Mercy

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 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.

Strain’d : forced

Droppeth: drops; descends

Mightiest in the mightiest: mercy is more powerful than the most powerful kings 

Become: to suit, to enhance the appearance of someone

Crown: symbolizes the supreme power of the king

Sceptre:  the royal wand; authority

Enthroned (adj.):  seated (in the hearts of kings)

Attribute (n): quality temporal not lasting 

Enthrone: stain a throne seasons breed sway, overpowering

Awe: dread, terror

Summary of Mercy

The poem “Mercy” has been extracted from the play The Merchant of Venice written by William Shakespeare. In this poem, the poet talks about mercy. He says that mercy descends like the drops of gentle rain. It blesses the person who gives and the one who receives it. Mercy is stronger than the strongest. Mercy is better for a king than his own crown. The majesty of a king is temporal but mercy is more encompassing and more fruitful. Mercy is an attribute to God himself. Mercy is sometimes enthroned in the heart of kings. The king‘s power corresponds with that of God‘s when mercy bears the fruits of justice.

Thinking about the poem

Q.1) Where does the quality of mercy come from? Who are blessed by it?

Ans) The quality of mercy is enthroned by God in the hearts of the people. It blesses both the one who gives and the one who receives it.

Q.2) How is mercy better than the crown of the king?

Ans) Mercy is better than the crown of the king because the crown represents the earthly and temporal powers but mercy is a divine quality and an attribute to God himself.

Q.3) What does sceptre stand for? How does it affect the kings?

Ans) Sceptre is a royal wand. It represents royal authority. Sceptre signifies the king’s awe and majesty both of which are subject to decay.

Q.4) When does earthly power look like God”s?

Ans) When the earthly power makes the tree of mercy bear the fruits of justice, it looks like Godly. When the person having earthly power tempers his justice with the mercy, his earthly power looks more like God‘s power.

Q.5) How is mercy alone the “sceptred sway”?

Ans) Mercy is the sceptred sway because it is the quality of God Who is all-encompassing and the most powerful.

Q.6) What happens when mercy seasons justice?

Ans) When mercy seasons justice, the earthly powers look like Godly or divine.

LANGUAGE WORK

a) Find out the similes and/or metaphors in the poem.

Ans. Some of them found in the poem are; gentle rain, sceptre, doth earthly power. b) Find out poetical words in the poem and also write their names;

Ans. Strain‘d mean forced

Droppeth means; drops or descend

‘Tis means:-  this

Blesseth means bless