Original artwork, not a still
The Merchant of Venice • 1600
And I beseech you, Wrest once the law to your authority, To do a great right, do a little wrong, And curb this cruel devil of his will.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker pleads with an authority to bend the law just once, arguing that a small wrong is worth committing to achieve a large right. The appeal asks power to overrule rigid rules and restrain a person described as a cruel devil driven by sheer will.
Context reviewed
