Just when Shylock is about to start cutting again, Portia says the link doesn`t give her permission to shed Antonio`s blood. The laws of Venice are such that if the blood of a Venetian is shed, all the property and land of the author can be confiscated by the state. Shylock realizes that he cannot cut the flesh without taking blood and instead agrees to take the money. However, Portia is not willing to give in and only gives him the pound of meat and goes on to say that if he takes a little more or less, he himself will be killed. Shylock, unable to comply with this provision, decided to withdraw his case. The Duke threatens to dismiss the court without settling Shylock`s lawsuit if Dr. Bellario does not arrive. Salerio tells him that a messenger has just arrived from Bellario, and Nerissa arrives disguised as a man and informs the Duke that Bellario has sent her a letter. Shylock hits his knife on his shoe, confident that he will receive his pound of meat.

In Belmont, Portia and her maid Nerissa discuss the suitors who came in response to the strange will of Portia`s father. The will states that Portia can only marry a man who chooses the right coffin from three possible options: gold, silver and lead. To Portia`s great distress, not all of her suitors are satisfactory. However, she fondly remembers a time when Bassanio came to Belmont, which leaves her with some hope. Eager to continue, Shylock is about to begin, but before he can enforce the sentence, Portia stops him. “There`s something else,” she says. Shylock has the legal right to take a pound of Antonio`s meat – but no more. That is, Shylock is not allowed to take even a single “blood note.” She then gave Shylock permission to begin his operation and warned him that if “a drop of Christian blood” was shed, Shylock`s “land and property” would be confiscated by the “State of Venice.” The Duke greets the young Balthasar, who is, of course, Portia, “dressed like a doctor of law.” Portia admits that she is familiar with this case and its “strange nature,” and she is equally familiar with the integrity of Venetian law.

She asks Antonio if his link is valid, and he admits that it is. She then tells him that Shylock must be merciful. Shylock is shocked: why should he be merciful? Because, Portia replies, “Mercy is.. [like] the gentle rain of heaven”; Mercy is “doubly pale; / She blesses the giver and the taker. She goes on to say that mercy is a quality of God. It is freely granted to soften justice, and those who grant mercy are refined, especially those who have the power to impose punishments and instead grant mercy. She points out to Shylock that everyone should “pray for mercy” and “the same prayer” should teach us all to “perform acts of mercy.” Portia tells the Duke that she has studied the matter thoroughly and then asks, “Who is the merchant here and who is the Jew?” (4.1.169). Antonio and Shylock both come forward, and Portia asks Antonio if he admits to having signed the contract. He does, and Portia then says that Shylock must therefore be merciful.

She gave a short speech on mercy, but Shylock ignored her and demanded that the treaty be respected. Portia then asks if no one has been able to repay the amount, but since Shylock refused the money, there is nothing she can do to get him to take it. She comments that she must therefore side with Shylock. Antonio is brought before the Duke and the Magnifying Glass of Venice to be tried for breaching his obligation to Shylock. The Duke is upset by the punishment, a pound of Antonio`s flesh, but finds no legal way to free Antonio from his bond. Shylock enters the court and the Duke tells him that all the men gathered there expect him to forgive Antonio and forgive guilt. Antonio, an anti-Semitic merchant, takes a loan from the Jew Shylock to help his friend court Portia. Antonio can`t repay the loan, and mercilessly Shylock demands a pound of his meat. Heiress Portia, now the wife of Antonio`s boyfriend, disguises herself as a lawyer and saves Antonio. Portia tells Shylock to stay in court. She says Venice has another law that says that if a foreigner tries to kill a Venetian, the foreigner will let half of his property go to the Venetian he conspired against, and the state will receive the other half. In addition, the life of the stranger will be in the hands of the Duke, who can decide to do whatever he wants.

Shylock is forced to kneel on the floor in front of the court, but the Duke forgives his life before he can implore mercy. Bassanio then signs up and offers Shylock the six thousand ducats as repayment of the loan. Shylock told him that even if he were offered six times as much money, he wouldn`t take it. The Duke asks Shylock, “How can you expect mercy, no rend`ring none?” (4.1.87). Shylock replies that he is doing nothing wrong and compares his contract with Antonio to the Christian slave trade. He tells the Duke that he is not demanding that Christians free their slaves, and therefore Christians should not demand that he free Antonio. His speech is lost to Shylock. He “yearns for the law” and “for punishment and the loss of [his] bond.” It does not matter to him whether Bassanio offered him “three times the sum” of the bond or even “ten times more”; Shylock asks for the penalty. .