First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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| Enter Portia with Morrocho, and | Flourish of cornets. Enter Portia with Morocco and | | MV II.vii.1.1 | |
| both their traines. | both their trains | | MV II.vii.1.2 | |
| Por. | PORTIA | | | |
| Goe, draw aside the curtaines, and discouer | Go, draw aside the curtains and discover | discover (v.) reveal, show, make known | MV II.vii.1 | |
| The seuerall Caskets to this noble Prince: | The several caskets to this noble Prince. | several (adj.)separate, different, distinct | MV II.vii.2 | |
| Now make your choyse. | Now make your choice. | | MV II.vii.3 | |
| Mor. | MOROCCO | | | |
| The first of gold, who this inscription beares, | The first, of gold, who this inscription bears, | | MV II.vii.4 | |
| Who chooseth me, shall gaine what men desire. | Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire; | | MV II.vii.5 | |
| The second siluer, which this promise carries, | The second, silver, which this promise carries, | | MV II.vii.6 | |
| Who chooseth me, shall get as much as he deserues. | Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves; | | MV II.vii.7 | |
| This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt, | This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt, | dull (adj.)dead, lifeless, sluggish, inactive | MV II.vii.8 | |
| Who chooseth me, must giue and hazard all he hath. | Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. | hazard (v.)expose to risk, take one's chance [of] | MV II.vii.9 | |
| How shall I know if I doe choose the right? How shall I know if I doe choose the right. | How shall I know if I do choose the right? | | MV II.vii.10 | |
| Por. | PORTIA | | | |
| The one of them containes my picture Prince, | The one of them contains my picture, Prince. | | MV II.vii.11 | |
| If you choose that, then I am yours withall. | If you choose that, then I am yours withal. | | MV II.vii.12 | |
| Mor. | MOROCCO | | | |
| Some God direct my iudgement, let me see, | Some god direct my judgement! Let me see: | | MV II.vii.13 | |
| I will suruay the inscriptions, backe againe: | I will survey th' inscriptions back again. | | MV II.vii.14 | |
| What saies this leaden casket? | What says this leaden casket? | | MV II.vii.15 | |
| Who chooseth me, must giue and hazard all he hath. | Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. | | MV II.vii.16 | |
| Must giue, for what? for lead, hazard for lead? | Must give, for what? For lead! Hazard for lead? | | MV II.vii.17 | |
| This casket threatens men that hazard all | This casket threatens; men that hazard all | | MV II.vii.18 | |
| Doe it in hope of faire aduantages: | Do it in hope of fair advantages. | advantage (n.)benefit, gain, advancement, profit | MV II.vii.19 | |
| A golden minde stoopes not to showes of drosse, | A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross; | show (n.)appearance, exhibition, display | MV II.vii.20 | |
| Ile then nor giue nor hazard ought for lead. | I'll then nor give nor hazard aught for lead. | aught (n.)anything, [with negative word] nothing | MV II.vii.21 | |
| What saies the Siluer with her virgin hue? | What says the silver with her virgin hue? | | MV II.vii.22 | |
| Who chooseth me, shall get as much as he deserues. | Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves. | | MV II.vii.23 | |
| As much as he deserues; pause there Morocho, | As much as he deserves? Pause there, Morocco, | | MV II.vii.24 | |
| And weigh thy value with an euen hand, | And weigh thy value with an even hand. | | MV II.vii.25 | |
| If thou beest rated by thy estimation | If thou be'st rated by thy estimation, | estimation (n.)esteem, respect, reputation | MV II.vii.26 | |
| | rate (v.)reckon, estimate, appraise | | |
| Thou doost deserue enough, and yet enough | Thou dost deserve enough and yet enough | | MV II.vii.27 | |
| May not extend so farre as to the Ladie: | May not extend so far as to the lady, | | MV II.vii.28 | |
| And yet to be afeard of my deseruing, | And yet to be afeard of my deserving | afeard (adj.)afraid, frightened, scared | MV II.vii.29 | |
| Were but a weake disabling of my selfe. | Were but a weak disabling of myself. | disabling (n.)disparagement, detraction, belittling | MV II.vii.30 | |
| As much as I deserue, why that's the Lady. | As much as I deserve? Why that's the lady! | | MV II.vii.31 | |
| I doe in birth deserue her, and in fortunes, | I do in birth deserve her, and in fortunes, | | MV II.vii.32 | |
| In graces, and in qualities of breeding: | In graces, and in qualities of breeding; | | MV II.vii.33 | |
| But more then these, in loue I doe deserue. | But more than these, in love I do deserve. | | MV II.vii.34 | |
| What if I strai'd no farther, but chose here? | What if I strayed no farther, but chose here? | | MV II.vii.35 | |
| Let's see once more this saying grau'd in gold. | Let's see once more this saying graved in gold: | graved (adj.)graven, carved, engraved | MV II.vii.36 | |
| Who chooseth me shall gaine what many men desire: | Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire. | | MV II.vii.37 | |
| Why that's the Lady, all the world desires her: | Why, that's the lady! All the world desires her; | | MV II.vii.38 | |
| From the foure corners of the earth they come | From the four corners of the earth they come | | MV II.vii.39 | |
| To kisse this shrine, this mortall breathing Saint. | To kiss this shrine, this mortal breathing saint. | | MV II.vii.40 | |
