William Shakespeare

Mercy
-William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is unquestionably the greatest poetic
dramatist of Europe. As a product of the European Renaissance, he brought
the classical humanistic tradition to bear on his works. His works include 37
major plays, 154 sonnets and other poems. It is a tribute to his genius that he
continues to be acclaimed universally for his knowledge of the human heart
and understanding of human psychology.
This poem, entitled Mercy, is an extract from Act IV, Scene I of The Merchant of
Venice, a famous Shakespearean comedy. In these lines, Portia, the protagonist of
the play pleads with Shylock the value of mercy. As a human virtue, mercy not only
transcends the worldly power, but also becomes divine grace when combined with
justice. It glorifies the giver and the taker alike.
Rendered in blank verse, this poem is a striking example of the Renaissance ethos. It
puts up a cogent plea for liberal human values.
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 throned 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 sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of Kings,
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice…
Renaissance / rI'neIsns /
protagonist / prJ't&gJnIst /
45
cogent / 'kJUdZJnt /
transcends / tr&n'sends /
7

Glossary
Renaissance - rebirth; the period in European civilization following the MiddleAges
th th
(14 -16 century AD), marked by a surge of interest in classical
strained -
tradition of belief, aimed at human happiness learning and humanistic
values
forced
droppeth - drops
blesseth - blesses
throned - occupying the ruling seat
scepter - an ornamental staff held as an emblem of authority
temporal - worldly
blest - blessed
attribute - quality
awe - fear
doth - does
majesty - supreme authority
sway - power
likest - like
enthroned - invested with sovereign power or authority
seasons - tempers
Word Power
Exercises
(A) Choose the words from the text, which are opposite in meaning to the words given
here:
cruelty, above, spiritual, injustice, courage, hell, curse
(B) Mark the use of the word, enthroned.
It is a verb-form, derived from the noun,
throne,
using the prefix, en- . Make a list of prefixes/suffixes and give verb forms of
the following nouns:
power, place, heart, justice, force, quality
th
(C) In the 7 line, show has been used as a verb. It can also be used as a noun:
The show passed off peacefully.
Make sentences using the following words as noun and verb:
season, attribute, sway, force, drop, crown
(D) Mark the use of the word, the mightiest.
It is an adjective in the superlative degree.
The other two forms in the positive and comparative degrees are: mighty, mightier.
Give the forms of the following adjectives in the comparative and superlative
46

(E)
degrees.
gentle, good, unlikely, quick, light, bad, far
Match the words in column A with those in column B.
Column A Column B
Renaissance worldly
temporal supreme authority
majesty quality
attribute power
sway fear
awe rebirth
(F) Match words with their meanings, and use them in sentences of your own to bring
out the difference in their meanings.
mercy the feeling of being sorry for somebody
compassion used to show that you are disappointed about something
pity the ability to understand another person's feelings
sympathy a kind or forgiving attitude towards somebody
empathy the aim of giving money, food, help, etc.
charity
For example,
a strong feeling of sympathy for people
(i) Mercy (a kind or forgiving attitude towards somebody): The criminal pleaded for
mercy from the judge.
Comprehension
(A) (i) 'But mercy is above this sceptred sway'. Explain.
(ii) Why does the poet believe that 'earthly power then show likest God's when
mercy seasons justice…'?
(iii) His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
(a) What is an attribute to awe and majesty?
(b) What does show the force of temporal power?
(iv) 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.
(a) What is mercy compared above lines?
(b) How is mercy twice-blessed?
(B) Write answer to the following question in two or three sentences each:
(i) What is the quality of mercy?
(ii) What makes mercy twice-blessed?
47

