Hello everybody and welcome to today’s video, where I’ll be translating ‘The Merchant
of Venice’ into modern English.
On screen you’ll see the original text, and I’ll give you the modern version written
by me.
Belmont.
A room in PORTIA'S house.
Flourish of cornets.
Enter PORTIA, with the PRINCE OF MOROCCO, and their trains
PORTIA Go and open the curtains and reveal
The three boxes to this noble Prince.
Now you must choose.
MOROCCO The first one, made of gold, has an inscription
which says: ‘Whoever chooses me will get what many men
desire’.
The second one, made of silver, promises this: ‘Whoever chooses me will get what he deserves’.
This third one, made of dull lead, has a blunt warning which says:
‘Whoever chooses me must give and risk all he has’.
How can I know how to choose the right one?
PORTIA One of them contains my picture, Prince;
If you choose that one, then I am yours along with the picture.
MOROCCO Some god please help me to choose the right
one ! Let me see; I will study the inscriptions again.
What does this lead box say?
‘Whoever chooses me must give and risk all he has.’
Must give everything - for what?
For lead?
Risk everything for lead!
This box threatens; men who risk everything Do it in the hope of fair gain.
A golden mind doesn't stoop so low as to choose something that is worthless;
So I won't give or risk anything for lead.
What does the silver one say?
‘Whoever chooses me will get what he deserves.’
What he deserves!
Wait a minute, ,Morocco, And assess your value with a level head.
If you're being assessed by your own standards, Then you deserve plenty, and yet plenty
May not be enough to deserve the lady; And yet to question whether I deserve her
Is to do myself a disservice.
How much do I deserve?
Well, that's the lady!
By my noble birth I deserve her, and in wealth, In graces and by high breeding;
But even more than these, in love I do deserve her.
What if I went no further, but chose this one?
Let’s look once more at this inscription engraved on the gold one:
‘Whoever chooses me will get what many men desire’.
Well, of course, that’s the lady!
The whole world desires her; They come from the four corners of the earth
To kiss this shrine, this living, breathing saint.
The Hyrcanian deserts and the vast wilderness Of Arabia are roads well travelled now
For princes to come to woo beautiful Portia.
The wild seas, whose biggest waves Reach up to the heavens, are no deterrent
to the foreign suitors, but they come As if traversing a mere stream, in order to
see beautiful Portia.
One of these three boxes contains her heavenly picture.
Is it likely that the lead box contains her?
It would be damnation To contemplate such an unworthy thought; it
would be too dreadful To conceal her in an unmarked grave.
Or should I decide that she’s concealed in the silver box,
Which is ten times less valuable than gold?
Oh what a sinful thought!
Such a valuable gem Would never be set in anything less valuable
than gold.
In England There’s a coin which carries the figure
of an angel Engraved in gold; but that’s engraved upon
it.
But here is an angel in a golden bed Inside this golden box.
Give me the key; This is the one I’m choosing and I hope
I shall be successful!
PORTIA There, take the key, Prince and if my picture
is in there, Then I am yours.
He unlocks the golden casket
MOROCCO Oh hell!
what have we here?
A skull and inside the eye socket There is a written scroll!
I will read it.
Reads
‘All that glitters is not gold, Often have you heard that told;
Many a man has lost his life By looking at the outside.
Coffins decorated with gold, contain worms within them.
If your wisdom had equalled your boldness, If you’d been young in body, but had the
judgement of an old man, You would not have been reading your answer
on this scroll.
Goodbye, your suit has been unsuccessful.’
Cold indeed and unfruitful labour, Then goodbye, sun and welcome , frost.
Goodbye Portia!
My heart is too grief stricken To prolong my departing; so we go our separate
ways.
Exit with his train.
Flourish of cornets
PORTIA A polite goodbye.
Close the curtains, go away.
I don’t want any man of his skin colour to choose me.
Act 2 Scene 8.
Venice.
A street.
Enter SALERIO and SOLANIO
SALERIO Well, I saw Bassanio sailing away;
And Gratiano has gone with him; And I’m sure that Lorenzo is not with them.
SOLANIO That villainous Jew made the Duke aware of
his complaints, And he went with him to search Bassanio’s
ship.
SALERIO But he was too late, the ship had already
set sail; And then the Duke was informed
That, seen together in a gondola Were Lorenzo and his lover Jessica;
Anyway, Antonio assured the Duke That they were not with Bassanio on his ship.
SOLANIO I’ve never heard such confused rage,
As bizzare, outrageous, and as changeable, As that dog, the Jew expressed in the streets.
‘My daughter!
Oh my ducats!
Oh my daughter!
Run off with a Christian!
Oh my Christian ducats!
Justice!
The law!
My ducats and my daughter!
A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, Of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter!
And jewels – two stones, two rich and precious stones,
Stolen by my daughter!
Justice!
Find the girl; She has my stones and ducats on her.’
SALERIO All the boys in Venice were following him,
Shouting , his stones, his daughter, and his ducats.
SOLANIO I hope Antonio pays his loan back on time,
Or he’ll pay the price for this.
SALERIO Good point;
I chatted with a French man yesterday, Who told me that, in the channel that separates
France and England, there sank A Venetian ship which was laden with riches.
I thought of Antonio when he told me, And silently hoped that it wasn’t his.
SOLANIO You’d better tell Antonio about what you
heard; But tell him gently, or it could be a shock.
SALERIO You couldn’t find a kinder gentleman on
this earth.
I saw Bassanio and Antonio saying goodbye to each other.
Bassanio told him that he’d hurry Back.
He responded, ‘ Don’t hurry back; Don’t rush your business for my sake, Bassanio,
But stay for as long as is needed; And as for the bond which the Jew has committed
me to, Don’t even let it enter your mind which
is focussed on love; Be happy and turn your attention
To courtship and affairs of the heart Which will surely come your way’.
And then, his eyes filled with tears, And turning his face away, he extended his
hand behind him, And with deep, genuine affection
He shook Bassanio’s hand; and then they went their separate ways.
SOLANIO I think that he’s the reason that Antonio
loves life.
Please, let’s go and find him, And relieve his heavy heart
With some delight or other.
SALERIO Yes, let’s do that.