The Duke of Venice is the judge He feels sorry for Antonio He hopes that Shylock will show mercy and forgive the debt Everyone believes Shylock will change his mind and show mercy The Duke says We all expect a gentle answer Jew Shylock is a Jew But Shylock refuses to show mercy He wants justice Bassanio Antonio s friend offers Shylock two times that is owed to him Shylock says he would not accept six times more He says he hates Antonio and wants the law to be applied Antonio gives up all hope and prepares to die Portia Disguises as a Lawyer Then a lawyer is called to the court to help with the case This lawyer is actually Portia in disguise She comes in as a young male lawyer named Balthazar Portia acts very wisely and calmly She asks Which is the merchant here And which the Jew Antonio and Shylock step forward Portia says the law is on Shylock s side But she also begs him to show mercy She gives a beautiful speech about mercy She says showing mercy is a godly quality The quality of mercy is not strain'd It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven But Shylock refuses again He only wants what is written in the bond Shylock says My deeds upon my head I crave the law Portia s Clever Trick Seeing no other way Portia finally says Shylock can take the pound of flesh but only the flesh not a single drop of blood She says the contract says a pound of flesh not blood She says to Shylock Shed thou no blood nor cut thou less nor more But just a pound of flesh If Shylock sheds any blood he will be punished under Venetian law Shylock becomes scared He agrees to take the money instead But Portia says it is too late Shylock s Punishment Now Portia points to another Venetian law According to the law Shylock must give half his wealth to Antonio and half to the state Because Shylock is an outsider and he has tried to take the life of a Venetian citizen Moreover Shylock s life is now in the hands of the Duke So Portia suggests Shylock should beg mercy for his life Duke and Antonio s Mercy The Duke shows mercy He does not take Shylock s life Antonio also shows some mercy He lets Shylock keep half of his wealth but only if Shylock gives it to his daughter Jessica and her Christian husband Lorenzo Also Shylock must become a Christian Shylock is broken and agrees to the conditions He leaves the court feeling weak and defeated After the Trial After the trial Portia still in disguise as Balthazar refuses a reward for saving Antonio But she cleverly asks for Bassanio s ring the one she gave him earlier as a sign of love Reluctant at first Bassanio gives her the ring This sets up a funny moment later when Portia reveals the truth To sum up the trial scene is an exciting part of Shakespeare s play The Merchant of Venice This scene portrays Portia as a witty and powerful woman and one of Shakespeare s most loved female characters Shakespeare also captures the importance of forgiveness in this scene This wonderfully set scene makes the play very entertaining