Friday, February 23, 2007

Yet Again: Translating Billy, re: Acts 4 and 5

Brothers,

Please choose one of the following passages from Act 4, and transcribe it into everyday speech as we have done before:

Duke's speech (IV.1.ii 17-35) beginning, "Make room, and let him stand before our face."
Shylock's speech (IV.1.ii 36-63) beginning, "I have possessed your Grace of what I purpose."
Antonio's speech (IV.1.ii 71-84) begginning, "I pray you, think you question with the Jew."
Gratiano's speech (IV.1.ii 130-40) beginning, "O, be thou damned, inexecrable dog."
Bellario's letter (IV.1.ii 153-66) beginning, "Your Grace shall understand that..."
Portia's speech (IV.1.ii 190-212) beginning, "The quality of mercy is not strained."
Antonio's speech (IV.1.ii 276-93) beginning, "But little. I am armed and well prepared.--"
Portia's speech (IV.1.ii 361-78) beginning, "Tarry, Jew."


Please choose one of the following passages from Act 4, and transcribe it into everyday speech as we have done before:

Lorenzo's speech (V.1.ii 57-76) beginning, "Let's in, and their expect their coming."
Lorenzo's speech (V.1.ii 78-97) beginning, "The reason is, your spirits are attentive."
Portia's speech (V.1.ii 215-24) beginning, "If you had known the virtue of the ring."
Bassanio's speech (V.1.ii 225-38) beginning, "No, by my honor madam, by my soul."

Enjoy the weekend, be safe, see you Monday!
BRob

15 comments:

Gianni Campellone said...

Scene 4 lines 276-294 Translation

I am not armed and I am ready to die. Goodby Bassanio. Do not be saddened at the fact that I shall die for you.tell your wife of me, tell her how I died. Tell her that I loved you, and when you tell her question her if you did not at once have someone who loved you.Do not regret if the jew shall cut me deep I shall die instantly.

Pat Monteith said...

I will first do Antonio's speach beginning with "But little..."

Ughh, i was definately not prepared for this nearly enough as i should be. Bassanio, give me your hand if you will. Goodbye my friend. Do not cry because of my sorrow. I can see that this fortune does not show herself like she normally does: it is her habit to let a bad man to live longer than the wealth he posseses. From this, i see and speculate, a possible time without wealth, yet from the wealth i get no apology from you. You better tell your wife about the likes of me, and tell her how you shunned me, tell her how much i cared about you, speak well of me when i die, and when you tell her our story, let her be the judge of whether you had once a love in such a person as me. Mark my words, you will regret losing me as a friend, but i know, of course, that you won't regret me paying for your messes. Yet so, even if that Jew, that you and i know so well,tried to make more money from you, then i will help you, with love, Antonio.

Secondly, i will translate Portia's speach in Act 5 starting with "If you had known the virtue..."

If only you truly knew the power of this ring, or atleast whats left of its value, and your honor to have the ring, you would not have left with the ring. Who could have been so dumb, if you really wanted to defend it with any courage at all, and lacked the restraint to hold it closely with all of its symbolic value? IT's funny because my MAID! teaches me what to believe: I will of course die for it! but, umm some OTHER! woman has it.

Gianni Campellone said...

Act 5 scene1 lines 215-224

If you knew the value of the ring,or what it stood for.Or half the worth of the person who gave it to you, or the oath you took on it. You would not have given it up.What a man to be so unreasonable. If you only would of said no and held your ground to it.If you did not lack the restraint and just keep the symbolic value. Nerissa tells me what to think. I would die if another woman had the ring!

B-Hilz said...

Let him stand in front of me. Shylock, ereryone knows you will not stop until you get what you want. But will you show mercy other than cruelty. And why do you demand a poor merchants flesh , will you not release the pealty. Please use you god given love and gentlesness to allow him to keep his flesh. Please , have sympathy on this merchant. We all expect a kind answer.

B-Hilz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
B-Hilz said...

Portia's speech lines 215 -224

If you had known the power of the ring or half the power of the person who gave it to you , or your responsibility to look after the ring you would not have given it away. What man is so unreasonabel ? Could you be so ill mannered as to say you cared for the rings and then you go and loose them. I'm sure some other woman now has the ring.

Matt Engle said...

First, I will first translate the Duke's speech starting on Act 4 Scene 1 lines 17-35:

Let us behold Shylock who this court wishes to fight against. He has shown malice to others recently, but has suffered a great deal of degradation before this day. We should show what mercy we can towards this Jew that we have come to dislike. This man has suffered unnecessarily in our society simply for the reason that he is a Jew. In considering this man's punishment we should make the moral decision. Shylock in losing this case will not only lose the pound of flesh that he desires but also everything he owns and everything that he ahs come to love because of Antonio. He has been degraded in ways that we as Jews may never come to understand. Now that he has finally fought back, he has brought Antonio, a royal merchant to his knees with his new bond. We must reduce the penalty because of this man’s condition and put it upon those who have the wealth and resources to survive their debt. Everyone, including the people of the Mongolian tribes to the royalty of Venice and Belmont must show their duty of kindness to this man. Shylock we hope that you will have a response for us who are making this great sacrifice.

Next, I will translate Portia’s speech in Act 5 Scene 1 lines 225-238

If you actually knew the power of the ring that I had which bestowed upon you, or even the power of the women who has bestowed this gift upon you, or if you had the honor and sophistication of being able to retain this ring, you would not have parted with this ring, the place of which this ring had become of itself. What sort of a man would be so foolish as to wish to hold this ring so closely to oneself would lack the restraint to keep this great gift for yourself for its symbolic value? However, my maid, Nerissa has taught me what I can believe: and that is that I would die for this ring that of which has belonged to you that of which another women now holds in her possession!

