Notes on Lottery of Caskets

What was the lottery of caskets:

The lottery of caskets was devised by Portia’s father on his death-bed to save her from
fortune hunters. It was in three chests of gold, silver and lead; whereof who would
choose the right casket would win Portia’s hand in marriage. The right casket was to
be chosen after interpreting the inscriptions on each of these caskets and it contained
Portia’s portrait.

[Nerissa too had assured Portia that her father was an ever-virtuous man and holy men
at their deathbed have good inspirations. Hence, the lottery would never be chosen by
anyone rightly but by one who shall truly love.]

Inscriptions (to be learnt as it is):

Gold: Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.

Silver: Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.

Lead: Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.

 Three injunctions:
Any suitor who decides to participate in the lottery of caskets, has to abide by these
three injunctions,
If he fails of the right choice,
He’s never to disclose which casket was it that he chose. Secondly, never woo a
maid in way of marriage and lastly, leave immediate and be gone from Belmont,
without pestering Portia with any more suits.

What did the caskets contain:

Gold: A carrion death with a scroll in its empty eye socket

Silver: A portrait of a blinking idiot, offering a schedule

Lead: Portia’s portrait / likeness, seemed to be made by a semi-divine artist and

a gentle scroll

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From Act III, Scene II- Bassanio’s line of thought for rejecting / selecting a certain
casket:

Introduction
The song that musicians were playing in the background was about nature, origin and
death of fanciful love. A kind of love that grows by looking at beautiful appearances
and which never stems from the inside and hence is fleeting. It supplies warning
against judging something by the eyes alone or on basis of appearances. It can be
claimed that it definitely influenced Bassanio’s thought process. He began his
contemplation with these two ideas in mind,
First, that the outward shows are least themselves and that the world is always
deceived with ornament.
Further, Bassanio starts to contemplate various arenas of life where this idea stands
true,

- In law, he says that there is never a case so tainted and corrupt which cannot
be seasoned with a gracious voice. Indirectly, the worst and most corrupt
cases can also be obscured and a beautiful appearance may hide the inherent
show of evil.
- In religion, he says that every damned error can be made to hide if some
sober brow (like a priest) blesses it and approves it by misquoting and
justifying with an example from the scripture- and this way the grossness can
be hidden with fair ornament

- Bassanio says that even the simplest of vices have some mark on virtue on
their outward parts. Even the simplest and most common of lies can be
hidden under some mark of virtue.

- Then, Bassanio talks about people who are cowards and who have hearts as
stairs of sand (meaning- having no stability but just falsehood); even they on
the outward wear upon their chins the beards of Hercules and frowning Mars
(put up a brave appearance, hence the reference to Hercules and Mars- God
of war). If we go on to search the real meaning, we would find that their
livers are as ‘white as milk’. (In Elizabethan times liver was known to be the
seat of courage, hence having a white liver symbolized cowardice). Such
people too assume a brave outer appearance- “valour’s excrement” to make
them look formidable- “to render them redoubted”.

- Next, Bassanio thinks of the case of beauty- how even that can be purchased
by the weight and can hide the real character of the one who wears it. He
thinks that beauty which can be purchased in form of beauty products from
the market, literally by the weight, can work a miracle in nature of character-
which is qualitative.
In the same vein, he thinks of crisp, snaky, golden locks (beautiful wigs)
which seem to play wanton gambles with the wind upon the head of a person
whose beauty or fairness is just assumed. That, he thinks, is like dowry from
another head; and the person who really possessed such beautiful locks may
be resting in a tomb. In short, he meant that beauty or appearances can be
deceitful.

- In Nature, a calm shore hardly indicates the dangers that lie ahead on Sea.
Hence, he thinks, that guilded (treacherous) shore is like an ornament to a
most dangerous sea.

- A beautiful scarf can hide / conceal behind it Indian beauty (Elizabethan

standards of beauty were very narrow; only a fair face with certain features
was considered to be beautiful). Here, Bassanio basically reasons that a
beautiful piece of garment can hide a not so beautiful face. Reiteration of the
idea that outward appearances are least telling of what lies inside.
Bassanio finally concludes that he would have nothing to do with ‘gaudy gold’- which was
like hard food for Midas (know briefly about Midas’ boon and what happened to him).
Thinking on these lines, he rejects the gold casket.

For Silver,
Bassanio thinks of it as pale and a common drudge, which passes between man and man. (It
is a reference to silver currency which keeps on circulating between men and that makes it of
little value and a slave to man’s possession). Therefore, he rejects the silver casket.

For Lead,
Bassanio is attracted to meagre lead and he says to it that its paleness moves him more than
the eloquent words inscribed on the others. He feels that it rather threatens than promise
anything. And since outward appearances are deceitful, he chooses the lead casket, asks for
its keys and hopes that joy be the consequence of this choice.

[Remember, while writing about any casket, make sure you mention the inscription on that
particular casket]

All the best!

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