The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
Portia is describing the king’s garments, like his sceptre, as the pomp and circumstance that help give him the appearance of power in this world. She suggests that while ceremony and accessory can be useful in stoking fear, they also fall short of the greatest power which she will go on to describe in the following lines.
The Quality of Mercy