How Does Morocco Judge Him Based On His Skin Color?

Morocco addresses the issue of Portia’s racism. First, Morocco explains that Portia should not judge him based on his skin color. Raised in the sun, Morocco uses his upbringing in a hot climate as a reason for his dark complexion. However, Morocco then uses his blood as an example of how the prince is as human or manly as anyone else, or perhaps even more than the others. Attempting to counter her racism, Morocco even offers to cut himself to show the color of his blood, thinking that it would counteract her dislike of his skin color.

The imagery in Morocco’s speech reflects the Elizabethan perception of Moors through displaying an apparent stereotype of Moors. According to both speeches, Moors were depicted as fearless warriors with dark complexions. For example, lines 1-12 address Portia’s racism. Using Portia, Shakespeare delineates an underlying racist opinion of Moors. And, in lines 22-38, Morocco only expressed his actions that made him appear more fearsome or manly. One reason why this reflects the Elizabethan perception is because this trait was significant enough to not only be valued by a prince of the culture, but to also be used to persuade a lady to marry. Portia’s reaction to Morocco is indifference. An incident conveying this is when

Evidently, the meeting was planned for Gratiano to meet with Bassanio to ask this favor. The incident that shows this is where Shakespeare foreshadows this meeting on line 107, where Bassanio tells an attendant to ask Gratiano to meet with him soon. Later, when the two finally meet, Gratiano asks it as a favor and even promises to behave well. Obviously, shown by the two aforementioned parts of the scene, Gratiano’s reason to attend is not simply to have a fun time, but to support his friend on this momentous