| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW I.i.223 | To show her merit that did miss her love? | To shew her merit, that did misse her loue? |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW II.i.148 | Inspired merit so by breath is barred. | Inspired Merit so by breath is bard, |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW II.iii.272 | France is a dog-hole and it no more merits | France is a dog-hole, and it no more merits, |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW III.vi.55 | It is to be recovered. But that the merit of | It is to be recouered, but that the merit of |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC II.vii.55 | If for the sake of merit thou wilt hear me, | If for the sake of Merit thou wilt heare mee, |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC V.ii.178 | We answer others' merits in our name, | We answer others merits, in our name |
| As You Like It | AYL V.iv.185 | You to a love that your true faith doth merit; | you to a loue, that your true faith doth merit: |
| Coriolanus | Cor I.i.270.1 | Of his demerits rob Cominius. | Of his demerits rob Cominius. |
| Coriolanus | Cor I.i.274.1 | In aught he merit not. | In ought he merit not. |
| Coriolanus | Cor II.i.40 | Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting, | Why then you should discouer a brace of vnmeriting, |
| Coriolanus | Cor II.iii.163 | His marks of merit, wounds received for's country. | His Marks of Merit, Wounds receiu'd for's Countrey. |
| Coriolanus | Cor III.i.61.1 | I'th' plain way of his merit. | I'th' plaine Way of his Merit. |
| Coriolanus | Cor IV.vii.48 | So hated, and so banished. But he has a merit | So hated, and so banish'd: but he ha's a Merit |
| Cymbeline | Cym I.v.81 | merit for the gift. The other is not a thing for sale, | merite for the guift. The other is not a thing for sale, |
| Cymbeline | Cym I.vi.74 | To load thy merit richly. Call my women: | To loade thy merit richly. Call my women. |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.iv.79 | The graces for his merits due, | The Graces for his Merits due, |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.v.304 | More of thee merited than a band of Clotens | More of thee merited, then a Band of Clotens |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.530 | they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty. Take | they deserue, the more merit is in your bountie. Take |
| Hamlet | Ham III.i.74 | That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, | That patient merit of the vnworthy takes, |
| Henry IV Part 1 | 1H4 I.ii.107 | match! O, if men were to be saved by merit, what | Watch. O, if men were to be saued by merit, what |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 II.iv.370 | men of merit are sought after; the undeserver may sleep, | men of Merit are sought after: the vndeseruer may sleepe, |
| Henry V | H5 II.ii.34 | Sooner than quittance of desert and merit | Sooner then quittance of desert and merit, |
| Henry V | H5 III.vi.22 | Ay, I praise God, and I have merited some love | I, I prayse God, and I haue merited some loue |
| Henry V | H5 V.i.8 | merits – he is come to me and prings me pread and salt | merits: hee is come to me, and prings me pread and sault |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.i.270 | Seeing the deed is meritorious, | Seeing the deed is meritorious, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 V.i.81 | May Iden live to merit such a bounty, | May Iden liue to merit such a bountie, |
| Henry VIII | H8 I.i.64 | The force of his own merit makes his way – | The force of his owne merit makes his way |
| Julius Caesar | JC IV.i.12 | This is a slight unmeritable man, | This is a slight vnmeritable man, |
| King John | KJ II.i.520 | That I can find should merit any hate. | That I can finde, should merit any hate. |
| King John | KJ III.i.165 | And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust, | And by the merit of vilde gold, drosse, dust, |
| King John | KJ III.i.176 | And meritorious shall that hand be called, | And meritorious shall that hand be call'd, |
| King Lear | KL I.i.53 | Where nature doth with merit challenge. Gonerill, | Where Nature doth with merit challenge. Gonerill, |
| King Lear | KL III.v.6 | a provoking merit set a-work by a reprovable badness in | a prouoking merit set a-worke by a reprouable badnesse in |
| King Lear | KL V.iii.45 | As we shall find their merits and our safety | As we shall find their merites, and our safety |
| King Lear | KL V.iii.300 | Have more than merited. All friends shall taste | Haue more then merited. All Friends shall |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL IV.i.21 | See, see, my beauty will be saved by merit! | See, see, my beautie will be sau'd by merit. |
