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PORTIA SPEECH ON MERCY

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
SHAKESPEARE
The speech is regarded as one of the great speeches in Shakespeare and is made
by a cross-dressing Portia, disguised as young lawyer Balthazar, who speaks
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with heightened eloquence to beg Shylock for mercy after traveling from the
fictional town of Belmont to Venice.[5]

Mercy and forgiveness are enduring themes that pervade Shakespeare's works.[6][4]
The quote is an example of the esteem Shakespeare held for those who showed mercy
as expressed in his poetry. Shakespeare presented mercy as a quality most valuable to
the most powerful, strongest and highest people in society.

It's one of those Shakespeare speeches, I think, like "To be or not to be",
where everyone knows the first line or two lines, and then very little about what
comes next. Portia is talking about mercy, which, she argues

...blesseth him that gives, and him that takes:

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown

Being merciful, she argues, blesses the person being merciful, and the person who
receives the mercy. It is, therefore at its strongest, shown by people who are the most
powerful. It becomes a monarch (i.e. is more kingly) better than his crown does.

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,

The king's sceptre shows the force of his power on earth ("temporal power"), and is
part of his awe and his majesty, which is why people dread and are scared of kings.
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However, mercy is above the influence and power of the sceptre
("sceptered[ ORNAMENT ]sway")...

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.

Mercy is an attribute of God himself, the king of kings. And earthly power becomes
most godly when it is merciful: when decisions of justice are "seasoned" (made more
palatable) with mercy.

Hope it helps!
Portia shows several characteristics in this speech. The first is that she is intelligent
and logical. She also uses strong references to the Christian faith against Shylock, the
Jew. Thus, she shows a strong religious belief. Her argument begins with the idea that
forgiveness benefits the person doing the forgiving as well as the person forgiven. In
an obvious allusion to Christianity, she says that forgiveness and mercy are a part of
the character of God and that by seeking justice without mercy Shylock may well
damn himself because he will disobey God's law. She is also self-confident. She
shows give no apology for her beliefs and in fact implies that hers is the superior faith.
This speech contributes to the theme that in showing mercy, one becomes closest to
God. In the "love we show towards our friends, the compassion we show those in
trouble, and the forgiveness we offer" to those who "sin against us", we show that we
love and obey God.
LINE BY LINE SUMMARY

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

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The opening line strays from iambic rhythm, reflecting the emphasis on "mercy" and
"not strain'd" in the latter half of the line. Strain'd (from Middle English via Anglo-
French deriving from the Latin stringere "to bind or draw tight") in this context means
"forced or constrained," especially given the comparison to rain in the following line.
- / - / - / - / - / -
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Here the rhythm plunges back into iambic regularity, the only variance being its
feminine ending (the extra unstressed syllable at the end of the line). Note how the
simile works with Portia's opening line to illustrate her view of mercy. One could
argue that gentle, while obviously denoting "light or soft," makes for a subtle double
entendre with the connotation of "noble" (which was much more of an associated
meaning in Shakespeare's age than today) due to the tenor of the speech.

-/ - / - / / - / /
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
This line uses a trochaic inversion to accomplish two things at once. First, it reinforces
the caesura (marked by the semicolon) by flanking it with hard stresses. Second, the
construction lets Shakespeare set up the terminal spondee, reinforcing the most
important words of the line, "twice blest." Upon the place beneath is a poetic way of
saying "the ground" in context.

- / - / - / - / - /
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
In this line of straight iambic pentameter, Portia elaborates on the "twice blest" of the
previous line by using anaphora, or repeating words at the beginning of successive
phrases, to illustrate that mercy blesses not only the recipient but the person who gives
it as well.
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- / - -/ - / -- / - /
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
Here we have that rare case of Shakespeare using an alexandrine, or six feet of
pentameter rather than the normal five of blank verse. It's debatable whether or not
Shakespeare intended it, because neither he nor any of his contemporaries ever really
found much use for alexandrines in their work. Usually the caesura (look for the
colon) would indicate that it was on purpose, but in those cases, generally the pause
breaks the line in the middle, not right before the end. However, he may have needed
it to accommodate the word mightiest in the line (which is another rhetorical effect
known as epanalepsis, in which a phrase begins and ends with the same word). Such is
the occasional dilemma of writing metrical poetry. Becomes denotes "fitting or
suitable" in this usage.

