Original: O sweet Portia,
Modern: Oh my dear Portia,

Original: Here are a few of the unpleasant’st words
Modern: Here are some of the most unpleasant words

Original: That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,
Modern: That were ever written on paper! Kind lady,

Original: When I did first impart my love to you,
Modern: When I first told you about my love for you,

Original: I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Modern: I openly told you that all the wealth I possessed

Original: Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
Modern: Was in my noble blood—I was a gentleman;

Original: And then I told you true: and yet, dear lady,
Modern: And that part was true: but yet, dear lady,

Original: Rating myself at nothing, you shall see
Modern: Even when I valued myself at zero, you will now see

Original: How much I was a braggart. When I told you
Modern: How much I was actually boasting. When I told you

Original: My state was nothing, I should then have told you
Modern: My financial situation was nothing, I should have told you

Original: That I was worse than nothing; for, indeed,
Modern: That I was actually worse than nothing; because, in fact,

Original: I have engaged myself to a dear friend,
Modern: I have made a commitment to a close friend,

Original: Engaged my friend to his mere enemy,
Modern: And bound my friend to his worst enemy,

Original: To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady;
Modern: Just to support my lifestyle. Here is a letter, lady;

Original: The paper as the body of my friend,
Modern: The paper is like the body of my friend,

Original: And every word in it a gaping wound,
Modern: And every word in it is like an open wound,

Original: Issuing life-blood. But is it true, Salerio?
Modern: Bleeding out his life. But is it true, Salerio?

Original: Have all his ventures fail’d? What, not one hit?
Modern: Have all his business investments failed? What, not a single success?

Original: From Tripolis, from Mexico and England,
Modern: From Tripoli, from Mexico and England,

Original: From Lisbon, Barbary and India?
Modern: From Lisbon, North Africa and India?

Original: And not one vessel ‘scape the dreadful touch
Modern: And not one ship escaped the terrible crash

Original: Of merchant-marring rocks?
Modern: Of the rocks that destroy trading ships?

In Act III, Scene ii of “The Merchant of Venice,” Bassanio arrives at Belmont to attempt the casket test that will determine whether he can win Portia’s hand in marriage. Portia, who has fallen in love with Bassanio, expresses her anxiety about the trial, 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 his potential failure, but Bassanio insists on proceeding immediately rather than living in uncertainty. Portia then calls for music to accompany his choice, comparing the moment to various scenarios where music provides either celebration or solemnity.

Bassanio examines the three caskets—gold, silver, and lead—and delivers a lengthy soliloquy rejecting outward appearances and ornament as deceptive. He chooses the lead casket, finding Portia’s portrait inside along with a scroll declaring his success. Portia joyfully gives herself and all her possessions to Bassanio, presenting him with a ring as a symbol of their bond, which she makes him promise never to remove. Their celebration is interrupted by the arrival of Gratiano with Nerissa, Lorenzo with Jessica, and Salerio bearing a letter. The letter from Antonio reveals his financial ruin and Shylock’s demand for the pound of flesh, prompting Portia to immediately offer to pay many times the debt amount and urging Bassanio to marry her quickly before departing to help his friend.

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.