The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare | Act 2, Scene 7

Summary

In 'The Merchant of Venice,' the Prince of Morocco faces a challenge to win Portia's hand in marriage. He must choose between three caskets: gold, silver, and lead, each with a riddle. The gold casket's riddle suggests it holds what many men desire. The prince, valuing Portia highly, selects gold but finds a skull, symbolizing the danger of judging by appearances. His failure reveals that Portia's father's riddles are not mere chance but tests of character. Portia's relief at his departure hints at her own superficial judgment based on his 'complexion,' mirroring the prince's mistake.

Takeaways

• 📖 In Act 2 Scene 7 of 'The Merchant of Venice', the Prince of Morocco faces a challenge to win Portia's hand in marriage by choosing the correct casket.
• 📖 There are three caskets: gold, silver, and lead, each with a different inscription that serves as a clue to its contents.
• 📖 The gold casket promises what many men desire, the silver casket suggests receiving what one deserves, and the lead casket warns of giving and risking all.
• 📖 The Prince of Morocco dismisses the lead casket due to its threatening inscription and considers his own worth in relation to the silver casket.
• 📖 He chooses the gold casket, believing it to be the most fitting container for Portia's portrait, reflecting his own attraction to outward appearances.
• 📖 Upon opening the gold casket, the Prince finds a skull and a message that warns against being deceived by appearances, revealing his mistake.
• 📖 Portia is relieved by the Prince's failure, indicating that her father's choice of suitor involves more than mere chance.
• 📖 The caskets' inscriptions are designed to test a suitor's character and ability to interpret clues, rather than relying on luck.
• 📖 The Prince of Morocco's choice reflects his own preoccupation with appearances, which is the very trap the casket's inscription warns against.
• 📖 Portia judges the Prince based on his appearance and ethnicity, showing her own prejudice, which mirrors the Prince's initial assessment of the caskets.
• 📖 The Prince's departure is marked by Portia's comment on his complexion, highlighting the theme of superficial judgment in the play.

Q & A

What is the big challenge left by Portia's father in The Merchant of Venice?

The challenge is to choose the correct casket among three: gold, silver, and lead, each containing a different message and only one contains Portia's portrait.

What are the inscriptions on the gold, silver, and lead caskets?

The gold casket reads 'Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire', the silver casket 'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves', and the lead casket 'Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath'.

Why does the Prince of Morocco eliminate the lead casket from consideration?

He finds the inscription on the lead casket threatening and decides to eliminate it right away.

What does the Prince of Morocco believe he deserves and why does he choose the golden casket?

He believes he deserves much and chooses the golden casket because he thinks Portia is something many men desire and it is symbolically worthy to contain her image.

What does the Prince of Morocco find inside the golden casket and what message does it convey?

He finds a skull and a message cautioning against being seduced by outward appearances, stating 'All that glisters is not gold'.

How does Portia feel about the Prince of Morocco's failure to choose the correct casket?

Portia expresses relief at his failure.

What does the selection of the caskets reveal about Portia's father's intentions?

It reveals that Portia's father did not leave her fate to pure chance but provided clues in the inscriptions to guide the suitor to the correct choice.

How does the Prince of Morocco's choice of the casket reflect his own character?

His choice reflects his preoccupation with outward appearances, as he is seduced by the outward appearance of the gold casket.

What does Portia's reaction to the Prince of Morocco's departure indicate about her?

Portia judges the Prince by his appearance and is unable to look beyond his complexion, showing her own prejudice.

What is the significance of Portia's last line in relation to the Prince of Morocco's first line?

Her last line mirrors his first, indicating her prejudice and inability to see beyond his appearance, which is a form of blindness to his actual qualities.

What is the moral lesson conveyed by the caskets' inscriptions and the Prince of Morocco's choice?

The moral lesson is not to be seduced by outward appearances and to look beyond the surface to understand true value and character.

Outlines

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🎭 The Merchant of Venice: The Casket Test

In Act 2, Scene 7 of 'The Merchant of Venice,' the Prince of Morocco faces a pivotal challenge set by Portia's father to win her hand in marriage. He must choose between three caskets: gold, silver, and lead. Each casket contains a riddle, and only one holds Portia's portrait. The gold casket promises what many men desire, the silver casket promises what one deserves, and the lead casket warns of giving and risking all. The Prince of Morocco dismisses the lead casket as too threatening and opts for the gold, believing it to be worthy of Portia. However, he finds a skull and a message warning against being deceived by appearances. His choice reflects his own preoccupation with outward appearances. Despite his ego, he is not inherently flawed but is judged by Portia for his appearance, showing a mutual prejudice that blinds them to each other's true nature.

Keywords

💡Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare that explores themes of love, justice, and prejudice. In the video, it serves as the backdrop for the story of Portia and her suitors, particularly focusing on the Prince of Morocco's attempt to win her hand through the riddle of the caskets.

💡Portia

Portia is the wealthy heiress in the play, whose hand in marriage is sought after by various suitors. Her father's will stipulates that she can only marry the man who successfully chooses the correct casket containing her portrait. In the video, Portia's relief at the Prince of Morocco's failure highlights her agency and the importance of choosing wisely.

💡Caskets

The caskets are golden, silver, and leaden chests that each contain a message and are part of the riddle devised by Portia's father. The choice of a casket is a test of the suitor's character and judgment. The video emphasizes the significance of the caskets as symbols of the suitors' values and the test they must pass.

