The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (450 page)

THE DUKE OF VENICE

THE PRINCE OF MOROCCO, suitor to Portia

THE PRINCE OF ARRAGON, suitor to Portia

ANTONIO, a merchant of Venice

BASSANIO, his friend

SALANIO, friend to Antonio and Bassanio

SALARINO, friend to Antonio and Bassanio

GRATIANO, friend to Antonio and Bassanio

LORENZO, in love with Jessica

SHYLOCK, a rich Jew

TUBAL, a Jew, his friend

LAUNCELOT GOBBO, a clown, servant to Shylock

OLD GOBBO, father to Launcelot

LEONARDO, servant to Bassanio

BALTHASAR, servant to Portia

STEPHANO, servant to Portia

PORTIA, a rich heiress

NERISSA, her waiting-maid

JESSICA, daughter to Shylock

Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice,

Gaoler, Servants to Portia, and other Attendants

Enter ANTONIO, SALARINO, and SALANIO

ANTONIO

In sooth, I know not why I am so sad:

It wearies me; you say it wearies you;

But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,

I am to learn;

And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,

That I have much ado to know myself.

I have no idea why I am so sad.

It tires me and you say it tires you, too.

And how I came about being so sad--

Whatever it’s about and where it comes from—

I do not know.

It all makes me feel so stupid,

And I have to make it my business to know myself.

SALARINO

Your mind is tossing on the ocean;

There, where your argosies with portly sail,

Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood,

Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea,

Do overpeer the petty traffickers,

That curtsy to them, do them reverence,

As they fly by them with their woven wings.

You’re thinking about the ocean,

And wondering how your ships are doing.

They are fine, like citizens on the deep waves,

Or like a play out on the sea—

They are large and look down on the smaller ships

That bow to them and pay them respects

As they fly past with their elegant sails.

SALANIO

Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth,

The better part of my affections would

Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still

Plucking the grass, to know where sits the wind,

Peering in maps for ports and piers and roads;

And every object that might make me fear

Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt

Would make me sad.

Trust me, if I had dealings going on like you do

Most all of my thoughts and attention would

Be on the business overseas. I would be

Plucking up blades of grass to figure out which way the wind blows,

And peering at maps looking for ports and piers and roads.

Any little thing that might make me afraid

Of bad luck taking over my business would fill me with doubt

And that would make me so sad.

SALARINO

My wind cooling my broth

Would blow me to an ague, when I thought

What harm a wind too great at sea might do.

I should not see the sandy hour-glass run,

But I should think of shallows and of flats,

And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand,

Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs

To kiss her burial. Should I go to church

And see the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks,

Which touching but my gentle vessel's side,

Would scatter all her spices on the stream,

Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks,

And, in a word, but even now worth this,

And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought

To think on this, and shall I lack the thought

That such a thing bechanced would make me sad?

But tell not me; I know, Antonio

Is sad to think upon his merchandise.

Blowing on my soup to cool it

Would make me feel so upset because I’d think

Of the harm a strong wind at sea might do to my ships.

I wouldn’t be able to look at sand in an hourglass,

Without worrying about shallow waters with sandbars.

I’d see my majestic ship Andrew docked in the sand,

Upside down with the sails in the water

Sinking to her death. If I were to go to church

I’d see the stones it is made of,

And I couldn’t help but think of dangerous rocks

Which could split the sides of my ship

Scattering all the spices in the hold into the ocean,

And tossing the silks inside upon the waves.

In an instant I’d be worth nothing. How could I have these thoughts

about all that could go wrong and not worry?

The things I’d imagine that could happen would make me so sad.

You don’t have to tell me—I know, Antonio

Is sad to think of all that could happen to his merchandise.

ANTONIO

Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it,

My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,

Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate

Upon the fortune of this present year:

Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad.

No, trust me, that’s not it. I am financially stable

And I don’t have everything invested in one ship,

Or in one place. My finances are not dependent

On how well I do this year.

So, it’s not the merchandise in the ships making me sad.

SALARINO

Why, then you are in love.

Well, then, you must be in love.

ANTONIO

Fie, fie!

Get out of here!

SALARINO

Not in love neither? Then let us say you are sad,

Because you are not merry: and 'twere as easy

For you to laugh and leap and say you are merry,

Because you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus,

Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time:

Some that will evermore peep through their eyes

And laugh like parrots at a bag-piper,

And other of such vinegar aspect

That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile,

Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable.

Not in love, either? Well let’s just say you are sad

Because you are not happy. It would be just as easy

For you to laugh and dance and say you are happy

Because you are not sad. Humans have two faces

and many people have strange ways of expressing moods.

Some will look out at the world

and laugh at just about anything,

While others are so sour and bitter

They won’t ever crack a smile

Even at the funniest jokes in the world.

Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and GRATIANO

SALANIO

Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman,

Gratiano and Lorenzo. Fare ye well:

We leave you now with better company.

Here comes your cousin Bassanio,

and Gratiano and Lorenzo. We’ll see you later-

They’ll be better company for you.

SALARINO

I would have stay'd till I had made you merry,

If worthier friends had not prevented me.

I would have stayed until I cheered you up,

If friends you are closer to hadn’t shown up.

ANTONIO

Your worth is very dear in my regard.

I take it, your own business calls on you

And you embrace the occasion to depart.

You are worth much to me in that way.

I’m thinking your own business needs you

And you are taking the chance to leave.

SALARINO

Good morrow, my good lords.

Hello, my good men!

BASSANIO

Good signiors both, when shall we laugh? say, when?

You grow exceeding strange: must it be so?

Hello, both of you. When will we get together for fun? When?

I never see you these days. Does it have to be that way?

SALARINO

We'll make our leisures to attend on yours.

We’ll be available whenever you want to get together.

Exeunt Salarino and Salanio

LORENZO

My Lord Bassanio, since you have found Antonio,

We two will leave you: but at dinner-time,

I pray you, have in mind where we must meet.

Bassanio, since you have found Antonio,

We will go ahead. But at dinner time

Don’t forget we’re getting together.