law Shylock Manipulates Law Antonio is taken to court by Shylock The Duke leads the trial in Venice The Duke hopes Shylock will change his mind and show mercy But Shylock asks for justice He says My deeds upon my head I crave the law Shylock only wants to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio s body as per the bond Here Shylock is trying to manipulate the law to kill Antonio Portia s Clever Use of Law Portia comes to help Antonio disguised as a young lawyer named Balthazar She makes a clever point that the bond says a pound of flesh not blood So Shylock can cut the pound of flesh but cannot shed blood Since this is impossible Shylock loses the case Mercy is the Best Law Now Shylock is caught in his own trap According to the Venetian law trying to kill a Venetian citizen is punishable by death Since Shylock has tried to kill Antonio he can be sentenced to death However the Duke shows mercy to him Portia also declares the quality of mercy The quality of mercy is not strain'd It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven In the end Shylock does not lose his life but he loses half of his property He also must become a Christian In fine the play shows that law can be both strict and kind True justice comes with wisdom and mercy Shakespeare s use of law makes it an entertaining play