(iii) What does qualify a monarch more-mercy or throne? Why?
(iv) What does the scepter show?
(v) What is an attribute of God himself?
(vi) What happens when mercy is tempered with justice?
(C) Write answer to the following question in about 150 words.
(i) How does mercy bless the giver and the taker alike?
(ii) Give the central idea of the poem.
Poetic Devices
Notice the comparison of mercy with rain. It is a poetic device, called simile. A
simile is a comparison of two unlike things, using 'like' or 'as'. Another important
device is metaphor.
The comparison is hidden in metaphor whereas it is obvious
in simile.
For example,
(a) (i) The colonel roars like a lion. (simile)
(ii) The colonel is a lion. (metaphor)
(b) (i) He is cunning as a fox. (simile)
(ii) He is a fox. (metaphor)
(c) (i) My friend is slow as a snail. (simile)
(ii) My friend is a snail. (metaphor)
(A) Frame three such pairs of sentences, showing the difference between simile and
metaphor.
th
(B) Notice the repetition of the same sound in the 10 line, 'sceptred sway'. This is an
example of alliteration.Alliteration is a figure of speech, in which the same sound or
letter is repeated at the beginning of words that are close together.
For example,
Three thousands
did I see at a glance! (sound't')
Every time she slide or sprang.
(sound 's')
(C) Observe the syllable, foot, metre and rhyme-scheme of each line.
Syllable-It
is the shortest segment of speech with a vowel. The consonant sounds
may occur either before or after the vowel.
For example, I, Out, Too, The, Qua-li-ty
Foot-It
is the smallest unit of metrical composition. It consists of syllables (short
and/or long / ) and make up the metre of a poetic line. For example,
- / - / - / - / - /
The qua-li-ty /of mer/-cy is/ not strained
48

The above line has five feet of two syllables each, the short followed by the long.
This kind of foot is called Iambic.
Metre-
Metre consists of feet (or beats in music), adding rhythm to a poetic line. For
example, the above line has five feet in iambus .Therefore, it is in iambic pentameter,
very popular with the poets.
Rhyme-scheme- It is an arrangement of rhyme from the last syllable of each line,
denoted by letters in lowercase(abcd…).When a rhyme is repeated, the pattern
becomes distinct.
This 14-line poem is unrhymed verse in iambic pentameter, which is commonly
called
blank verse.
Shakespeare has used this poetic form skillfully in his dramas
because it is closest to the natural rhythms of English speech, and can be adapted
to various levels of discourse.
Speaking Activity
(A) Read aloud parts of the poem in groups, observing the stress-pattern.
(Consult an English Pronunciation Dictionary)
(B) Under the Indian law, the President of India can show mercy and commute the death
sentence to life imprisonment. Do you think this provision should be continued? Give
your arguments (for, or against).
Writing Skills
(A) Develop a story on the moral of mercy with the help of the following outlines: there
lived a saint-visitor to the river- a scorpion bit him-he was asked to kill it-the saint
refused-wisdom prevailed……
(B) Write a letter to your friend, narrating one such event when your act of mercy was
highly appreciated.
Think it over
(A) Mercy ennobles mankind. Think of other values which contribute to the development
of human personality.
(B) Every religion insists on showing mercy to fellow creatures. Think of the other noble
values fostered by religions.
Things to do
(A) Prepare a list of William Shakespeare's comedies.
(B) Have you read any other 14-line poem in a rhyme-scheme? It is known as sonnet.
Shakespeare has written 154 sonnets in all, based on his own life. Read some of the
49

sonnets and examine their rhyme-scheme.
(C) Read the following extract from Shakespeare's play, Hamlet and underline the lines
that are well-known and oft-quoted.
Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act:
Be thou familiar; but by no means vulgar:
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul, with hoops of steel:
But do not dull my palm, with entertainment
Of each unhatch'd, unfledg'd, comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in
Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear; but few thy voice:
Take each man's censure: but reserve thy judgment:
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy;
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous chief in that,
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend:
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all; to thine ownself be true:
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
(D)
Look for such poetic lines in Shakespeare's other plays, which have become part of the
common memory.
What do you understand by these lines explain in two to three sentences.
(a) Give every man thine ear; but few they voice
(b) Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy
(c) Apparel off proclaims the man
(d) neither
a borrower nor a lender be
50