Merchant of Venice
In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Portia, the rich heiress from Belmont, is forced to marry the nobleman who picks the casket containing her portrait. Portia is upset and concerned about the possibility of marrying someone she does not love, but finds out that her destiny is meant to be. Her concerns about her father's contest are shown throughout the novel several ways. First, Nerissa and Portia are seen trying to reason why her father set the arranged marriage up. Second, she discusses her reasons of doubts with Nerissa, her lady in waiting, and expands on the suitors backgrounds. Lastly, Portia's emotions are shown when she faces the thought of loosing the one she wants all along. Nerissa and Portia first try to reason why Portia's father would set the arranged marriage up using the caskets. Nerissa's thinking is that Portia's father was a virtuous man who had good inspirations.(line 27) He devised the caskets of gold, lead, and silver as a way to unlock the suitors' true intentions and feelings for Portia. Each casket was inscribed with a phrase. The gold one read, "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire." The silver one said, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he d
eserves", and the lead one read, "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath." Her father inscribed these to determine the man who would look beyond the outside and deep within to find the true context. As Nerissa states in line 31, "Who chooses his meaning chooses you, will no doubt ever be chosen by any rightly but one who you shall rightly love." Portia is shown as still having no affections or interests in these men and is still left with the fear of the marriage. Nerissa's explanations of Portia's father's intentions go unnoticed. As Portia says in line 25 of act one, "Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?" Thus showing her struggle with this arranged marriage.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 988
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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