Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice", Portia: "The quality of mercy..." - BBC

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Watch the BBC first on iPlayer 👉 bbc.in/iPlayer... www.bbc.co.uk/o... In April 2011 BBC launched Off By Heart Shakespeare - a performance contest for 13-15 year olds to be filmed for a BBC Two documentary.
We challenged 10 celebrities to perform one of the speeches from the Off By Heart Shakespeare set speech list. In this clip Lenora Crichlow (Being Human) plays Portia, from The Merchant of Venice, and argues the case for mercy in justice.
Watch an interview with Lenora Crichlow: www.bbc.co.uk/s...
In June 2011 all schools in the UK are invited to nominate a student to take part in a regional heat and recite a famous Shakespearean speech. Nine finalists will compete in a televised final.
If you'd like to take part, you need to be registered and nominated by your school. Find out more at www.bbc.co.uk/o...
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[@mickberry164]

All the negative comments here? Are they kidding? I love it. So now here's your chance to tell me how much class I lack, and how little taste. I loved it. It's wonderful to hear such beautiful words so well spoken.

[@madeleineee397]

i love memorizing this so much omg i'm having the time of my life yippee i love life

[@lilyofthevalley5586]

Great acting by this lass. Well done!

[@donutlord6551]

I'm watching this literally 10 hours before my exam...

[@pritamsbrjpg1998]

The very characteristics of mercy is that there is no compulsion in its exercise. It drops freely as the gentle rain from heaven on the earth below. It is beyond the power of a man and law to compell a man to be merciful. Mercy is a free voluntary blessing. Mercy carries with a two-fold and a double blessing. It benefits both the giver and the receiver. It is not an attribute of weakness. It's effect is the greatest and the noblest when exercised by the great and the powerful, thou the law gives them and absolute power to enforce justice. It is the greatest quality even in the most powerful man and also a noblest in a royal king than the crown which he wears. Mercy is something far above this earthly power. It is a noble quality coming from the very heart of a king. It is a tribute to Almighty God and the power of kings is most devine in its working when justice is mingled with mercy.

[@jjj1951]

Unfortunately the merchant wasn’t shown mercy

[@242valin]

thanks really helped me for my assignment... great actinggg!

[@Raveoddgrl]

The lovely and talented Lenora Crichlow, is who that is--she has starred in Sugar Rush, an episode of Doctor Who, and most importantly, Being Human.

[@terryRBNF]

Wonderful!

[@yankees839]

I think much more warmth is needed here.

[@arcanethink]

kinda looks like my english teacher

[@malathimanivel6118]

Its simply Nice

[@SuperPhunTime]

That's theater for ya m8.

[@IAmHermaeusMora]

The original spelling is "sceptre." It is also the Modern British English spelling. "Scepter" is the Modern American English spelling of the word, also there is no aspect of pronunciation present as pronunciation deals with speaking, not spelling.

[@BlackSilver23]

Never have I ever heard the word pronounced, "skepter."

[@tanianotaromcnamara1185]

I watch this so I know NOT what to do...

[@mickberry164]

Don't you mean " know what NOT to do". By your words, you would be left in Hamlet's predicament. But I digress...I loved the delivery here. No problem w/ me at all. I would reprimand your appraisal but..."The quality of mercy is not strained..."

[@TeriGuiccioli]

In early middle/middle English, there may have been more than one pronunciation in usage, as in 'sceptic'. Was himself playing on the common root, as he liked to do?

[@aTruster]

My ears are in need of mercy, my poor, poor ears.

[@arcanethink]

its good and ok

[@kingfisher1926]

(english rough translation: this is fucking great!)

[@ekanshdixit05]

Very nic...!!😊

[@pyruvatepersonage]

My eyes, they needeth mercy ere they shall burn.

[@lonelystarxxx]

who is she?

