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In a flippant exchange of words between Lancelot, the clown, and Lorenzo in Act 3, Scene 5 of Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, Lorenzo snaps at Lancelot out of anger because Lancelot's quick innuendos have gotten the best of him in what first appears to be nothing more than a throw away line.
How every fool can play upon the word! I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and discourse grow commendable in none only but parrots (3.5.37-39).
The first problem with this quotation is framing it within its immediate context. Lancelot and Lorenzo's wife, Jessica, are conversing in a dark corner. Lancelot explains to Jessica that he is worried about her but to cheer up because she is never going to heaven regardless of the fact that she converted to Christianity in order to marry Lorenzo. The problem is that she is the daughter of Shylock, a Jew. According to Christianity or Protestantism, in order to enter heaven one must be completely absolved of their sins. Only Christ, the messiah, can absolve one's sins which runs contrary to beliefs in Catholicism and Judaism. Catholics believe that the priest may absolve one's sins through confession, mass, and the sacrament of the last right. Judaism, on the other hand, believes that Christ was never the messiah and that the messiah has yet to arrive. Therefore, Christians believe a true Jew will never be able enter heaven.
Lancelot says that Jessica's only hope of entering heaven is if she is a bastard child. In other words, Jessica's mother had to be impregnated by a Christian and not Shylock, a Jew. Lancelot realizes that this is not true either because Jessica's mother was a Jew. If her mother was impregnated by a Christian, Jessica would be a half-Jew so therefore, she would still be dammed. Either way, Jessica is dammed by her father or by her the mother. Jessica responds that her husband will save her because in order to marry him she had to convert to Christianity. Lancelot tells her Lorenzo was wrong for doing that for if everyone converts to Christianity and become pork-eaters, then the demand for pork will increase, the availability of pork will decrease, therefore the price of pork will increase.
When one considers the complex thinking of Lancelot's thought processes within this dialog with Jessica, we realize that Lancelot is not fool or a simple-minded individual. Shakespeare does this purposefully because he wants to illustrate that Lancelot is a complex thinking character and that dialog or the ability to articulate through language is the true measure of those who are wise.
The above quotation is a deliberately crafted turning point in the play. It is ironic because earlier in the play Gratiano and Lorenzo are conversing about silence and idle chatter. (1.1.79-94) Gratiano in not so many words says that those who are silent are considered by others to be intelligent men, but they could be just as ignorant or more so that those who babble on like parrots. No one would know because they rarely speak. If these non-speakers did speak they may demonstrate their ignorance (1.1.79-94). Lorenzo says to Gratiano that he must be one of these intelligent men because whenever he is around with him, he can never get in a word edgewise. Lorenzo does not consider himself one of these "wise men" and is gently making fun of Gratiano's statement. Lorenzo is trying to suggest to Gratiano, "How would you [Gratiano] know if I am a wise man or a fool if I never get a chance to speak when I am around you." Gratiano's parting words or his last thought is that the only tongues that should be silent are ox-tongues on a dinner table and those of gossiping old maids. Shakespeare is saying that neither flapping tongues nor silence demonstrate intelligence, it is a matter of what particular work one does with language and silence that demonstrates intelligence (1.1.111-112).
The problem with Gratiano's statement is that in an earlier conversation between Antonio and Bassanio, Antonio has said that Gratiano says a great deal of nothing, more than any man in Venice. Trying to find what is important in what he has said is like trying to find two grains of wheat in two bushels of chaff: once you find the grains you learn they were never worth searching for; hence, Shakespeare is illustrating that Gratiano is a simpleton or a fool (1.1.114-118).
Lorenzo walks into the middle of the conversation between Jessica and Lancelot that is occurring in a dark corner. Lorenzo immediately thinks that he may have walked into a sexual interlude between the two. Disliking Lancelot in the first place puts Lorenzo on the defensive hence, guarding his wife. Jessica tries to put Lorenzo's suspicious mind at ease by revealing the focus of their conversation and attempts to illustrate that Jessica and Lancelot agree upon nothing. No similarities, no infidelities. Jessica tells Lorenzo that Lancelot has said she cannot enter heaven because she is a Jew's daughter and Lancelot considers you (Lorenzo) irresponsible for converting Jews to Christians because this will raise the price of pork.
