The three caskets in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599.
What does each casket mean in The Merchant of Venice?
If the suitor chooses the correct casket, he wins Portia's hand. The gold casket is a symbol of greed and of materialistic and shallow people who value surface over substance. Silver, while still precious, is not quite as luxurious as gold. The silver casket symbolizes a more cautious greed.
What message does the casket contain?
Also like Venice, the hidden bias of the casket test is fundamentally Christian. To win Portia, Bassanio must ignore the gold casket, which bears the inscription, “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire” (II.
How does Bassanio interpret the message on each casket?
The reason behind Bassanio's selection of the lead casket was his wisdom rather than a rich external appearance. Bassanio was able to analyse the contrast between the appearance and reality of an object and understood the in-depth meaning of the song that was suggesting not to be carried away by fancy.
What was written on the silver casket in Merchant of Venice?
The scroll in the silver casket reads, "There be fools alive, I wis [know], / Silver'd o'er; and so was this." Arragon departs then with his followers, promising to keep his oath. Portia is dearly relieved and sums up the reason for the prince's failure: "O, these deliberate fools!
What do the 3 caskets symbolize?
The three caskets in the play are made of gold, silver, and lead. They symbolize the dominant tendencies prevalent in human nature. Portia's father wanted her daughter's suitors to select the right casket, with an image of her daughter, to win her hand in marriage.
Why did Bassanio reject the gold casket?
Bassanio rejects the gold casket because he is aware that European moral iconographies repudiate earthly wealth (though, ironically, Bassanio is a poor illustration of the principle).
What is the moral lesson underlying the choice between the three caskets?
This is an Expert-Verified Answer Whoever chooses the casket "shall get as much as he deserves," according to the inscription on it. The prince immediately selects the silver coffin because he conceitedly believes that he merits Portia's hand in marriage.
What does Bassanio opine about each of the three caskets?
He must pick either the gold, silver or lead casket and if he chooses the one which contains Portia's portrait then he will be entitled to marry her. Bassanio deliberates over which one to choose and succeeds in picking the correct casket (lead). Bassanio and Portia are both overjoyed that they can now marry.
Is Bassanio in love with Antonio?
139-141). Bassanio knows that Antonio loves him enough to help him in any way that he can with his debts, and so he uses that to gain the money. However, Bassanio's love and respect for Antonio can clearly be seen when he says “You shall not seal to such a bond for me!” (1.3. 166).
What message is on silver casket?
The inscription on the outside of the silver casket reads: 'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves' (2.7. 24).
What does the three casket contains in Merchant of Venice?
The casket might remind us of the 'three chests of gold, silver, and lead' in The Merchant of Venice, which form part of the 'lott'ry' devised by Portia's father before his death, to dictate whom she should marry (1.2. 29–30).
What was written on the scroll of lead casket?
Answer: He picks the gold casket because the inscription reads: "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire. When he opens it there is a skull and a scroll inside. The scroll reads: *All that glisters is not gold Often have to heard that told Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold.
What is the purpose of a casket?
Both coffins and caskets serve as burial containers that hold the body or ashes of the departed. Funeral homes in Worcester, MA use both types to display the body during a funeral and to bury the deceased. These days, most families prefer caskets to coffins.
What do the three caskets have written on them?
The scroll reads: "All that glisters is not gold Often have to heard that told Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold.
What is written on each of the three caskets?
On the leaden casket, he reads, "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath"; on the silver casket, he reads, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves"; and on the golden casket, he reads, "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire." Portia informs him that the correct casket contains her picture.
What was the inscription written on the casket?
The inscription on the golden casket was, "Who chooseth I shall gain what many men desire".
What does the silver casket represent in The Merchant of Venice?
The gold casket represents shallow materialism. The silver casket represents a belief that surface appearances are what really matter. And the lead casket represents an awareness that what’s on the inside is much more valuable than what’s on the outside.
What do the three caskets represent?
In a sense, the three caskets represent the type of person that the suitor is. Gold casket. superficial person who looks at outward appearances. greedy person. selfish person who thinks of his immediate gain first. a person who takes before giving anything. a person used to luxury. Silver casket.
Why did Portia's father set up the test of the three caskets?
