“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”

What does it mean?

Mercy can't be forced. It must be given freely and naturally, like soft rain falling from the sky.

Key vocabulary

mercy

kindness to someone you could punish

strained

here, forced

droppeth

an old form of "drops"

• “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”– William Shakespeare
• “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”– William Shakespeare
• “The course of true love never did run smooth.”– William Shakespeare
• “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.”– William Shakespeare