In Act 1, Scene 2, as Portia's maid Nerissa lists each of
Portia's suitors, Portia critiques the man and explains why she does not want to marry him. The
scene as a whole provides the audience with insight into Portia's internal conflict over wanting
to please her father and wanting to have a say in the type of man she marries. Below are her
responses to each of the men's names and characters.
1. Neapolitan
Prince: He talks only about horses and how capable he is with all things horse-related. His
one-subject nature makes him uninteresting to Portia.
2. County
Palatine: He is too melancholy for Portia. According to the play's heroine, he does not smile at
funny stories, and Portia claims that she would rather be married to a skull than to
him.
3. Monsieur Le Bon: Portia is quite disdainful toward the
Frenchman. She comments that he must be a man only because God made him one--she implies that he
is effeminate and easily scared. She then goes on to describe him as having multiple
personalities!
4. Falconbridge from England: While Portia admits
that Falconbridge is good looking, she cannot tolerate his hodgepodge manner of dressing nor his
lack of language skills; in fact, she calls him a "dumb show."
5.
Scottish Lord: Portia does not like him because he borrows from too many people. He seems like a
charmer, but she doesn't appreciate how he uses that charm to take advantage of
others.
6. The German Duke: He is a sponge (a drunk), and Portia
even suggests putting a glass of wine on the wrong casket so that he will choose it instead of
Portia. The duke's character represents Shakespeare's tendency to paint Germans as heavy
drinkers.
7. Bassanio: Shakespeare also uses this scene to
foreshadow the future relationship between Portia and Bassanio. He is the only potential suitor
about whom Portia says nothing negative.
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