Question

love story of portia and bassanio of merchant of venice

Answer 1

bassanio was the friend of Antonio who was a christian and a merchant of venice.Bassanio though of high rank and noble birth he was a poor person.but antonio was very fond of him and lent him money whenever bassanio needed.Now it happened that bassanio loved a lady of wealth and birth named Portia whose father nhad lately died and left her sole heiress to all his fortune.so well known was she for her wealth and beauty and gifts of mind that many princely and noble suitors wished her to marry.these visitors because they were rich as well as noble knew how to make a fine show before  the lady arriving at her house with costly gifts and richly dressed company.but bassanio being poor could afford no display and was afraid that the lady might refuse. so he took some money from his friend Antonio.and dressed well and went there.Portia's father wanted her to marry with a person who chose the right casket from the gold,silver and bronze.and in any of the one casket the portrait of portia was kept many came and went back sad.her father also told the men who were coming to get the hand of portia that if they choose the wrong casket they will not be marrying anyone again.the last person was bassanio when portia saw him he felt in love with him at the first sight.she asked bassanio to think and choose the casket.when bassanio chose the bronze casket portia was very happy and she gave him a ring and told her to wear this ring always and whenever this ring is lost by bassanio it would be end of their relationship.so bassanio promised her that whenever he dies then only he will open the ring.

Answer 2

The relationship between Portia and Bassanio is a bit difficult to fathom.Bassanio is an enigma: Portia speaks very flatteringly of him but we see little of him other than as part of the Venetian boys-about-town who gather around the rich Antonio, really just parasites. Indeed he is already in debt to Antonio and wants to borrow considerably more to gamble on securing 'a lady richly left.' A bit of a chancer, it would appear. True, he does warn Antonio against Shylock's proposal and stands by him when things go wrong, but otherwise it is difficult to see why Portia seems so girlishly infatuated by him as he prepares to take the casket test. Initially It certainly looks like mere physical attraction.After the trial, however, Portia seems much more in control, as the ring trick shows. It is almost as if, having got her man, she is now putting him in his place. If Portia is very dominant, could this prove to be a problem in future? Bassanio has been, among other things, something of an adventurer in the past, and might not long endure playing second fiddle to his rich wife. Otherwise the world that the pair inhabit at the end of the play seems nothing short of idyllic.