- / - / - / - / - /
The thronéd monarch better than his crown;
This line builds upon the theme that Portia has set in motion; after all, who is mightier
in the temporal world than the monarch? And, if indeed mercy is "mightiest in the
mightiest" as she says, then it follows that mercy should be most abundant in those
with the most power to grant it. At the same time, it makes the somewhat daring
implication (for those "divine right of kings" days, at least), that it may not be the
crown that makes the king.

- / - / - / - / -- / -
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
Here's another arguable alexandrine; if you scan "temporal" as two syllables (TEMP-
rul) rather than three, the line easily becomes pentameter with a feminine ending,
which is probably closer to what Shakespeare intended given the usual contempt for
12-syllable lines in English poetry. Sceptre is a rod or small staff that is one of the
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three primary symbols of English royalty (the crown, the sceptre, and the orb being
the regal trinity). Force in this context means "validity or legality" (given the presence
of the word "power" in the same line). Temporal means "pertaining to this life or this
world, not spiritual, not eternal; earthly" in this context (deriving from Anglo-French
via the Latin temporalis, "of time").

- / -/ - / - /- -
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Other than the ending foot being a pyrrhic, there's nothing rhythmically noteworthy
about the line. Attribute denotes "an object of close association; a symbol" and refers
to the sceptre mentioned above. Portia is basically setting up a juxtaposition of those
qualities of power that alternately inspire dread and reverence, a theme most famously
explored by Machiavelli, who posited the question "whether it be better to be loved
than feared or feared than loved?" Since this isn't the Machiavelli Resource Center,
however, you can learn more about Machiavelli's thoughts on the matter by reading
The Prince, Chapter XVII.

- / - / - / - / - /
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
Because this is the termination of a two-line dependent clause, this is one of those
stretches in which the casual reader of Shakespeare can occasionally get confused.
The line qualifies "awe and majesty" of the previous line; the two lines together
describe the symbolism of the sceptre.

- / - / -/ - / - /
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
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And now, Portia shifts from the earthly to the ethereal. Just as God reigns above the
king in the natural order, mercy is a more ennobling quality than the austerity of
power represented by the sceptre. Sway means "rule or dominion."

- - - / - / - / - /
It is enthronéd in the hearts of kings,
It's a matter of interpretation whether or not to inflect the "is" to make the first foot an
iamb instead of a pyrrhic. However, the presence of all those short "i" vowel sounds
versus the long "o" of "enthronéd" tends to make the spoken line sound that way no
matter how you scan it. Note the choice of the word enthronéd, by the way, to
reinforce the regality of mercy in a ruler.

- - - / -/ - / - /
It is an attribute to God himself;
Rhythmically, this line mirrors its predecessor, and, like the preceding line, the
pyrrhic helps deliver emphasis to attribute. Portia's speech again employs a bit of
anaphora to help the phrasing and rhythm set up for the next two lines. Effectively,
Portia is reminding Shylock that even God, who wields the infinite capacity for
revenge, is defined by His mercy.

- / - /- / - / /- /
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
This line employs a masculine ending (an extra stressed syllable at the end of the line)
as a variant, bringing more emphasis to the name of God at the end of the line. In her
usage of likest, Portia is saying that earthly power is showing most like God's (as
opposed to merely being similar). It's an interesting double comparison between
mercy and justice, God and king.
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- / - / - / - / - /
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
From this point on, note how Portia keeps hammering at the words "justice" and
"mercy" to make her point. Seasons (from the Middle English sesounen, deriving from
the Anglo-French seisoné, meaning "brought to a desired state") is used in its archaic
sense "to temper; to soften." Here's an interesting bit of trivia, by the way, since Portia
is invoking God in this speech. The word "mercy" has 276 occurrences in the King
James Bible, according to concordances; the word "justice" occurs 28 times.
Ironically, the two have only one line in common: Psalm 89, verse 14 ("Justice and
judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face").
And now, back to our regularly scheduled analysis....

- / - / - / - /- /
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
Iambic pentameter doesn't get much more straightforward than this. This line makes
the turning point in Portia's speech (begun in the line above by ""Therefore, Jew"). Up
until now, she has been waxing philosophical on the topic of mercy. One might
imagine Portia's delivery of the first 14 lines playing to the general audience within
the court. Now she directly addresses Shylock in more practical and calculated terms
regarding justice.

