- 2001 ). `` A Musical Banquet : The Tenth London International Jewish Music Festival ( 11 June - 13 July 2000 ) ''. Musica Judaica. American Society for Jewish Music. 15 : 111 -- 118. ISSN 0147 - 7536. JSTOR 23687774 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). CS1 maint : Date format ( link ) Newman, Louis E. ( 1987 ). `` The Quality of Mercy : on the Duty to Forgive in the Judaic Tradition ''. The Journal of Religious Ethics. Blackwell Publishing. 15 ( 2 ) : 155 -- 172. eISSN 1467 - 9795. ISSN 0384 - 9694. JSTOR 40015064 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Perng, Ching - Hsi ( 2011 ). `` A ' Bangzi Merchant of Venice ' in Taipei : Yue / Shu ( Bond ) ''. Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawai'i Press. 28 ( 1 ) : 222 -- 233. eISSN 1527 - 2109. ISSN 0742 - 5457. JSTOR 41306478 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Pollard, Alfred W. ( 1925 ). `` Verse Tests and the Date of Sir Thomas More ''. The Review of English Studies. Oxford University Press. 1 ( 4 ) : 441 -- 443. eISSN 1471 - 6968. ISSN 0034 - 6551. JSTOR 508705 -- via JSTOR. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). William Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice Characters Shylock Antonio Portia Jessica Sources Gesta Romanorum ( late 13th century ) Il Pecorone ( late 14th century ) by Giovanni Fiorentino The Jew of Malta ( 1590 ) by Christopher Marlowe On screen 1914 1916 1923 Shylock ( 1941 ) 1961 1969 1980 ( TV ) One Man Band ( unfinished ) Adaptations Le marchand de Venise ( 1935, opera ) Shylock ( 1987, musical ) The Merchant of Venice ( 1982, opera ) Derivative works Serenade to Music ( 1938 ) Shylock ( 1996 ) Yasser ( 2001 ) The Maori Merchant of Venice ( 2002 ) Related `` All that glitters is not gold '' `` All the world 's a stage '' `` Between you and I '' Quibble Letter and spirit of the law `` Ding Dong Bell '' `` The quality of mercy '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_quality_of_mercy_(Shakespeare_quote)&oldid=839285946 '' Categories : Shakespearean phrases Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from August 2016 Pages containing links to subscription - only content CS1 maint : Date format Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 2 May 2018, at 13 : 19. 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Question: who says the quality of mercy is not strained
Answer: Portia in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice