The Quality Of Mercy (Shakespeare Quote)
"The quality of mercy" is a speech given by Portia in William Shakespeare's ''The Merchant of Venice'' (Act 4, Scene 1). In the speech, Portia, disguised as a lawyer, begs Shylock to show mercy to Antonio. The speech extols the power of mercy, "an attribute to God Himself." Critical commentary Portia, disguised as young lawyer Balthazar, begs Shylock for mercy after traveling from the fictional town of Belmont to Venice. Mercy and forgiveness are recurring themes in Shakespeare. According to Theodore Meron, Shakespeare presented mercy as a quality valuable to the most powerful people in a society. Harold Fisch argued that the words of “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.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus performed th ...
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