- / - / - / - / - -
That, in the course of justice, none of us
The last foot scans best as a pyrrhic to place the proper emphasis on "none". Again,
Portia is repeating the word "justice"—three times in successive lines—with much the
same conscious effect that Marc Antony uses the word "honorable" in his funeral
oration of Julius Caesar. In both cases, the speakers mean for their respective
audiences to ponder the word and how it applies to the situation at hand. In Portia's
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oratory, she is attempting to get Shylock to be less rigid in his demand for justice.
Ironically, she gives him the proverbial rope with which to hang himself in this
speech, because Shylock's eventual fate hinges on the strictest possible interpretation
of the law.

- / - /- / - / - / -
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
Rhythmically, the line is basic iambic pentameter with the now familiar feminine
ending. Salvation (from Middle English salvacion via Anglo-French from Latin
salvation, which derives from salvare, literally "to save") and pray are chosen
carefully to bring home the following point: even the ultimate judge doesn't apply
unadulterated justice. Portia is saying that's what we're counting on when we pray for
God's mercy.

- - / / - - / - / - / -
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
Note how the pyrrhic/spondee combination at the beginning of the line helps
emphasize the phrase "same prayer." This is a bit of foreshadowing that builds on the
Duke's question to Shylock earlier in the scene, ""How shalt thou hope for mercy,
rendering none?" In turn, the whole theme of the scene takes its cue from the Sermon
on the Mount; to quote the King James Bible, Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy." There are a number of New Testament quotations that
echo the sentiment—James 2:13, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that
hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment," comes to mind—and it
is no accident that New Testament scripture forms the basis of Portia's rhetoric, aimed
as it is at Shylock, a Jew. Render (from the Middle English rendren via Anglo-French
deriving from the Latin reddere, meaning "to give back") means "to offer or grant."
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- / - / - -- / - /
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
It's a matter of preference in this line whether the third foot, split by the period, scans
as an iamb or a pyrrhic. Whether one views it as a restatement of the Golden Rule, or
karma, or whatever creed one pleases, Portia is essentially saying that as we pray for
mercy for ourselves, so should we practice mercy upon others. Again, this can be seen
as foreshadowing once one knows how the scene will end.

- /-/ - / - / - /
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Portia ends her speech by putting her motive out in the open (a sound rhetorical
strategy for persuasive oratory, given that one of the primary aims of rhetoric is to
cultivate credibility) and by returning to that familiar refrain of justice. Mitigate,
meaning "to make less severe," comes to us from Middle English mitigaten via the
Latin mitigare (pp mitigatus), meaning "to soften." It reinforces the symbiosis
between justice and mercy.

- / - / - - / / - /-
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
The pyrrhic/spondee scansion gives the proper dual emphasis on "strict court"; the
feminine ending is probably due to the necessity of ending the line with "Venice"
more than anything else. Portia is also deflecting any responsibility for Antonio's well-
being from the court—after all, the court can only make their judgment based upon
the law and the will of the plaintiff—and placing it squarely upon Shylock.

- / - / - / - / - /
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
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Portia extends an olive branch; Shylock will have none of it, and so wreaks his own
downfall out of stubborn pride. Is it justified? Shylock could have relented on
numerous occasions during the scene. His refusal combined with a to-the-letter
interpretation of his bond is what destroys him. It seems that Portia and the court is
willing to meet even the vestige of mercy in kind. Yet, is humiliation a mercy? It is an
ending easier to understand than it is to condone.

The duke welcomes young Balthasar, who is, of course, Portia "dressed like a Doctor
of Laws." Portia acknowledges that she is familiar with this case and its "strange
nature," and she is equally acquainted with the integrity of Venetian law. She asks
Antonio if his bond is a valid one, and he admits that it is. She then tells him that
Shylock must be merciful. At this, Shylock is shocked: Why should he be merciful?
Because, Portia answers, "mercy is . . . [like] the gentle rain from heaven"; mercy is
"twice blest; / It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." She continues and says
that mercy is an attribute of God. It is freely bestowed to temper justice, and those
who grant mercy ennoble themselves, especially those people who have the power to
dispense punishment and yet award mercy instead. She points out to Shylock that all
people "pray for mercy" and "that same prayer" should teach us all to "render the
deeds of mercy."

