The MERCHANT of VENICE. Written by SHAKESPEARE. WE have neither affixed the stile of tragedy, comedy, nor that of the mingled fpecies to this piece, because it does not properly come under any of those denominations; at the opening, we are presented with Antonio, who, confeffing himself lowfpirited, is rallied by two friends, as being thoughtful on account of his merchandize, which charge, however, he denies; Baffanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano enter upon their converfation; the latter alfo attacks Antonio upon his gloomy vifage, and jefts very pleafantly on the affectation of gravity, worn by fome men as a semblance of wisdom; the exit of this humorist is fo whimfical and fudden, that it would feem as if he was only brought on to teize the merchant with his rhapsodical lecture. The manner of Baffanio's disclosing his neceffitous condition, is very pleasing and suitable to confidential friendship; his affimilation of venturing a fresh proof of the merchant's kindness, after fome he has already made away with, to the school-boy's fhooting one arrow in search of another, is fraught with beautiful fimplicity; Antonio's reproof for his friend's using such circumlocution is affectingly generous; as is the manner of promising affiftance when he hears Baffanio's defign: to lend even when we have the means in immediate poffeffion is a very liberal 2 Merchant of Venice. liberal act; but to ftrain credit for a friend, as Antonio here proposes, lays an enormous weight of obligation upon gratitude. The scene between Portia and Neriffa is wrote with much vivacity and great good fenfe; there is a pleafing peculiarity of fentiment, with pregnant brevity of expreffion; from the converfation of these females we find, that Portia's father, by will, has fixed the determination of her marriage, upon chufing right from three cafkets of gold, filver and lead; the fame of her riches, beauty, and the oddity of winning her by a kind of matrimonial lottery, has drawn many fuitors; of all whom, feparately, Portia gives a very ludicrous and farcastical account especially of the English baron and the Scots lord; upon Neriffa's mention of Baffanio, her opinion foftens into the favourable. Baffanio and Shylock approach next; the former, as it appears, folliciting a loan of three thousand ducats, on the credit of Antonio; as the Jew is a very peculiar character, SHAKESPEARE, according to the custom of his unbounded genius, has furnished him with a peculiar mode of expreffion; his pondering upon the hazards attending property at sea is the ufurer to a hair-Upon Antonio's entrance, the Ifraelite makes us acquainted with his motives of antipathy against the merchant: the firft of which, his lending out money gratis, fhews Shylock to be flinty-hearted: indeed, hating his nation, and personally reviling him, lay a juft foundation for dislike; however, we find, that, like a thorough-paced villain, he accofts Merchant of Venice. accofts Antonio with a fair face: when mention is made of neither lending or taking money upon advantage, Shylock enters into the defence of usury by a fcriptural allufion. Here, our author, though he highly fupports character, deviates from delicacy concerning the fheep: in Antonio's reply there is a most veritable stroke of fatire upon those, who juftify not only error, but infamy from holy writ; Mark you this Baffanio, The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose: Shylock, like other purse-proud knaves, who take liberties with thofe who borrow money of them, rather rates the merchant, who by generous and fpirited contempt, reduces the mercenary fycophant to fubtle fawning; the penalty he proposes on the bond, fhews him so provident a villain, that he prepares even for a poffibility of wreeking his mortal hatred; there is fomething very artful when Baffanio declares against the merchant's figning fuch a bond, in Shylock's throwing an imputation of vilJainy on Christians, through their fufpicion of other men. The fecond act begins with a fcene, omitted in representation, but why we know not, between the prince of Morocco and Portia, as preparative to his trying the caskets. Launcelot, the Jew's man, in a very whimsical foliloquy, communicates an intention of running away from his mafter; the contention between his confcience and the fiend, is truly laughable; old Gobbo's introduction means no more than to give Launcelot Merchant of Venice. Launcelot an opportunity to display his quibbling, word-catching humour; we wish the fcene had a better tendency than mere whim : upon Baffanio's entrance, the father and fon attack him in a very odd manner, to take the latter into his fervice, which he good naturedly confents to; this piece of good luck occafions a differtation upon the ridiculous study of palmeftry, divertingly fatirical. When Gratiano comes to folicit the liberty of going to Belmont with Baffanio, he is warned to check his skipping fpirit, to which he makes a very ludicrous profeffion of gravity. When Launcelot appears, taking leave of Jeffica, we do not approve the expreffion of her "father's houfe being Hell, and he a merry devil," nor do we relifh Launcelot's infinuation of her being got by a Christian: after he goes off, the young Jewels fignifies her hopes of delivery from bondage, by the affiftance of her lover Lorenzo; the next short fcene is nothing more than preparative for putting the faid design into execution. In the scene between Shylock, Launcelot and Jeffica, we find the Jew fo much alarmed at the idea of masking in the streets, that he gives Jeffica a very punctual and pofitive charge to shut out even the found of fhallow foppery, as he calls it—we wonder our author did not make the Jew mention having Antonio bound, which, with exulting hopes of getting the forfeit, would have made him much more refpectable in this fcene, wherein he is now rather O a VOL. I. Jan Merchant of Venice. languid; telling his daughter the circumstance,might have agreeably contrasted her humanity to his male volence. The introduction of a fong by Lorenzo, under Jeffica's window, affords her more fuitable time for change of drefs, than the author has allowed, and is pleafing enough; yet we hold it rather inconfiftent with the effential privacy of ftealing her away; however she gets fafe into her lover's arms, well furnished with jewels and ducats: Morochius's trial of the cafkets affords fome very noble flights of fancy, and plaufible, tho' fallacious reafoning for his fixing on the golden one, which inftead of the lady, furnishes him with an excellent leffon in the following lines. All that glifters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life hath fold But my outfide to behold: Gilded wood may worms-enfold-&c. &c. In the short fucceeding scene,between Salanio and Solarino, an admirable defcription is given of the Jew's diftraction at his daughter's elopement; fome hints are thrown out judiciously to wake our apprehenfion for Antonio's bond,and a most amiable picture is drawn of his unlimited friendship for Bassanio. The prince of Arragon appears next as a fuitor of Portia ; this scene, as well as thofe of Morochius, is omitted in representation, and we think very blameably, as the progreffive regularity of defign is thereby interrupted, and many excellent reflections withheld |