| Macbeth | Mac IV.iii.225 | Not for their own demerits, but for mine, | Not for their owne demerits, but for mine |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.i.202 | uprighteously do a poor wronged lady a merited benefit, | vprighteously do a poor wronged Lady a merited benefit; |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.i.233 | What a merit were it in death to take this poor | What a merit were it in death to take this poore |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV II.ix.39 | Without the stamp of merit? Let none presume | Without the stampe of merrit, let none presume |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV II.ix.43 | Were purchased by the merit of the wearer! | Were purchast by the merrit of the wearer; |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV III.v.72 | And if on earth he do not merit it, | And if on earth he doe not meane it, it |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW II.ii.196 | occasions. But whatsoever I have merited – either in my | occasions: but whatsoeuer I haue merited, either in my |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW III.v.47 | then judge of my merit. | then iudge of my merit. |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW IV.ii.193 | o'er the altar. It hath done meritorious service. | ore the Altar, it hath done meritorious seruice. |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | MND I.i.139 | Or else it stood upon the choice of friends – | Or else it stood vpon the choise of merit. |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | MND V.i.92 | Takes it in might, not merit. | Takes it in might, not merit. |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA III.i.19 | To praise him more than ever man did merit. | To praise him more then euer man did merit, |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA III.i.70 | Which simpleness and merit purchaseth. | Which simplenesse and merit purchaseth. |
| Othello | Oth I.ii.22 | From men of royal siege, and my demerits | From Men of Royall Seige. And my demerites |
| Othello | Oth II.i.143 | woman indeed? One that in the authority of her merit | woman indeed? One, that in the authorithy of her merit, |
| Othello | Oth II.iii.262 | imposition; oft got without merit and lost without | imposition; oft got without merit, aud lost without |
| Othello | Oth III.iii.185 | Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw | Nor from mine owne weake merites, will I draw |
| Othello | Oth III.iv.113 | Nor purposed merit in futurity, | Nor purpos'd merit in futurity, |
| Pericles | Per II.ii.9 | My commendations great, whose merit's less. | My Commendations great, whose merit's lesse. |
| Pericles | Per II.iii.12 | 'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit. | Tis more by Fortune (Lady) then my Merit. |
| Richard II | R2 I.iii.156 | A dearer merit, not so deep a maim | A deerer merit, not so deepe a maime, |
| Richard II | R2 V.vi.18 | Right noble is thy merit, well I wot. | Right Noble is thy merit, well I wot. |
| Richard III | R3 III.vii.154 | Unmeritable shuns your high request. | Vnmeritable, shunnes your high request. |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ I.i.222 | To merit bliss by making me despair. | To merit blisse by making me dispaire: |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ I.ii.31 | And like her most whose merit most shall be; | And like her most, whose merit most shall be: |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS IV.iii.41 | I am sure, sweet Kate, this kindness merits thanks. | I am sure sweet Kate, this kindnesse merites thankes. |
| Timon of Athens | Tim I.ii.206 | You bate too much of your own merits. | You bate too much of your owne merits. |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit III.i.195 | More hath it merited, that let it have. | More hath it merited: That let it haue. |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC I.iii.349 | Makes merit her election, and doth boil, | Makes Merit her election, and doth boyle |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC II.ii.24 | What merit's in that reason which denies | What merit's in that reason which denies |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC II.ii.61 | Without some image of th' affected merit. | Without some image of th'affected merit. |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC II.iii.190 | Nor, by my will, assubjugate his merit – | Nor by my will assubiugate his merit, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC III.ii.90 | bare till merit crown it; no perfection in reversion shall | bare till merit crowne it: no perfection in reuersion shall |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC III.iii.83 | Prizes of accident as oft as merit – | Prizes of accident, as oft as merit: |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.i.54 | Who, in your thoughts, merits fair Helen most, | Who in your thoughts merits faire Helen most? |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.i.56 | He merits well to have her, that doth seek her, | He merits well to haue her, that doth seeke her, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.i.66 | Both merits poised, each weighs nor less nor more; | Both merits poyz'd, each weighs no lesse nor more, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.iv.84 | So mainly as my merit: I cannot sing, | So mainely as my merit: I cannot sing, |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG V.iv.145 | Plead a new state in thy unrivalled merit, | Plead a new state in thy vn-riual'd merit, |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK V.i.128 | Is true love's merit, and bless me with a sign | Is true loves merit, and blesse me with a signe |
| The Winter's Tale | WT III.ii.47 | How merited to be so; since he came, | How merited to be so: Since he came, |
| The Winter's Tale | WT V.i.174 | As he from heaven merits it, with you, | (As he from Heauen merits it) with you, |