Bob Kelly said...

I will do Shylock's speech from IV.1.ii 36-63, starting with "I have possessed your Grace of what I purpose":
I've told you what I am going to do, and I've sworn to seek the penalty that is due according to our contract. If you won't let me do so, your city's charter and its freedom are endangered. You're going to ask me why I'd rather have a pound of someone's skin than three thousand ducats. I don't have an answer for that. Let's just say it's because I feel like it. Is that enough of an answer? There's no sense trying to explain people's likes and dislikes. So, to answer your question. I can't give a reason, and I won't give a reason (other than the simple fact that I hate Antonio) why I'm pursuing this unprofitable case against him. Does that answer your question?

I will do Portia's speech from V.1.ii 215-24 starting with "If you had known the virtue of the ring":
If you knew how much that ring meant, and how much the woman who gave it to you cares for you, and how your honor depended on your keeping the ring, you wouldn't have given it away. No one would just ask for the ring if it seemed like it was that important to you. Why would someone just ask for a ring that has ceremonial value to someone else, and no value at all for them. Nerissa is right. I'll bet you any amount of money that you gave my ring to another woman.

Rob Gill said...

Gratiano (IV.1.ii 130-40):
You go to hell, you very mean and ungracious person and for my life let justice be the cause of my death that almost makes me cringe due to my faith to keep your deal the souls of animals are changed by feeling into the hands of a man. My spirit is gone a wolf who once killed, hung himself for justice from the bottom of his soul was were he found his pain as we lay him in a grave for all your reasons are just like a wolf who craves for blood, and is vicious.

Portia (V.1.ii 215-24)
If you knew what that ring ment or even half of the amount it was worth to the person who gave it or the honor it takes to keep the ring you would have never let the ring go a man like you can be so unreasonable if you were to at least try to keep it with you with all your power with any terms of honesty wanted the money to urge on the very thing that causes death? Nerrissa helps me with what to believe: i would die for the ring but it was already in someones possession

MC-Devitt said...

IV.1.ii 130-40

O, you are an animal,
and may you be treated like one.
You make me doubt what i believe,
because you are so much an animal,
that you are like a myth,
where a dying animal's soul can be infused into a man.
You have the soul of a wolf in you,
and you are as hideous as the beast.

p.drisk said...

Act 4 Lines 276-294
I am not armed and am ready for my time to come. Give me your hand Bassanio for it is my time. Do not cry because I am dying because of your own fault. Tell Portia of your fault and how my time has passed but also tell her of our dear friendship. For when Shylock cuts me deep I shall pass without pain.

Act 5 Lines 215-224
If you had known the value of the ring, or the girl that gave the ring, or the honor of having the ring, you would not have left with the ring. What man is so untrustworthy to of lost it. Nerissa teaches me what to believe in, and I’d die if some other woman had the ring and its value.

Sean Gillespie said...

Portia (IV. 1. ii 361-78)

Wait, Jew. The law has another bind on you. It is written in the laws of Venice that if an outsider attempts directly or indirectly to seek the life of a citizen then those against which he plots recieve half of his possessions and the other half go to the state. And the fate of the accused rests in the Duke's hands only which is where you find yourself.For it appears through proceedings that you indirectly and directly have contrived against the life of the defendant and have incurred the danger I explained earlier. You should therefore beg mercy from the Duke.

Portia (V. 1. ii 225-38)

If you had known the value of the ring or the worthiness of the one who gave it to you or the honor to have that ring then you would not have let it go. What man is there that is so unreasonable that if you had wanted to defend it with any strength wanted to hold onto this you recieved as a ceremony. Nerissa teaches me that I would die if another woman had this ring.

Alex Drost said...

(IV.1.ii 153-66)
You must understand that at the time that your letter arrived, I am very sick, but when the postal worker arrived, a lawyer of Rome was visiting me. His name is Balthazar. I told him of the case between Shylock and Antonio. We looked through many books of law. Balthazar is provided with my opinion and, with his own knowledge (which is greater than I can comprehend), it goes with him to fulfill your request in my place. I ask you to not let his youth impede his high esteem, for I never knew a young man with such wisdom. I leave him to you to accept, whose test in court shall proclaim his admiration.

(V.1.ii 215-24)
If you knew the power of the ring or even half of the greatness that gave the ring to you, or the honor by holding the ring, you would not have separated yourself from it. What man, that accepted to defend it, no matter the stakes, would be so unreasonable and lose a symbol of love? Nerissa teaches me and I bet my life that some other woman has the ring!

Phil said...

Antonio's Speech IV.1.ii 71-84
I do not think you should argue with the Jew. It's useless.

Bassanio's Speech V.1.ii 225-238
Nah baby, I swear I gave the ring to a lawyer who didn't want my cash. I didn't want to give him the ring although he saved my homie. What could I do? I had to let him jack my bling cause I was embarrassed. If you had been there you would have let him jack my ring too.

Mike McKibbin said...

IV.1.ii 36-63

I have informed your honor of my intentions, and by our Holy Sabbath I will fulfill the contract. If you deny the punishment, then justice in Venice is meaningless. Why would I rather receive his flesh than repayment? I will not answer that, but say it is my whim. I can give no real reason, and will not, other than a hatred for Antonio. And thus I will pursue this unprofitable suit.

V.1.ii 215-24

If you had known the importance of the ring, or half of her who gave you the ring, or the honor the ring gives you, you would not have parted from the ring. What man is so unreasonable that he would accept the ring with zeal and proceed to part with it? Nerissa has taught me what to believe, and I’ll bet my life that some woman had the ring.