The Quality Of Mercy by William Shakespeare

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 scepter 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 sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the heart of kings;
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.

Poetry Analyser:

This is a scene from the Merchant Of Venice where Portia dressed up as a lawyer to defend Antonio. The poem started with Portia saying Mercy is a thing that just happen, nobody need to show it, it is just there. And so Portia was trying to persuade Shylock to show mercy on Antonio with the line 'It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.' which meant that Mercy blesses the one who gives it and the one who receives it. In this poem, Portia personified Mercy to something which resembled God, for the person who shows mercy, had achieved God-like powers and that mercy shown has a greater value than a king's sceptre and crown. She also added on by saying 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest;' which meant only the strongest of people can achieve it. And so, although Shylock seemed to seek for justice, he failed to have Mercy mixed into the Justice that he speak of.