Question

This isn’t a riddle for Shakespeare’s readers to solve, but rather one that tricked some of his characters. In the Bard's famous comedy "The Merchant of Venice," the father of the young heiress Portia concocts a puzzle to ensure that his daughter marries a worthy suitor. He requires that any suitor must choose one of three caskets: one casket is gold, one is silver, and one is made of lead. One casket has a photo of Portia inside it, and only the suitor who chooses that casket may marry her. Here are the clues the suitors must use to decide:

On the gold casket: "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire."
On the silver casket: "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves."
On the lead casket: "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath."

Answer 1

Answer:

"As I was going to St. Ives,

I met a man with seven wives,

Each wife had seven sacks,

Each sack had seven cats,

Each cat had seven kits:

Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,

How many were there going to St. Ives?"