Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so

Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so

The line "Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so" is from William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice." In this play, the character Portia speaks these words as she is disguised as a male lawyer and is trying to convince Shylock to show mercy towards Antonio. The line reflects the idea that true mercy is not always immediately apparent or easily recognizable.