Chapter 2 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.] [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c. St. Matthew, v. 30.] [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
Chapter 2 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “conjure” — summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading “[Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.”
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading “[Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]”
the native habitat or home of an animal or plant
From this reading “[Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.”
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading “[Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]”
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading “St. Matthew, v.”
an authoritative person who divines the future
From this reading “[Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.”
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
From this reading “[Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 30.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading [Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
past form of “conjure” — summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
take in solid food
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading [Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
the native habitat or home of an animal or plant
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
moving to the inside of something
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading St. Matthew, v.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
on one occasion
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
an authoritative person who divines the future
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading [Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 22: _--squander'd abroad_.; Scattered.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading St. Matthew, v.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading St. Matthew, v.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
From this reading [Footnote 24: _catch him once upon the hip_,; Dr. Johnson says the expression is taken from the practice of wrestling.]
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [Footnote 23: _to eat of the habitation which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into!_; See 8th. c.
Chapter 2 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare holds 363 sentences, grouped into 73 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 363 sentences of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 363 sentences, grouped into 73 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 151 minutes of reading across 363 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