Her speech is lost on Shylock. He "crave[s] the law" and "the penalty and forfeit of
[his] bond." He does not care that Bassanio has offered him "thrice the sum" of the
bond or even "ten times o'er"; Shylock demands the penalty. Portia pronounces that
Venetian law is indeed binding, and whenever decrees are established, alterations set a
precedent and "many an error" has been the result. Thus, Antonio's bond is legal, and
Shylock can collect the pound of flesh.
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Shylock hails the wisdom of this young judge, calling him "noble," "excellent," "wise
and upright." He then produces the scales on which he will weigh the flesh, but he
balks at Portia's suggestion that he himself personally pay a physician to attend
Antonio to see that he does not bleed to death. A judgment is a judgment, and nothing
in Antonio's bond mentioned Shylock's hiring a physician. Antonio then turns to
Bassanio, bids him farewell, and asks to be commended to Bassanio's "honorable
wife," for whose cause the loan was arranged in the first place. He tells Bassanio to
tell Portia that he, Antonio, loves Bassanio; Bassanio loses only a friend who loves
him dearly. This is all, and "if the Jew do cut but deep enough," death will come
quickly. Both Bassanio and Gratiano assure Antonio that they would sacrifice
everything they have — even their wives — to save him. Both Portia and Nerissa —
the Doctor of Law and her clerk of law — comment on this; they doubt that the wives
of these loyal friends would "give little thanks" for that offer.

Impatient to proceed, Shylock makes ready to begin, but before he can carry out the
sentence, Portia stops him. "There is something else," she says. Shylock is legally
entitled to take a pound of Antonio's flesh — but no more. That is, Shylock may not
take even a single "jot of blood." She then gives Shylock leave to begin his surgery,
warning him that if "one drop of Christian blood" is shed, Shylock's "lands and goods"
will be confiscated by "the state of Venice."

Shylock realizes that he has been foiled. Thus he says that he is now willing to take
Bassanio's offer of three times the amount of the bond. Portia decides otherwise.
Shylock shall have "nothing but the penalty" — "just a pound of flesh" — no more, no
less. And if he takes even "in the estimation of a hair" more than a pound of flesh, he
will die and all his goods will be confiscated. Gratiano jeers at the moneylender; now
the tables are turned. Realizing that he is beaten at his own game, Shylock asks for
only the amount of the bond — and Bassanio offers it — but Portia points out that all
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the court was witness to Shylock's refusing the money. Therefore, he can have
"nothing but the forfeiture," which he can still take, but at his own peril. In addition,
Portia reminds Shylock that one of the laws of Venice forbids an alien from directly or
indirectly attempting "to seek the life of any citizen" of Venice. She tells Shylock that
she has seen sufficient proof that Shylock seeks Antonio's life both directly and
indirectly. Thus, she commands him to "beg mercy of the Duke." At this point, the
duke speaks and pardons Shylock, sparing his life and adding that the penalty of the
state's taking half of Shylock's goods will be reduced if Shylock evidences some
"humbleness." Shylock is adamant at such a proposal: "Nay, take my life and all," he
declares.

Following the duke's merciful example, Antonio says that he will take only half of
Shylock's goods which are due to him (Shylock can have the other half) in trust in
order to give them to Lorenzo (Shylock's son-in-law) upon Shylock's death, on two
conditions: first, Shylock must become a Christian, and second, he must deed
everything to Jessica and Lorenzo. Quietly, Shylock agrees to the settlement: "I am
content," he says, and asks permission to leave the court.

The duke invites Portia to dinner, but she declines; she also declines Bassanio's offer
of three thousand ducats as her legal fee. Both Antonio and Bassanio press Portia to
take something; they are both exceedingly grateful for all she has done, and Portia
finally agrees to take two tokens as a "remembrance." She asks for Bassanio's gloves,
and she also asks for his ring. Bassanio pales; she can ask for anything, he says, but
ask not for his ring. It was a present from his wife, who made him promise never to
part with it. Portia pretends indignation: She wants "nothing else" but the ring;
"methinks I have a mind to it." She tells Bassanio that he is only "liberal in offers." He
is, in effect, asking her to beg for the ring — an insult. Turning, she leaves. Antonio
pleads with his friend; surely the lawyer deserves the ring. At last, Bassanio yields and
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sends Gratiano after the lawyer to give him the ring. He then turns to Antonio and tells
him that early the next morning they will "fly toward Belmont."

