Question

Answer in 1000 wordsby what logic does bassanio arrive at his decision to choose the lead casket in the quest of portia as his wife would be

Answer 1

In thinking about the reasons Bassanio chooses the lead casket over the gold or silver one in The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare, it is also worth considering the qualities of lead. As well as being clever to work out the "trick element" of the test by using his rationality and common sense, Bassanio also shows how down to earth he is by picking something that has day to day value. For ordinary people, lead has useful attributes - it is heavy and very valuable in waterproofing and sealing roofs. we must also remember Shakespeare's using the association with death - it is used to line coffins!