10 quotations linked to The Merchant of Venice by or associated with William Shakespeare, with source notes, explanations and related topics.
Mercy, justice, truth, appearance, friendship, love, money, prejudice, good deeds and moral judgment as voiced through dramatic characters.
Use these links when you want to inspect the wording in its wider work or edition.
“All that glisters is not gold.”
Appearance can imitate value without possessing it, so the line encourages evidence and discernment before admiration or trust.
Act 2, Scene 7; the inscription warns against judging by outward appearance.
“The quality of mercy is not strained.”
Portia begins by arguing that real mercy cannot be forced; its moral value comes from being freely given rather than mechanically compelled.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1; opening of Portia’s mercy speech during the trial.
“But mercy is above this sceptered sway.”
The speech places mercy above the visible instruments of authority, suggesting that restraint can represent a higher form of power than punishment.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1; Portia contrasts mercy with the coercive force symbolized by a monarch’s scepter.
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
Even respected language can be quoted selectively, so a citation should be judged by context and purpose rather than authority alone.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 3.
“How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!”
The line turns still moonlight into something almost physical and resting, creating beauty through quietness rather than spectacle.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 5, Scene 1; Lorenzo speaks in the moonlit garden at Belmont.
“Truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long.”
Hidden wrongdoing may remain concealed for a time, but the line expresses confidence that facts and consequences tend eventually to surface.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 2; Launcelot uses the phrase while revealing his identity to his father.
“It is twice blest: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
Mercy is described as reciprocal in effect: it helps the recipient, but it also changes the moral character of the person who chooses to give it.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1; Portia explains why mercy benefits both sides.
“Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.”
Shakespeare imagines the starry sky as a richly decorated surface, converting an ordinary night view into a crafted visual pattern.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 5, Scene 1; Lorenzo describes the stars above Belmont.
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
A small good action can remain visible precisely because it contrasts with a difficult environment.
Act 5, Scene 1.
“We do pray for mercy, and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.”
Portia turns the desire to receive mercy into a responsibility to practice it, making forgiveness a consistency test rather than a one-way request.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1; conclusion of the central argument in Portia’s mercy speech.
