đź’Ť The Casket Scene: Key Quotes
- “I pray you tarry, pause a day or two / Before you hazard; for in choosing wrong / I lose your company.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: Portia begs Bassanio to wait before choosing. It shows her anxiety and true love; if he chooses incorrectly, he must leave her forever.
- “Let me choose; / For as I am, I live upon the rack.”
- Speaker: Bassanio
- Context: Bassanio compares his suspense to being tortured on “the rack.” He is so desperate to know his fate that the waiting is unbearable.
- “Tell me where is fancy bred… It is engender’d in the eyes, / With gazing fed.”
- Speaker: The Song
- Context: As Bassanio chooses, this song warns that “fancy” (shallow attraction) comes from the eyes, not the heart. The rhymes—bred, fed, head—hint at the lead casket.
- “So may the outward shows be least themselves: / The world is still deceived with ornament.”
- Speaker: Bassanio
- Context: Reflecting on the caskets, Bassanio notes that “ornament” (beauty and gold) is often a trap used to hide the truth.
- “Therefore, thou gaudy gold, / Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee;”
- Speaker: Bassanio
- Context: He rejects the gold casket, calling it “gaudy” and referencing King Midas to show that wealth does not equal value.
- “But thou, thou meagre lead, / Which rather threatenest than dost promise aught, / Thy paleness moves me more than eloquence;”
- Speaker: Bassanio
- Context: He chooses the lead casket because its plainness feels more honest and sincere than the “eloquence” of the gold and silver.
- “You that choose not by the view, / Chance as fair, and choose as true!”
- Speaker: The Scroll (inside the lead casket)
- Context: The message confirms his success, praising him for looking past the surface (“the view”) to find the truth.
- “Madam, you have bereft me of all words. / Only my blood speaks to you in my veins;”
- Speaker: Bassanio
- Context: Overjoyed at winning, Bassanio tells Portia that his physical reaction (his “blood”) is the only way he can express his love because he is speechless.
- “This house, these servants, and this same myself / Are yours, my lord’s.”
- Speaker: Portia
- Context: In a total act of commitment, Portia hands over her entire estate and her own self-governance to Bassanio.
🎓 Exam Focus: The “Theme of Choice”
When writing about this scene, remember that while the Trial Scene is about Justice, the Casket Scene is about Wisdom.
- Gold/Silver: Represent greed and vanity (The Princes of Morocco and Arragon).
- Lead: Represents sacrifice and looking beneath the surface (Bassanio).
- Portia’s influence: Her use of the “Lead” song shows she is active in her own destiny, even when she is legally bound by her father’s will.