What do the caskets represent in the merchant of venice

Although I also believe that his act of choosing the right casket was just his cleverness , but his love for Portia is shown properly by Shakespeare.

What message does the second casket contain? Who says all that glitters is not gold? The 'glitters' version long ago superseded the original and is now almost universally used.

Shakespeare is the best-known writer to have expressed the idea that shiny things aren't necessarily precious things. The original editions of The Merchant of Venice, , have the line as 'all that glisters is not gold'.

What was inside the golden casket? She shows him the three caskets gold, silver, lead and tells him he has to pick the right one in order to marry her. He picks the golden casket, because it says that what is inside is what all men desire. But instead of Portia's picture, the casket contains a skull with a scroll stuck through an eye socket. Does Shylock have a wife? 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.

Why did Arragon choose the silver casket? Prince of Morocco's choice is straightforward. He chose the gold casket because it seemed the most obvious, and most desirable choice. Arragon rejects lead because of the ominous warning, and thinks that gold refers to the foolish populace.

In the test, suitors are presented with three caskets: one made of gold, one of silver and one of lead. If the suitor chooses the correct casket, he wins Portia's hand. The gold casket is a symbol of greed and of materialistic and shallow people who value surface over substance.

Silver, while still precious, is not quite as luxurious as gold. The correct casket is lead and warns that the person who chooses it must give and risk everything he has. 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. The contest certainly suits Bassanio, who knows he does not deserve his good fortune but is willing to risk everything on a gamble.

Shylock never explicitly demands that Antonio die, but asks instead, in his numerical mind, for a pound in exchange for his three thousand ducats.

How does Portia help Bassanio pick the right casket? Portia says that she will not commit perjury lie under oath. She also says that if Bassanio should choose the wrong casket, he would make her wish that she had helped him, which would be a sinful thought. What was inside the golden casket? She shows him the three caskets gold, silver, lead and tells him he has to pick the right one in order to marry her. He picks the golden casket, because it says that what is inside is what all men desire.

But instead of Portia's picture, the casket contains a skull with a scroll stuck through an eye socket. What good news does Shylock get? The good news for Shylock is that Antonio has lost a ship near North Africa and will likely go bankrupt. The bad news is that Jessica spent 80 ducats and traded a ring which was a present from Leah to him before they were married for a monkey.

Why does Bassanio choose lead casket? He chooses lead because he knows that true worth lies inside, even if the outside doesn't look like much. The lead is more like HIM than like Portia. The reason that Bassanio selects this casket over the gold one and the silver one is because he thinks that you cannot judge a book by its cover, essentially.