| The Hircanion deserts, and the vaste wildes | The Hyrcanian deserts and the vasty wilds | vasty (adj.)vast, immense, spacious | MV II.vii.41 | |
| | Hyrcan, Hyrcania (n.)[pron: 'herkan, her'kaynia] ancient region of Asia Minor, in modern Iran | | |
| | wild (n.)wilderness, waste land | | |
| Of wide Arabia are as throughfares now | Of wide Arabia are as throughfares now | throughfare (n.)thoroughfare | MV II.vii.42 | |
| | Arabia (n.)region of SW Asia, thought of as a desert area | | |
| For Princes to come view faire Portia. | For princes to come view fair Portia. | | MV II.vii.43 | |
| The waterie Kingdome, whose ambitious head | The watery kingdom, whose ambitious head | head (n.)surface, surge, swell | MV II.vii.44 | |
| Spets in the face of heauen, is no barre | Spits in the face of heaven, is no bar | bar (n.)obstruction, barrier, obstacle | MV II.vii.45 | |
| To stop the forraine spirits, but they come | To stop the foreign spirits, but they come | | MV II.vii.46 | |
| As ore a brooke to see faire Portia. | As o'er a brook to see fair Portia. | | MV II.vii.47 | |
| One of these three containes her heauenly picture. | One of these three contains her heavenly picture. | | MV II.vii.48 | |
| Is't like that Lead containes her? 'twere damnation | Is't like that lead contains her? 'Twere damnation | like (adv.)likely, probable / probably | MV II.vii.49 | |
| To thinke so base a thought, it were too grose | To think so base a thought; it were too gross | gross (adj.)bad, inferior, poor | MV II.vii.50 | |
| | base (adj.)dishonourable, low, unworthy | | |
| To rib her searecloath in the obscure graue: | To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave. | rib (v.)enclose [as if with ribs] | MV II.vii.51 | |
| | cerecloth (n.)waxed winding-sheet, shroud | | |
| Or shall I thinke in Siluer she's immur'd | Or shall I think in silver she's immured, | immured (adj.)walled up, enclosed, confined | MV II.vii.52 | |
| Being ten times vndervalued to tride gold; | Being ten times undervalued to tried gold? | | MV II.vii.53 | |
| O sinfull thought, neuer so rich a Iem | O sinful thought! Never so rich a gem | | MV II.vii.54 | |
| Was set in worse then gold! They haue in England | Was set in worse than gold. They have in England | | MV II.vii.55 | |
| A coyne that beares the figure of an Angell | A coin that bears the figure of an angel | | MV II.vii.56 | |
| Stampt in gold, but that's insculpt vpon: | Stamped in gold – but that's insculped upon; | insculp (v.)carve, engrave | MV II.vii.57 | |
| But here an Angell in a golden bed | But here an angel in a golden bed | | MV II.vii.58 | |
| Lies all within. Deliuer me the key: | Lies all within. Deliver me the key. | deliver (v.)hand over, convey, commit to the keeping [of someone] | MV II.vii.59 | |
| Here doe I choose, and thriue I as I may. | Here do I choose, and thrive I as I may! | | MV II.vii.60 | |
| Por. | PORTIA | | | |
| There take it Prince, and if my forme lye there | There, take it, Prince, and if my form lie there, | form (n.)image, likeness, shape | MV II.vii.61 | |
| Then I am yours. | Then I am yours. | | MV II.vii.62.1 | |
| He opens the golden casket | | MV II.vii.62 | |
| Mor. | MOROCCO | | | |
| O hell! what haue we here, | O hell! What have we here? | | MV II.vii.62.2 | |
| a carrion death, / Within whose emptie eye | A carrion Death, within whose empty eye | carrion (adj.)lean as carrion, skeleton-like; or: putrefying | MV II.vii.63 | |
| | death (n.)skull, memento mori | | |
| | carrion (adj.)loathsome, vile, disgusting, corrupting | | |
| there is a written scroule; / Ile reade the writing. | There is a written scroll. I'll read the writing. | | MV II.vii.64 | |
| All that glisters is not gold, | All that glitters is not gold; | | MV II.vii.65 | |
| Often haue you heard that told; | Often have you heard that told. | | MV II.vii.66 | |
| Many a man his life hath sold | Many a man his life hath sold | | MV II.vii.67 | |
| But my outside to behold; | But my outside to behold. | | MV II.vii.68 | |
| Guilded timber doe wormes infold: | Gilded tombs do worms infold. | infold (v.)enfold, wrap up, conceal | MV II.vii.69 | |
| Had you beene as wise as bold, | Had you been as wise as bold, | | MV II.vii.70 | |
| Yong in limbs, in iudgement old, | Young in limbs, in judgement old, | | MV II.vii.71 | |
| Your answere had not beene inscrold, | Your answer had not been inscrolled. | inscroll (v.)enter on a scroll, inscribe | MV II.vii.72 | |
| Fareyouwell, your suite is cold, | Fare you well, your suit is cold. | suit (n.)wooing, courtship | MV II.vii.73 | |
| | fare ... well (int.)goodbye [to an individual] | | |
| | cold (adj.)ineffective, unattended to, coldly received | | |
| Cold indeede, and labour lost, | Cold indeed, and labour lost. | | MV II.vii.74 | |
| Then farewell heate, and welcome frost: | Then farewell heat, and welcome frost. | | MV II.vii.75 | |
| Portia adew, I haue too grieu'd a heart | Portia, adieu, I have too grieved a heart | | MV II.vii.76 | |
| To take a tedious leaue: thus loosers part. | To take a tedious leave. Thus losers part. | part (v.)depart [from], leave, quit | MV II.vii.77 | |
| Exit with his train. Flourish of cornets | | MV II.vii.77 | |
| Por. | PORTIA | | | |
| A gentle riddance: draw the curtaines, go: | A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go. | gentle (adj.)courteous, friendly, kind | MV II.vii.78 | |
| Let all of his complexion choose me so. | Let all of his complexion choose me so. | complexion (n.)appearance, look, colouring | MV II.vii.79 | |
| Exeunt. | Exeunt | | MV II.vii.79 | |