💡Prince of Morocco

The Prince of Morocco is one of Portia's suitors who fails the test of the caskets. His choice of the golden casket reflects his ego and superficiality, which are highlighted in the video as he is seduced by outward appearances, ultimately leading to his failure.

💡Inscriptions

The inscriptions on the caskets are riddles that provide clues to their contents. The video uses the inscriptions to illustrate the moral and intellectual challenges faced by the suitors. The inscriptions are a key element in the play's exploration of appearance versus reality.

💡Appearances

Appearances are a central theme in the video, as they relate to the suitors' judgments and choices. The Prince of Morocco is particularly swayed by appearances, as shown by his selection of the golden casket, which he believes to be worthy of Portia. The video uses this to critique the tendency to judge based on superficial traits.

💡Deserves

The concept of 'deserves' is tied to the silver casket's inscription, suggesting that one should get what they deserve. The video uses this to explore the idea of merit and the suitors' self-perception, as the Prince of Morocco contemplates whether he deserves Portia.

💡Prejudice

Prejudice is evident in Portia's reaction to the Prince of Morocco, as she judges him based on his 'complexion' rather than his character. The video highlights this prejudice, showing that it can blind one to the true nature of a person, which is a central theme in the play.

💡Ego

Ego is a significant aspect of the Prince of Morocco's character, as it influences his decision-making. The video illustrates how his ego leads him to choose the golden casket, believing that he is worthy of Portia, which ultimately results in his failure.

💡Relief

Portia's relief at the Prince of Morocco's failure is a moment of emotional release in the video. It signifies her reprieve from a potential marriage that she did not desire, underscoring the importance of the casket test in ensuring a suitable match.

💡Complexion

Complexion is used in the video to refer to the Prince of Morocco's physical appearance, which Portia finds unappealing. It is a term that encapsulates the play's commentary on racial and ethnic prejudice, as well as the superficial judgments people make based on physical attributes.

Highlights

The Prince of Morocco faces a challenge to marry Portia by choosing the correct casket.

There are three caskets: gold, silver, and lead, each with a hint.

The gold casket's hint: 'who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire'.

The silver casket's hint: 'who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves'.

The lead casket's hint: 'who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath'.

The Prince of Morocco eliminates the lead casket due to its threatening hint.

He considers his own worth and Portia's value in choosing the caskets.

The Prince chooses the gold casket, believing it to be symbolic of Portia.

Inside the gold casket, he finds a skull and a message about outward appearances.

The message cautions against being seduced by appearances: 'all that glisters is not gold'.

The Prince of Morocco departs, having failed the challenge.

Portia expresses relief at his failure, indicating her own prejudices.

The caskets' inscriptions are not just games but clues to Portia's portrait.

Portia's father did not leave her fate to chance but to the解读 of clues.

The Prince of Morocco is shown to be preoccupied with outward appearances.

Portia judges the Prince by his appearance, failing to see beyond his complexion.

The Prince's choice reflects his ego and superficiality.

Portia's prejudice is mirrored in her final line, showing her own inability to look beyond appearances.

Transcripts

[Music]

in act 2 scene 7 of The Merchant of

Venice back at Portia's house the Prince

of Morocco undertakes the big challenge

left by Porsha's father one he must

successfully pass in order to marry

Portia he is to choose between three

caskets or chests one made of gold one

made of silver and one of lead one of

the chests contains a portrait of Portia

and if the suitor chooses that chest he

can marry her but if he chooses the

wrong chest he goes home in shame each

chest is inscribed with a hint the gold

one reads who chooseth me shall gain

what many men desire the silver one

reads who chooseth me shall get as much

as he deserves the lead one reads who

chooseth me must give and hazard all he

hath the Prince of Morocco deliberates

over the chests and considers carefully

their inscriptions he finds the lead

casket threatening and eliminates in

right away then he thinks of what he may

deserve and he thinks he deserves much

but he questions whether that extends to

Portia he settles on the golden casket

because he believes Portia is the thing

many men desire and he decides the

golden casket is symbolically the only

one worthy to contain her image so he

chooses gold when he unlocks the casket

he finds a skull and a message

cautioning against being seduced by

outward appearances all that glisters is

not gold he bids Portia adieu and leaves

as Portia expresses relief at his

failure with the inscriptions on the

caskets it becomes apparent that

Porsha's father has not entrusted his

daughter's fate to a game of pure chance

these inscriptions provide clues to the

location of her portrait and the man who

can figure out the clues correctly will

be the one worthy of Porsha's hand the

Prince of Morocco is absolutely not that

man seduced by the outward appearance of

the gold casket his choice indicates his

own preoccupation with outward

appearances as evidenced by his choice

of casket yet Portia has judged the

prince

Morocco by his appearance as well when

he departs she says let all of his

complexion choose me so unlike the other

suitors she dislikes the Prince of

Morocco is not actually as repellant as

the drunken fighting inconstant lot that

have vied for her affections

he has no evident character flaws beyond

his ego she has been unable to look

beyond his complexion from the moment

she met him which is evident from the

way her last line mirrors his first her

prejudice has made her blind to any good

points or flaws the prince may actually

possess

[Music]