The test of the three caskets was set up by Portia ’s late father as a way of deterring gold diggers and time wasters. The old man knew that his daughter, being both rich and good-looking, would attract more than her fair share of suitors. But he wanted to make sure that they’d be the right suitors, the kind who’d love Portia for herself and not for her phenomenal wealth.
Why is the lead casket the correct choice?
The lead casket is the correct choice, because what lies within is more valuable than the mere surface appeal (or lack thereof) of the dull lead. When Bassanio picks the lead casket, he reveals that he values the inner worth of Portia more than outward appearances.
What are the caskets of Portia's marriage made of?
According to her father's will, the man who selects the right casket will win Portia's hand in marriage. The caskets are made of gold, silver, and lead. When the first suitor, the Prince of Morocco, picks the golden casket, assuming gold, the most valuable of the three metals, must represent the great worth of Portia, he learns, to his dismay, ...
What does "lead casket" mean?
a person who takes before giving anything. a person used to luxury. Silver casket. a person who thinks in terms of monetary gain. a person who is not wealthy, but aspires to be. a false person who waivers in his desire for wealth and his pretense to be non-materialistic. Lead casket.
Where does the Merchant of Venice take place?
Share Link. Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice categorized under the high comedies, is a romantic comedy that takes place in the exotic Venice, the world of commerce in the sixteenth century. This is the social world in which the play evolves.
What are symbols in Venice?
The Merchant of Venice. Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
What is the pound of flesh in Shylock?
Shylock’s determination is strengthened by Jessica’s departure, as if he were seeking recompense for the loss of his own flesh and blood by collecting it from his enemy. Lastly, the pound of flesh is a constant reminder of the rigidity of Shylock’s world, where numerical calculations are used to evaluate even the most serious of situations. Shylock never explicitly demands that Antonio die, but asks instead, in his numerical mind, for a pound in exchange for his three thousand ducats. Where the other characters measure their emotions with long metaphors and words, Shylock measures everything in far more prosaic and numerical quantities.
Is the casket test a Christian test?
Also like Venice, the hidden bias of the casket test is fundamentally Christian.
What are the significance of the caskets in the play?
The significance of the caskets lies in the fact that they show love as being the most important factor in marriage. The riddle of the three caskets was devised by Portia's father to weed out all the foolish, ignorant gold-diggers beating a path to her door. The gold and silver caskets symbolize the sin of greed—one of the play's recurring themes—and how fleeting and unimportant are the things of this world in comparison with love. Most aristocratic marriages at that time were arranged by families, strategic alliances based on wealth and power. So Portia's father, by insisting on a smart suitor who genuinely loves Portia for herself and not for her money, is doing something quite unique in setting up the riddle.
What does Bassanio say about the casket?
By choosing the lead casket, Bassanio is showing he is able to look past the surface level and appreciate what lies beneath. His choice also relates to his love for Antonio, for whom he is willing to do much to save from Shylock 's insistence on getting that pound of flesh.
What does the lead casket symbolize in the story of Bassanio?
Bassanio shows himself a worthy suitor by ignoring all the surface glitter of the gold and silver caskets and choosing the lead casket, the one that symbolizes humility and modesty. When Bassanio opens up the casket, he's delighted to find a portrait of fair Portia with a scroll that says:
Why do suitors come to vie for Portia's hand?
Many suitors have come to vie for Portia 's hand due to her wealth and her beauty alone, ignoring her heart and intelligence. In the larger play itself, many characters place more value on money and valuables than anything else, commenting on society's obsession with materialism. The silver casket's outer inscription reads:
What does Morocco think of the gold casket?
Unfortunately for Morocco, he thinks that "what many men desire" is gold, so he chooses the gold casket, displaying his greed for all to see. However, when he opens the casket he gets a nasty surprise: a skull with an inscription that reads:
Who is the second suitor in the book of Arragon?
The second suitor, the Duke of Arragon, is rather like the first in that he values surface over substance, so he unwisely plumps for the silver casket. Inside, he finds a picture of a fool holding a scroll. On that scroll is written the following:
Who does Portia want to marry?
Finally, and with a little help from Portia's none-too-subtle hints, comes Bassanio, the man she wants to marry. As we saw earlier, in act 2, scene 7, the inscription on the lead casket reads:
Why does Morocco reject the silver casket?