The Quality of Mercy Summary

The Quality of Mercy
PORTIA PORTIA
The quality of mercy is not strained. No one shows mercy because he
It droppeth as the gentle rain from has to. It just happens, the way
175 heaven gentle rain drops on the ground.
Upon the place beneath. It is twice Mercy is a double blessing. It
blessed: blesses the one who gives it and
It blesseth him that gives and him the one who receives it. It’s
that takes. strongest in the strongest people. It
180 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It looks better in a king than his own
becomes crown looks on him. The king’s
The thronèd monarch better than scepter represents his earthly
his crown. power, the symbol of majesty, the
His scepter shows the force of focus of royal authority. But mercy
185 temporal power, is higher than the scepter. It’s
The attribute to awe and majesty enthroned in the hearts of kings, a
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear quality of God himself. Kingly
of kings, power seems most like God’s
But mercy is above this sceptered power when the king mixes mercy
sway. with justice. So although justice is
It is enthronèd in the hearts of your plea, Jew, consider this.
kings.
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power doth then show
likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.
Therefore, Jew,

The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strain’d” Soliloquy Translation:

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The quality of mercy is not strained: it drops on to the world as the gentle rain does – from heaven.
It’s doubly blessed. It blesses both the giver and the receiver. It’s most powerful when granted by
those who hold power over others. It’s more important to a monarch than his crown. His sceptre
shows the level of his temporal power – the symbol of awe and majesty in which lies the source of
the dread and fear that kings command. But mercy is above that sceptered power. It’s enthroned in
the hearts of kings. It is an attribute of God himself. And earthly power most closely resembles
God’s power when justice is guided by mercy. Therefore Jew, although justice is your aim, think
about this: none of us would be saved if we depended on justice alone. We pray for mercy and, in
seeking it ourselves, we learn to be merciful. I’ve spoken about this to soften the justice of your
plea. If you insist on pure justice, however, then this serious Venetian court has no alternative
other than to pronounce sentence against the merchant there.

Until this point in the play, Portia has appeared to be little more than a wealthy heiress
courted by undesirable suitors. However, the “quality of mercy” speech and the
courtroom scene as a whole, offers a view of a much more complex and intelligent
character.

Why is it Portia That Delivers the Speech?

Shakespeare could have used any number of characters to deliver this speech,
including the Duke, so why does it fall to Portia, who has, until this juncture, had
nothing to do with the ‘Shylock’ strand of the plot?

Perhaps the most fundamental reason is that this is how Shakespeare’s source material
told the story. However, there are dramatic reasons, too. For example, if one of the
Christian merchants had spoken the speech, it would have reduced Shylock’s validity
as a worthy antagonist. His great weapon against the Christians is his power with
words, subsequently, although Shylock has only 360 lines in the play, they are
undoubtedly some of the best.
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Moreover, if the Duke had delivered the speech, the play would have been resolved by
a deux et machina, which is a valid theatrical device (used by Shakespeare on
numerous occasions), but would not build dramatic tension throughout the scene,
because an audience would know how the play is to be resolved.

Of course, the use of Portia also allows for cross-dressing, which is a firm favourite
with Shakespeare, and the possibility for comedy, because, at the beginning of the
scene, an audience is likely to think that Portia’s attempt to be a doctor of laws (the
term lawyer was not used at the time) will be a complete cock-up.

The Quality of Mercy is not Strain’d

This speech, like several of Shakespeare’s including “To be or not to be” and “Now is
the winter of our discontent”, is very well known, but most people could not quote
beyond the first line or two.

The speech demonstrates Portia’s intelligence and boldness, but it perhaps also
smacks of naiveté, which is another reason for using her to deliver the speech; the
men of the play speak of commerce, spurning their enemies and revenge (all very
unmerciful concepts).

Portia begins by using the metaphor of “gentle rain” to describe mercy, she points out
that mercy benefits the merciful and those who receive mercy “It blesseth him that
gives and him that takes.” It is important to bear in mind that Portia already knows the
Venetian law cannot prevent Shylock from taking the pound of flesh, so she describes
mercy as a most becoming quality in the powerful “Tis mightiest in the mightiest…”.
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The religious section of the speech is interesting, because Shylock’s response to this
can, and is often, played in two different ways. On one hand, as a religious man,
Shylock could recognize the human quest for salvation and mercy from God and
therefore he may be affected by the speech and waver a little in his pursuit of justice.
Alternatively, as the Jewish faith places a high value in justice, Shylock could be
entirely unaffected by Portia’s words. Shylock’s reaction is, of course, down to the
choices of actors and directors.

