Original: My wind cooling my broth
Modern: The wind that cools my soup

Original: Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
Modern: Would make me shiver with fever when I think about

Original: What harm a wind too great at sea might do.
Modern: What damage a storm at sea could cause.

Original: I should not see the sandy hour-glass run,
Modern: I couldn’t watch the sand falling in an hourglass

Original: But I should think of shallows and of flats,
Modern: Without thinking of shallow waters and sandbars,

Original: And see my wealthy Andrew dock’d in sand,
Modern: And picture my valuable ship the Andrew run aground,

Original: Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs
Modern: Her tall masts bowing lower than her hull

Original: To kiss her burial. Should I go to church
Modern: As if kissing her own grave. If I went to church

Original: And see the holy edifice of stone,
Modern: And saw the sacred stone building,

Original: And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks,
Modern: How could I not immediately think of deadly rocks

Original: Which touching but my gentle vessel’s side,
Modern: That, just by scraping against my ship’s side,

Original: Would scatter all her spices on the stream,
Modern: Would spill all her valuable spices into the water,

Original: Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks,
Modern: Dress the churning sea with my silk cargo,

Original: And, in a word, but even now worth this,
Modern: And in short, something that was just now worth a fortune,

Original: And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought
Modern: Is now worth nothing? Can I think about

Original: To think on this, and shall I lack the thought
Modern: All this, and not realize

Original: That such a thing bechanced would make me sad?
Modern: That if this actually happened, it would make me miserable?

Original: But tell not me; I know, Antonio
Modern: Don’t try to tell me otherwise; I know Antonio

Original: Is sad to think upon his merchandise.
Modern: Is depressed thinking about his business ventures.

In Act I, Scene 1 of “The Merchant of Venice,” Antonio, a wealthy Venetian merchant, expresses an inexplicable melancholy to his friends Salerio and Solanio. They suggest his sadness might stem from worry about his merchant ships at sea or perhaps from being in love, but Antonio dismisses both explanations. When Bassanio arrives with Lorenzo and Gratiano, the latter two depart, leaving Antonio alone with his dear friend Bassanio. Gratiano observes Antonio’s somber mood and warns him against adopting the affected melancholy of those who seek to appear wise through silence.

After Gratiano exits, Bassanio confides in Antonio about his financial difficulties and his desire to court Portia, a wealthy heiress in Belmont. He explains that he needs money to present himself as a suitable suitor, comparing his situation to an archer who must shoot a second arrow in the same direction to recover a lost first arrow. Antonio reveals that his own wealth is currently tied up in various trading ventures at sea, making him unable to lend Bassanio the needed funds directly. However, he encourages Bassanio to seek a loan in Venice using Antonio’s credit as security, demonstrating the depth of their friendship and Antonio’s willingness to risk his reputation for Bassanio’s sake.

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.