Question

Write a summary of the poem the quality of mercy by William Shakespeare.

Answer 1

Hint: This is an extract from William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice”. These lines have been spoken by Portia, one of the major characters in the play from Act 1 Scene 1, where she argues along with Shylak saying why mercy is the greatest virtue of all.

Complete answer:
The poem ‘Mercy’ refers to a sonnet that has been written by William Shakespeare. The poet says that mercy's attribute is something along with which every human being is born with but still very few humans intend to adhere very strictly to it since we can only plead for mercy in our authority for the same. Mercy is like rain that falls off the heaven upon the earth after the scorching heat quenches its thirst. Mercy is truly a divine quality. It’s referred to as a double blessing as it always gives pleasure to both the giver as well as the receiver.

Mercy is more powerful in comparison with the most powerful kings. Mercy is considerably better than the king's crown only because this crown can entitle him only to temporal authority. The king can easily threaten all those people who’re quite meek but he would be really far from being admired. Everyone sets a high value on mercy. Mercy always dwells in the heart of a real king who treats his people nicely as well as fairly without forcing them to toil hard. Mercy has been compared to a drizzle that absolutely quenches the thirst of the planet Earth after scorching heat.

Therefore similarly, mercy soothes the aching nerves and also heals the wounded hearts. Mercy is the quality that God poses. When mercy gets mixed along with justice, any earthly power can be considered or seen as a god.

The poem is a sonnet that has three quatrains while one couplet. There is no particular rhyme scheme

Note: William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, as well as and actor, who is majorly regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and also the world's greatest dramatist. He is often known as England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".