Even though this was the gist of their conversation, this only fuels Lorenzo's anger. Lorenzo quickly attempts to judge Lancelot by stating I can justify converting Jews to Christians better than you (Lancelot) can justify sleeping with Portia's Moor servant girl and getting her pregnant. Lancelot in a quick witted response plays with the words "Moor" and "more" to say that "Yes, there is now more of the Moor" meaning she is with child, "but my action is still not as irresponsible as yours, Lorenzo." Lancelot's quick wit and word play makes Lorenzo snap. The reason for Lorenzo's snap may be that Lancelot has just beat him in an argument of words. On the other hand, Lorenzo is more likely exerting himself as Lancelot's superior. Lorenzo exclaims, "How every fool can play upon the word! I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and discourse grows commendable in none only but parrots" (3.5.37-39). Lorenzo says a great deal in very few words. He is telling Lancelot you have some gall to harass me about morality. "You and Jessica conspired against Shylock, you got the servant girl pregnant, I find you in a dark corner cornering my wife, and you have the nerve to mouth off at me. You are my servant. I feed you, I clothe you, and I put a roof over your head. I am your master and you are subservient to me. Show your respect to me as your master by being silent."
What appears to be a throw-away line when examined with the OED is quite fascinating. Lorenzo may not have gotten the best of Lancelot in the word argument but Shakespeare does get the best of us as readers as one examines how he "played" with the meaning of the words. The word, "fool," as defined by the OED and in the context Lorenzo applies the word means a person who is "deficient in, or destitute of reason or intellect; a weak-minded or idiotic person." On the other hand, Lorenzo is speaking to Lancelot, who Shakespeare in the beginning of the play has told us is a "clown." Looking at the meaning of "fool" from Shakespeare's context as how he defined Lancelot provides a different meaning. "Fool" in Shakespeare's context of defining Lancelot as a character means, "One who professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, clown" (OED). But there is a hitch. In this definition the OED next says that "the 'fool' in great households was often actually a harmless lunatic or a person of weak intellect, so that this sense and sense" of "fool" to mean "deficient in, or destitute of reason or intellect; a weak-minded or idiotic person are often hard to distinguish.
"Aye, now there's the rub." Lorenzo is calling Lancelot a fool meaning that Lancelot is a simpleton. The problem is Lancelot is a professional fool and a professional fool was not usually a dim-witted fellow but usually quite intelligent. A court's fool was usually a well-cared member of the court who did not have to work very hard in order to earn their keep. Shakespeare is "playing" with the meaning of the word "fool." Lorenzo no doubt feels Lancelot is playing him as a fool, but Lorenzo is no fool or simpleton. Lorenzo is putting Lancelot in his place by telling him you are a fool or simpleton. I am your superior and if you continue with these word games you are going to find yorself ut of a job as a servant and it will be you, Lancelot, who is a fool or simpleton. In other words, "Shut your mouth because you're not as smart as you think you are. I am in the position of power here, not you."
The word "play" is the most ambiguous word in the entire line. In this context what does the word play mean? The OED said "to play on (also upon) words (also the word): to pun; to make a play on words" and then using the word in context, the OED cites Shakespeare Merchant of Venice, Act III. v. 41 "How euery foole can play vpon the word" within the context of this line. Shakespeare is still "at play" with the dual meaning of the word "fool." Shakespeare is "playing" with Lancelot and his language to demonstrate that many people manipulate language thinking that they are wise, but only demonstrate that they are simpletons by not knowing when to be silent.
Lorenzo continues using the words "the best grace, or "favorable impression" will be in silence, and that discourse or "communication of thought by speech" will be commendable "praiseworthy, laudable" only by parrots (OED). Parrots imitate human speech without understanding the meaning of the words unless otherwise trained differently. It is also thought that natural "bird language" is nothing but "idle chatter" or the gossip of old maids. After such an insult one would think as a servant, Lancelot would remain silent. Not Lancelot, he keeps right on with the word games right through till the end of the act demonstrating to the audience that he is a babbling simpleton.
The double irony in Shakespeare's use of language and silence with precision is Portia's dialog and techniques of persuasion that get Antonio off the hook. Portia uses language precisely and acutely as though she was a surgeon. Portia says to Shylock that this contract you have drawn between Antonio and yourself does say that you will collect a pound of Antonio's flesh if he cannot pay 3,000 ducats within three months, therefore you shall have your flesh (4.1.296-297). Portia then tells Shylock that he cannot spill a drop of blood in collecting his pound of flesh because the contract does not specify that Shylock can spill blood. If Shylock does spill a drop, the state of Venice will confiscate his land and property under Venetian law (4.1.302-309). Portia takes the language of the contract one step further and tells the court to get the scales ready. The flesh Shylock cuts must be weighted and be neither an ounce more nor an ounce less than a pound. If Shylock takes an ounce more or less he will be sentenced to death and his property confiscated.
Shakespeare deliberately places language of wit and precision in the characters he wants to illustrate as the most intelligent in his plays and places simpleton and moronic language in the mouths of characters that he wishes to present as fools. Language is Shakespeare's technology and he uses language to do the precise work he wishes to perform. Lorenzo's use of few words to exert himself against Lancelot, in addition to Portia's precision and exactness with language are the two benchmarks Shakespeare uses as measures of intelligence, but would not silence also be a demonstration of intelligence? In other words, knowing when to shut up?
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