Original: Why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone,
Modern: There it is, there it is, again and again! A diamond lost,

Original: cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse
Modern: one I paid two thousand gold coins for in Frankfurt! The curse

Original: never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it
Modern: that’s said to hang over my people never truly hit us until now; I never felt it

Original: till now: two thousand ducats in that; and other
Modern: until now. Two thousand gold coins in that one stone, plus other

Original: precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter
Modern: precious, precious jewels. I wish my daughter

Original: were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!
Modern: were lying dead at my feet, with the jewels still hanging from her ears!

Original: would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in
Modern: I wish she were laid out in her coffin at my feet, with the gold coins inside

Original: her coffin! No news of them? Why, so: and I know
Modern: the coffin with her! No news about them? Of course not. And I don’t even know

Original: not what’s spent in the search: why, thou loss upon
Modern: how much I’ve spent searching for them. Oh, it’s one loss piled on top of

Original: loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to
Modern: another! The thief ran off with so much, and it’s costing me so much more to

Original: find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge:
Modern: track the thief down. And I get no payback, no revenge.

Original: nor no in luck stirring but what lights on my
Modern: There’s no bad luck going around except what lands on my

Original: shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears
Modern: shoulders, no sighing except the sighs I breathe out, no tears

Original: but of my shedding.
Modern: except the ones I cry myself.

In Act III, Scene 1 of “The Merchant of Venice,” Salerio and Solanio discuss the recent news that Antonio’s ships have been wrecked, confirming their earlier fears about his ventures. When Shylock enters, the two Venetians mock him about his daughter Jessica’s elopement with Lorenzo, suggesting she is better off away from him. Shylock responds with anger and grief, lamenting not only the loss of his daughter but also the money and jewels she took when she fled. The conversation turns to Antonio’s misfortunes, and Shylock declares his intention to pursue the forfeiture of Antonio’s bond if he cannot pay his debt.

Shylock then delivers his famous speech defending his humanity and right to revenge, asking “Hath not a Jew eyes?” and arguing that Jews are subject to the same physical and emotional experiences as Christians. He vows that if a Christian wrongs a Jew, the Jew will seek revenge just as Christians do to one another. Tubal, another Jewish character, enters with mixed news: he has been unsuccessful in finding Jessica, but confirms that Antonio has indeed lost another ship. Tubal alternates between reporting Jessica’s extravagant spending of Shylock’s money (including trading a turquoise ring for a monkey) and confirming Antonio’s mounting losses, which causes Shylock to fluctuate between despair over his daughter and satisfaction at his enemy’s misfortune.

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.