Either way, like an Elizabethan Perry Mason, Portia delivers a very clever piece of
courtroom oratory, which transcends the question of the legality of the bond and looks
at a higher state of right and wrong. By the time Portia reaches her closing, “I have
said thus much/To mitigate the justice of thy plea…” incredibly, she has managed to
deliver a persuasive argument for the immorality of justice.

Learn more about the character of Portia in ‘ The Role of Portia in The Merchant of
Venice’

The Quality of Mercy is Not Strain’d

Origin
This phrase is taken from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. It occurs where
Portia demands Shylock of being merciful, stating that “The quality of mercy is not
strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/Upon the place beneath” (Act-IV,
Scene-I). In this way, she directly makes an appeal to Shylock to leave Antonio’s life
saying that as we all pray and plead to God for mercy for being merciful and kind
towards us, likewise he should be merciful and kind to him, and he will get reward
from the heaven.
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Meaning
Portia insists on convincing him to be merciful as God is too merciful on us. You see
that the idea of mercy in the following passage has close connection with the Christian
idea of salvation. In fact, she alludes to Christian doctrine that mercy and forgiveness
are godly characteristics and seeking justice without showing mercy, Shylock could
face damnation, because by doing this he would disobey the law of God.

Usage
Generally, we find the use of this quote by someone who means to insult or show
offensiveness against someone that seems recalcitrant, stubborn and uninterested in
social conventions and humanitarianism. Today this phrase has a little different
meaning. In usual context, it is used to refute the claim of people to have acted
generously or mercifully by telling them that actually they are short of choices other
than to do what they have done. Hence, it is like an insult for those demonstrating
mercy.

Literary Source
In Act-IV, Scene-I of The Merchant of Venice, Portia says this to Shylock as;

PORTIA: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.”

(The Merchant of Venice, Act-IV, Scene-I, Lines 173-195)

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She conveys the idea that mercy is a tender and noble feeling, which must spring
suddenly from one’s heart. It is as beautiful as gentle showers that flow in the heavens
and nourish the earth. It blesses those who show mercy, which not only make them
feel good, but also bring heavenly rewards for them.

Mercy is a divine and noble attribute, like when someone imposes harsh justice but
then opts for mercy, he displays God like attributes.

Literary Analysis
On the level of its literary merit, this phrase deserves praise that it comprises of
multiplicity of meanings. Its theme not only relates to the theme of tension and
conflict but also of godly qualities such as mercy and generosity. However, there are
several other character traits associated with it. For example, along with appealing
mercy, it indirectly shows numerous qualities of Portia’s character though mercy is
not primary among them. A combination of boldness and intelligence come well
before mercy. Being a woman, she argues ethics and law in a patriarchal society. The
first quality of Portia is her logical and intelligent aspect. She uses references of
Christian belief against Shylock, a Jew. Therefore, she expresses her religious belief
through all this. She believes that a person can benefit from forgiveness by doing
forgiveness.

Literary Devices
Allusion: Allusion to Christian idea of salvation
Irony: This phrase has irony of situation, because it is used where there is often no
mercy.
Metaphor: Here mercy is shown as endless rain.
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The quality of mercy is not strained

Portia:
You stand within his danger, do you not?

Antonio:
Ay, so he says.

Portia:
Do you confess the bond?

Antonio:
I do.

Portia:
Then must the Jew be merciful.

Shylock:
On what compulsion must I? tell me that.

Portia:
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187

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Disguised as a doctor of law, Portia has come to rescue Antonio, the merchant of
Venice. Antonio had foolishly signed a bond granting the usurer Shylock a "pound of
flesh" [see POUND OF FLESH] if he defaulted on the loan he was forced to seek—
ironically, in order to help a friend court Portia. And defaulted Antonio has. After
determining the facts of the case, Portia doesn't appeal at first to legal technicalities—
which is the only way she will force Shylock to submit—but delivers a Christian
moral. When Shylock demands to know why he "must" be merciful, Portia replies that
compulsion is precisely contrary to the spirit of mercy, which is not "strain'd"
(forced). Only because mercy is voluntary—because it mitigates the compulsions of
the literal law—is it true mercy, which drops gently like heaven's rain, a natural and
gracious quality rather than a legal one. That Portia treats her Christian ethics as
natural and universal, however, raises questions about the quality of her own
compassion for the Jew. In the end, only because Antonio requests some mercy for
Shylock is he spared complete destitution, on the condition he convert to Christianity