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Bassanio thinks aloud as he chooses among the boxes, revealing his reasons for deciding on the lead box. He explains his choice by focusing on how decoration can trick the viewer, but that he sees past appearances and relies on his instincts and intellect.
Bassanio's main concern is to pay back his debts, this may be one of the reasons that he wants to marry Portia, in order to inherit or wealth. 'To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love,'. 'I owe you much, and, like a wilful youth, That which I owe is lost; but if you please.
Bassanio is a young man from a respectable Venetian family, with a lifestyle of leisure and pleasure-seeking with a group of friends of the same class. Consequently, he lives from hand to mouth and languishes in debt. That doesn’t bother him until the need for cash becomes a burning issue.
Bassanio treats Portia like a prize to be won. Objectifies her and treats her like a commodity. he doesn't believe that he wins Portia until he gets a legal document, just so he can get his money straight away. ironic as it foreshadows him giving the ring away after the trial scene.
Why should you care about what Bassanio says in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice? Don't worry, we're here to tell you.
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Read our modern English translation. A nobleman from Venice, who is a kinsman, close friend, and longtime debtor of the merchant, Antonio. Because he wants to woo the noble Portia, but cannot himself afford to do so, Bassanio borrows 3000 ducats from Shylock, with Antonio as his guarantor.
