The Merchant of Venice: Act IV sc i - Portia

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
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;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

Find and highlight these techniques in the speech:
metaphor
alliteration
repetition

Answer the following questions using quotes where applicable:
How does Portia describe mercy? How important and powerful is it?

Portia describes mercy as a king and peacefully thing that is given to someone from god through belief. Mercy is very powerful because it is forgiveness given to someone.
What can one achieve through mercy?

Through mercy one can achieve forgiveness of god as well as '.'The attribute to awe and majesty.
How is religion part of this speech? (You need to do some thinking on this one.)

 Religion is apart of this speech because the main idea behind the speech is mercy which is portrayed as a attribute which is given by God. To get mercy one must believe in God.