Original: You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand,
Modern: You see me here before you, Lord Bassanio, exactly as I am,

Original: Such as I am: though for myself alone
Modern: This is who I am: though if it were just for myself

Original: I would not be ambitious in my wish,
Modern: I wouldn’t be greedy in what I wanted,

Original: To wish myself much better; yet, for you
Modern: To wish I was much better than I am; but for you

Original: I would be trebled twenty times myself;
Modern: I wish I could be sixty times better than I am;

Original: A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times more rich;
Modern: A thousand times more beautiful, ten thousand times more wealthy;

Original: That only to stand high in your account,
Modern: So that just to be worthy in your opinion,

Original: I might in virtue, beauties, livings, friends,
Modern: I could in goodness, beauty, wealth, and friendships,

Original: Exceed account; but the full sum of me
Modern: Be beyond measure; but everything I am adds up to

Original: Is sum of something, which, to term in gross,
Modern: Just something that, to put it simply,

Original: Is an unlesson’d girl, unschool’d, unpractised;
Modern: Is an inexperienced girl, uneducated, and unpracticed;

Original: Happy in this, she is not yet so old
Modern: Lucky in this, she is not yet so old

Original: But she may learn; happier than this,
Modern: That she can’t still learn; even luckier than this,

Original: She is not bred so dull but she can learn;
Modern: She wasn’t raised to be so stupid that she can’t learn;

Original: Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit
Modern: Luckiest of all is that her gentle soul

Original: Commits itself to yours to be directed,
Modern: Gives itself to yours to be guided,

Original: As from her lord, her governor, her king.
Modern: As if you were her master, her ruler, her king.

Original: Myself and what is mine to you and yours
Modern: I and everything I own now belong to you and your family

Original: Is now converted: but now I was the lord
Modern: Have been transferred: just moments ago I was the master

Original: Of this fair mansion, master of my servants,
Modern: Of this beautiful house, the boss of my servants,

Original: Queen o’er myself: and even now, but now,
Modern: Queen over my own life: and right now, just now,

Original: This house, these servants and this same myself
Modern: This house, these servants and I myself

Original: Are yours, my lord: I give them with this ring;
Modern: Are yours, my lord: I give them all to you with this ring;

Original: Which when you part from, lose, or give away,
Modern: If you ever take it off, lose it, or give it away,

Original: Let it presage the ruin of your love
Modern: Let it predict the destruction of your love

Original: And be my vantage to exclaim on you.
Modern: And give me the right to accuse you of betrayal.

In Act III, Scene 2 of “The Merchant of Venice,” Bassanio arrives at Belmont to attempt the casket test that will determine whether he can marry Portia. Portia, who has fallen in love with Bassanio, expresses her anxiety about the test, wishing she could guide him to the correct choice but bound by her father’s will to remain silent. She asks him to wait before choosing, fearing that if he fails, she will lose his company forever. Bassanio, however, is eager to proceed, declaring that the suspense is torturous and he would rather know his fate immediately.

Portia orders music to be played while Bassanio makes his choice, reasoning that if he fails, the music will serve as a swan song for their dying love, but if he succeeds, it will be like fanfare for a new king. Bassanio contemplates each casket, rejecting the gold and silver for their associations with outward show and deception, and chooses the lead casket for its plain appearance that promises more than it displays. Upon opening it, he finds Portia’s portrait and a scroll declaring his success. Portia joyfully gives herself and her fortune to Bassanio, presenting him with a ring as a token of their love, which he vows never to remove. Their celebration is joined by Gratiano and Nerissa, who reveal they too wish to marry, followed by the arrival of Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio with news from Venice.

The Merchant of Venice centers on Bassanio, a young Venetian gentleman who needs money to court the wealthy heiress Portia in Belmont. His friend Antonio, a merchant, agrees to help but has no ready cash since his ships are at sea. Antonio borrows 3,000 ducats from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, with the unusual condition that if the loan isn’t repaid within three months, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter Jessica elopes with the Christian Lorenzo, taking her father’s money and jewels.

In Belmont, Portia’s deceased father has decreed that her suitors must choose correctly among three caskets—gold, silver, and lead—to win her hand. The Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Arragon both choose incorrectly and depart. When Bassanio arrives and selects the lead casket, he wins Portia, while his friend Gratiano wins her maid Nerissa. Their celebrations are interrupted by news that Antonio’s ships have been lost and Shylock demands his pound of flesh.

Portia and Nerissa disguise themselves as a lawyer and clerk and travel to Venice for Antonio’s trial. In court, Portia grants Shylock his legal right to the flesh but warns he may take no blood and must cut exactly one pound—an impossible task. Defeated, Shylock loses his bond and, under Venetian law, must forfeit half his wealth and convert to Christianity. The disguised Portia requests Bassanio’s wedding ring as payment, which he reluctantly gives. Back in Belmont, Portia playfully scolds her husband for giving away his ring before revealing her disguise. The play concludes with news that Antonio’s ships have safely returned, restoring his fortune.