Original artwork, not a still
The Merchant of Venice ‧ 1600
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The questions insist that those being addressed share the speaker's capacity for pain, laughter, and death. The final question turns that shared humanity toward revenge. It argues for recognition while also warning that mistreatment can bring a desire to strike back.
Context reviewed
