summary of the three caskets scene
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
There are three casket scenes which took place in the play "Merchant of Venice" .
According to the will of Portia's father , the suitor who choosed the casket among the three caskets of gold , lead and silver , which contained the portrait of Portia would be rewarded and he would be eligible for marrying Portia . There were three suitors namely - The Prince of Morocco , the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio who opted for choosing the caskets .
The First Casket Scene
In the first casket scene , the Prince of Morocco chose the golden casket . He was attracted by the outward look of the golden casket and hence made the choice .
He thought that Portia's casket was of great value and cannot be locked inside the lead and the silver casket .
Prince of Morocco explained that suitors from all over the World easily comes to view Portia imagining the sea as a mere stream . They do not care for the difficulties in navigation .
Hence the portrait of such a woman cannot be locked under any other caskets other than gold .
He failed to understand that in choosing caskets , one must choose from their hearts rather than choose by logical reasoning .
The result was that he lost the chance and had to walk off disgracefully with a skull .
The Second Casket Scene
The Second Casket Scene was the scene where the Prince of Arragon made a choice for the casket .
He chose the silver casket as he was confident that he deserved fair Portia .
He did not choose the golden casket because he thought that several people deserved Portia but only one person will get what he deserves .
He chose the silver casket which showed that Arragon had the qualities of vanity and self deception .
He lost the chance and had to walk off with the face of a blinking idiot .
The Third Casket Scene
Bassanio , a Venetian chose the gold casket .
In my opinion , it was not fair because Portia had started a music which helped Bassanio to choose the casket .
Bassanio noticed by the song that outward appearances are always false in our real world .
He gave the examples of cosmetics , lawyer and some instances from religion to show that "outward appearances are always deceptive " .
Thus he was moved by the dull lead which gave a warning rather than going for the attractive caskets .
He was rewarded when he opened the casket and found the portrait of fair Portia .
Explanation:
The Three Caskets
The contest for Portia’s hand, in which suitors from various countries choose among a gold, a silver, and a lead casket, resembles the cultural and legal system of Venice in some respects. Like the Venice of the play, the casket contest presents the same opportunities and the same rules to men of various nations, ethnicities, and religions. 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.vii.5), and the silver casket, which says, “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves” (II.vii.7). The correct casket is lead and warns that the person who chooses it must give and risk everything he has. The contest combines a number of Christian teachings, such as the idea that desire is an unreliable guide and should be resisted, and the idea that human beings do not deserve God’s grace but receive it in spite of themselves. 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. Faith and charity are the central values of Christianity, and these values are evoked by the lead casket’s injunction to give all and risk all, as one does in making a leap of faith. Portia’s father has presented marriage as one in which the proper suitor risks and gives everything for the spouse, in the hope of a divine recompense he can never truly deserve. The contest certainly suits Bassanio, who knows he does not deserve his good fortune but is willing to risk everything on a gamble
The Pound of Flesh
The pound of flesh that Shylock seeks lends itself to multiple interpretations: it emerges most as a metaphor for two of the play’s closest relationships, but also calls attention to Shylock’s inflexible adherence to the law. The fact that Bassanio’s debt is to be paid with Antonio’s flesh is significant, showing how their friendship is so binding it has made them almost one. 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.
Leah’s Ring
The ring given to Shylock in his bachelor days by a woman named Leah, who is most likely Shylock’s wife and Jessica’s mother, gets only a brief mention in the play, but is still an object of great importance. When told that Jessica has stolen it and traded it for a monkey, Shylock very poignantly laments its loss: “I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys” (III.i.101–102). The lost ring allows us to see Shylock in an uncharacteristically vulnerable position and to view him as a human being capable of feeling something more than anger. Although Shylock and Tubal discuss the ring for no more than five lines, the ring stands as an important symbol of Shylock’s humanity, his ability to love, and his ability to grieve.