The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare    (Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford)

 Courtroom scene. Shylock has a clear-cut legal case to take Antonio’s life, and he insists that justice be served.

 But Portia encourages him to be merciful (a paraphrase): 

The quality of mercy cannot be forced;

It drops as the gentle rain from heaven.

Mercy blesses twice.

It blesses him that gives and it blesses him that receives.

It is mightiest in the mightiest;

Mercy makes a king look better than his crown.

His scepter shows the force of his temporal power,

But mercy is above the power of the scepter.

It is enthroned in the heart of kings.

It is a quality of God himself.

And earthly power is most like Gods when mercy tempers justice.

Consider that in the pursuit of justice none of us would find salvation.

We pray for mercy, and that same prayer* teaches us to be merciful.

Please soften your plea for justice.

 *Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

"To err is human, to forgive, divine."

Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Criticism” 1711

To "err" is to make a mistake. The world of people is "human" and God is "divine". God's forgiveness of people is complete; it is also referred to as divine mercy. "To err is human, to forgive, divine" means that when we forgive others completely we are acting in a divine manner or in God’s image.

Forgiveness is thus a means by which we shift from the human world to the divine.

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