[@vivekkulkarni8462]

Portion

[@tiyaartandcraft1743]

👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@octanum3827]

*w i g.*

[@vijaysinghyadav8057]

Everything goen like nothing happened

[@SolacePiano]

S-kept-er

[@TheNoblot]

ANGE. La caverne de Platon dévoile les images, accompli dans la matrix de l’sphère, là où, là où, l’imagination se mélange au réel. L’éclat aux couleurs, mots en images, raison en réalités, de paix. Casting : Chapitre 1) Vendre. Est la comédie commencée. La ou l’imaginaire devient réel. L’art réel devient imaginaire, pour plaire au public, si elle été réel, le public ne la regardera pas, exprime la pomme a le serpent d’Adam. Eve irréel ce ligote dans notre histoire, nous amuse avec ce portrait, peint de son image les fables récits du jardin d’Eden. La voix de divinités dans l’imaginaire charnel, le fait du réel du faire de l’histoire l’art imaginaire qui est réel. Sans la volupté d’être. Happy end. is just the picture, and as justice does not play dice, movies got into the minds? 2018. Jeanne d’arc. Is Just à Picture. the 21 century the century of ART-ARTS & philosophy of turning the century into a creative 1. Propaganda rewriting réinterprète on the Artistique century.

[@ololoye]

Yes, that's just rough translation. That word is untranslatable to non-slavic languages.

[@AlexaCovertVideos]

but why is she doing it in a british accent?

[@lilali4767]

Alexa Covert cuz she's British /she was brought up in England ?😂

[@Dyutipandey]

give me the explanation

[@mrajasree5840]

Nicee

[@jackglossop4859]

You don’t need to be a good actor to do Shakespeare well. The only requirement is that you take your time on the lines.

[@dickie1066]

I can't believe that this is a BBC production and she is mis-pronouncing Sceptre- yikes!!

[@ololoye]

Это охуенно!

[@RyanFrenkrealme]

because she is british

[@jeffbrown3559]

no she is not British

[@myairtel5688]

Ww

[@SolacePiano]

Painfully over exaggerated!

[@johnsmith1474]

That would be, "... painfully exaggerated." Unless you intend to be redundant.

[@iNT3NS3CLUTCH]

this is the most pointless thing to memorize ever

[@udarilathika7089]

Why is that

[@gaayathrig.r4836]

You are the most pointless idiot

[@isabella-pg4zm]

What a shame, I'm so shocked how badly this is done. I've seen school kids do this so much better, Her pronunciation is appalling. "sceptered.... monARk," eta al. What a shame.

[@Safowant]

lool

[@zaheerafathima4838]

U have only seen school kids doing this. why don't you try it yourself and see instead of insulting other's. Atleast she did it. 😒

[@neilmu3494]

We gotta learn what portia meant from this speech. Completely pointless. Took out all the charm from this play by making us learn every single line of the play. Well done school, you've spoilt a classic. Now whenever I hear the 4 words *The Merchant of Venice* all that will come to mind will be the nonsensical learning of portias speech

[@johnsmith1474]

Terrible dry unconvincing stuff. Find a new career.

[@TheLabour25]

She can't act!

[@mercurymorning1]

@theolinus1 ikr so annoying

[@JitendraKumar-mg6md]

How poor. I have a been a public speaker and when I did it first even I was much better than her. God knows why is she using a British accent

[@Veckoza]

Not a good rendition. Especially how it disrupts the beginning with SHOW of self-beautification, which is something God would be disproving of. The actor in this scene should be PRAISING mercy, the quality of God Himself, as described in the scene. Listen to the tone. This is an actress reading the script and adding inflection, Shakespeare viewed mercy as of the HIGHEST of qualities a human could have. Love and Mercy should be dripping from her very soul when she gives this monologue, as this speech is the epitome of being able to describe what is the highest of Godly qualities. Instead, it has almost "lordly" and "authoritative" tones, which the whole point of there being a woman judge (of that time period) turns that whole essence on its head. Think of it this way: Would her tone and demeanor here be more fitting of a humble Paladin, or of a prideful elf?

[@weaq84]

"Shakespeare viewed mercy as of the HIGHEST of qualities a human could have." Did he? You appear to have some insight that I am not privy to.

[@Veckoza]

@@weaq84 I dunno, I think calling it "the mightiest of the mighty" an "an attribute to God Himself" set the standard. I mean did you not listen to the monolague?

[@weaq84]

@@Veckoza My point is that that is not Shakespeare speaking but Portia, a fictional character.

[@Veckoza]

@@weaq84 You don't think Shakespeare is speaking from the heart when writing it? It's his character. It's a part of him, and it's the part that is good. That's the most important monologue in the play. This is the climax, and they vie for mercy. Yes, Shakespeare found Mercy as the highest quality someone could have.