What do the three caskets say in the merchant of venice

His character is also proud because he proceeds to defend his skin and boasts about himself. He challenges Portia to compare his blood with the whitest of men to see whose the reddest is. Morocco represents sensual love, a desire for physical pleasures as oppose to those of the mind.

This means Morocco judges on outward appearances. He does not even stop to contemplate the lead casket saying only that it would have to look more attractive for him to hazard anything for it. The silver casket appeals to him the most because he feels that no one deserving should go unmerited.

His arrogance leads him to assume that he is worthy of Portia. Maria Magher has been working as a professional writer since She has worked as an ESL teacher, a freshman composition teacher and an education reporter, writing for regional newspapers and online publications.

She has written about parenting for Pampers and other websites. She has a Master's degree in English and creative writing. Shylock's grief-stricken response to the news that Jessica traded the ring for a monkey is touching and quite human, don't you think? When Bassanio chooses the correct casket and wins Portia as his wife, Portia slips a ring on his finger and makes a big speech about how she and everything she owns are now his property:.

Myself and what is mine to you and yours Is now converted: but now I was the lord Of this fair mansion, master of my servants, Queen o'er myself: and even now, but now, This house, these servants and this same myself Are yours, my lord: I give them with this ring; Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Let it presage the ruin of your love And be my vantage to exclaim on you.

OK, fine. The ring is a symbol of Portia's love and commitment, and if Bassanio doesn't keep it on his finger, he's in big trouble. No surprise here — couples have been exchanging rings for centuries.

Yet this ring also seems to symbolize much more. In "Portia's Ring," literary critic Karen Newman notes that, at first, the ring seems to represent Portia's submission to her soon-to-be husband and her willingness to become subservient when she marries Note: Legally, in the 16th century, marriage made a man master over his wife and her property, which Portia acknowledges in her big speech.

Yet when Portia gives Bassanio the ring and all of her worldly possessions and property , she also puts herself in a position of power, because she's giving her soon-to-be husband more than he can possibly give her in return Newman, After all these dramatic declarations, we know what's bound to happen to that ring, right?

Especially in light of Bassanio's questionable sincerity. After all, his sole reason for traveling to Belmont is to snag a rich wife who will help him get out of debt.

Portia is most definitely his meal ticket. Sure enough, Bassanio parts with the ring when Portia disguised as a Balthazar tricks him into giving it up as a token of appreciation after "Balthazar" saves Antonio's life 4. What does all of this say about the couple's relationship and Antonio's commitment to it? Portia also makes Bassanio beholden to her when she confronts him with the ring he willingly gave to "Balthazar.

When, for example, she saves Antonio's life, she arranges it so that her husband and his best friend owe her more than they could ever repay. Poor Portia. Even though her father is dead, the guy still manages to orchestrate her marriage from the grave. In his will, Portia's father stipulated that her husband would be determined according to a lottery yeah, we know, it's more like a contest. Since Portia is rich, smart, and beautiful, men travel from all over the world for a chance to marry the heiress.

Here's how it works. A suitor is given the option of choosing one of three caskets see below. If he guesses correctly, he gets Portia and all her money. If he chooses incorrectly, he has to leave Belmont immediately and can never, ever marry. Apparently, Portia's dad reasoned that the man who chooses the correct casket which holds a picture of Portia inside will be the right man for our girl.

Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none? For Portia, the lottery is a symbol of a dead father's control over his daughter's right to choose her own husband. Notice Portia's repetition of the word "choose" three times in this passage? Over the course of the entire scene, the word shows up no fewer than ten times, which emphasizes the point that Portia has no choice read: power here. It turns out that parents especially fathers often got to decide who their daughters would marry in the 16th century, and we see a lot of this in Shakespeare.

We also notice how the lottery turns marriage into a competitive game or business venture that entails a lot of risk. Remember, if a suitor chooses the incorrect casket, he can never marry another woman. But if he chooses correctly, he gets Portia and all of her wealth. It's kind of like all the risky business ventures carried out by the merchants in the play, don't you think? Does this have something to do with the way Bassanio sees his courtship of Portia as a kind of business transaction that will solve all of his financial problems?

Seems like it. The lottery not only allows Portia's father to choose her husband; it also allows him to transmit all of his wealth, via her, to a man of his choosing. The correct casket is lead and warns that the person who chooses it must give and risk everything he has. Christianity teaches that appearances are often deceiving, and that people should not trust the evidence provided by the senses—hence the humble appearance of the lead casket.

The contest certainly suits Bassanio, who knows he does not deserve his good fortune but is willing to risk everything on a gamble. Shylock never explicitly demands that Antonio die, but asks instead, in his numerical mind, for a pound in exchange for his three thousand ducats.