The words "get as much as he deserves" intrigue him. He is quite sure that he deserves Portia; he deserves her "in birth," "in fortune," "in grace," "in qualities of breeding," and most of all, "in love." Yet, ultimately, he rejects the silver casket because he refuses to believe that Portia's father would "immure" a portrait of his treasured daughter in a metal "ten times undervalued [as] tried gold." The prince reasons that a portrait of Portia — a "mortal, breathing saint," a woman whom ing this one, now we have another colorful and theatrical spectacle of yet another rich suitor who has come to try and outwit fortune and claim Portia for his bride.
What is the significance of Morocco inspecting the caskets?
As Morocco inspects the caskets, Shakespeare is able to inform the audience more fully of the details of the casket competition for Portia's hand . The casket that will win her contains a miniature portrait of her, and all of the caskets have inscriptions upon them, which Morocco reads for us. These inscriptions are important; each succeeding suitor will reflect upon them, and as he does so, he will reveal the truth about his own character. The inscriptions are, of course, intentionally ambiguous; they can be interpreted in more than one way. Remembering that this is a romantic comedy, we expect that Morocco will misinterpret them, as will Arragon later, and that finally Bassanio will read the inscriptions and interpret them correctly.
Is the inscription in Morocco ambiguous?
The inscriptions are, of course, intentionally ambiguous; they can be interpreted in more than one way. Remembering that this is a romantic comedy, we expect that Morocco will misinterpret them, as will Arragon later, and that finally Bassanio will read the inscriptions and interpret them correctly.
Does Portia know which caskets will win her?
We should remember as we read this scene that Portia herself, at this point, does not know which of the caskets will win her. As Morocco moves from one to the next, Portia will be reacting on stage, silently revealing her thoughts, for she cannot guide Morocco, and we have some evidence for believing that Portia is not usually a quiet woman.
Why does the Prince of Arragon say "graved in gold"?
There is dramatic irony when he says, “graved in gold” because in the light of the consequences of Morocco’s eventual wrong choice he finds that the casket is a grave for it contains a skull. Likely, the Prince of Arragon didn’t approve of the word ‘many’ in the golden casket.
What is the character of Morocco in Shakespeare's play?
Shakespeare reveals the character of Morocco as a confident, self conscious and strong person who is very proud of his colour. The Prince of Morocco meets Portia and tells her that he is often considered very handsome on account of his black skin.
Why did the Prince of Arragon reject lead?
The Prince of Arragon rejects lead because of the ominous warning, “who chooseth me shall must give and hazard all he hath”. The Prince of Morocco took his time to choose the right casket so as to not making rash decisions as he said, “I will survey th’ inscriptions back again.
What does Shakespeare say about Portia?
His over-confidence is apparent when he says, “deliver me the key” and chooses the silver casket very sure that Portia’s portrait was within. He thinks that he is more than worthy enough for Portia and this attitude of his, troops his downfall for it is not the silver casket that holds Portia’s picture. Shakespeare has given a lengthy speech on each suitor on the casket they were going to choose.
What is the simile of the Prince of Arragon?
The Prince of Arragon uses a very suitable simile to prove his point when he compares them to ‘the martlet’ (swift) that ‘builds’ its nest ‘on the outward wall’ of the building where it may get damaged or destroyed instead of choosing a more sheltered place. Later we realise that this speech is an example of dramatic irony because he too will choose with a “fond eye”. The Prince of Arragon is a snob smugly self-satisfied in his dismissal of the “barbarous multitudes. ”
Who is more elaborate, Morocco or Prince of Arragon?
Morocco is both more elaborate and direct than Prince of Arragon and this is shown in the line – “How shall I know if I choose the right casket”. This line shows us that Morocco was well concerned, interested and very curious to win Portia and for this he even asked several questions in order to clear his doubts before choosing the casket.
How do the Princes speak in the book Arragon?
The Princes speak in blank verse through their presence, which only changes after both of them reading their scroll. Their reaction after opening the casket is similar as the gold casket contains “a carrion Death, within whose empty eye there is a written scroll” and the silver casket contains “the portrait of a blinking idiot, presenting” him “a schedule. ” After the suitor reads the scroll or the schedule, his language starts to be similar with the contents read on as it becomes into a poetic form. Arragon is uncharacteristically struck-dumb by what he finds, “a blinking idiot.
