What is the living daughter's will? What is the will of the father? Do you think that the will of the daughter and that of the father clash against each other? Why do you think so?.
Merchant of Venice Class 9.
Answers
She is saying her desire ("will") as a living daughter is curbed or thwarted by the legal document ("will") of her dead father. Her father's will stipulates that Portia cannot marry whoever she pleases.
Portia says that the will of a living daughter (which means her wishes) are controlled by the legal will of a dead father, which means her father's testaments. She cannot choose her husband according to her wishes but must follow her father's will to inherit the fortune left behind by him.
One of the caskets holds a portrait of Portia and whoever chooses this one will become her husband. Portia is frustrated by the way her father controls her even though he is no longer alive and she complains about her lack of choice. Nerissa reminds Portia about the nobleman Bassanio who once visited them.
Portia is upset that she cannot choose the man she will marry. Portia's deceased father created a lottery, where potential suitors were given the opportunity to choose from one of three caskets with the hope of winning Portia's hand in marriage.
State in your own words what Portia means by 'the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father'. Answer: Portia means that her dead father's will is taking away her liberty to choose a husband on her own. Her wishes in life are being controlled by the wishes of a dead father.
She is saying her desire ("will") as a living daughter is curbed or thwarted by the legal document ("will") of her dead father. Her father's will stipulates that Portia cannot marry whoever she pleases.