The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice must default on a large loan provided by an abused Jewish moneylender, notable is Portia's speech about which titled quote by Portia in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"; it occurs during Act IV, Scene 1, set in a Venetian Court of Justice?
The quality of mercy (Shakespeare quote) "The quality of mercy" refers to a quote by Portia in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"; it occurs during Act IV, Scene 1, set in a Venetian Court of Justice. It is the speech in which Portia begs Shylock for mercy. Some sources set apart the first four lines of the speech or refer only to the first four lines as the subject of "The quality of mercy". Other sources refer to a longer portion of the speech but not the full 22 lines.
Hamartia The term hamartia derives from the Greek ἁμαρτία, from ἁμαρτάνειν "hamartánein", which means "to miss the mark" or "to err". It is most often associated with Greek tragedy, although it is also used in Christian theology. "Hamartia" as it pertains to dramatic literature was first used by Aristotle in his "Poetics". In tragedy, hamartia is commonly understood to refer to the protagonist’s error or flaw that leads to a chain of plot actions culminating in a reversal from their good fortune to bad. What qualifies as the error or flaw can include an error resulting from ignorance, an error of judgement, a flaw in character, or a wrong-doing. The spectrum of meanings has invited debate among critics and scholars, and different interpretations among dramatists.