Portia is another incredibly significant character. She lives in Belmont and is a wealthy bachelorette with many suitors, one of which is Bassanio. What makes Portia unique is that she has no say in who she marries. Before her father’s death, he established a system that would choose a husband for Portia. He set up three caskets, gold, silver, and lead, with inscriptions on top and symbolic objects within. If nobody was able to select the correct casket, Portia would remain unmarried for her whole life. Despite her father having passed away, Portia loyally continues with the process that her father had established. When we were first introduced to Portia, she’s sitting with her maid Nerissa, discussing each suitor in detail, and complaining about them. This is quite jarring when all the poor suitors have said about her have been compliments and well wishes!
