Eight deficient suitors attempt to choose the correct casket to be able to claim the beloved Portia. Focussing in on the three suitors: Prince Morocco, Prince Arragon and Bassanio. Portia’s father, before he died, set in place a rule for his daughter. Therefore, the choice of casket reveals the true personality of the suitors. The noble gold casket is highly deceiving. Written on the outside of the Gold casket is “who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire” 2/7/5 Prince Morocco is the one to fall for those deceiving words. The prince was shocked the open the casket and find a skull. The scroll inside reads: “All that glitters is not gold- You’ve often heard that said. Many men have sold their souls just to view my shiny surface. But gilded tombs contain worms. If you had been as wise as you were bold, with an old man’s mature judgment, you wouldn’t have had to read this scroll. So goodbye—you lost your chance.” 2/7/65 Gold is beautiful and worth masses, but it is not as if you see people cutting it in half to see what’s on the inside, everybody just assumes what’s on the outside is on the inside. Morocco’s choice of casket reflects that entirely, he loves wealth and beautiful things. The “front” is what matters most. He is self-centered, conceited. As long as he looks good with Portia, then everything is perfect. Happiness and love do not matter; the “wealth and beauty” will be fine. He did not even have to think twice, his selfish, inconsiderate mind knew already, Portia is exactly what he desired. The prince thinks highly of himself, solely because of his appearances. He grew up in the sun; therefore, his glistering, golden tanned skin is perfection. “The shadowed livery of the burnished sun, to whom I am a neighbor and n... ... middle of paper ... ...ch other because you love each other. Bassanio also went through a lot of ‘hath’ to get enough money to seem rich. The lead casket seems to symbolize inner beauty and honesty. Even though Bassanio only wanted to marry Portia because of her beauty and wealth, he picking lead proves how intelligent and manipulative he is. He had Portia going crazy for him. “for in choosing wrong, I lose your company. Therefore, forbear awhile. There’s something tells me—but it is not love—I would not lose you, and you know yourself Hate counsels not in such a quality.” 3/2/5 “Bassanio also shows how down to earth he is by picking something that has day to day value. For ordinary people, lead has useful attributes. Also Shakespeare is using the association with death; lead is used to line coffins.” – (coaching corner/enotes.com/hehadhazardedalready) Works Cited sparknotes enotes.com
Just before World War II Rudi Kaplan starts learning a very important lesson. A Father’s Promise is a historical fiction written by Donnalynn Hess. The setting is in 1939 right before World War II in Warsaw, Poland.
When the rich man dies, his possessions are removed, which in his folly he thought himself master. His treasures will be divided up and auctioned off to the highest bidder, like a common street commodity. What took a small fortune and lifetime to accumulate, in a short afternoon, the auctioneer will disperse
Sebastian, the twin brother of Viola who was lost at sea after a shipwreck, and Lady Olivia are the first to marry, but things are not as they seem. During the weeks leading up to matrimony, Olivia fell madly in love with Cesario, who though looks and sounds just as Sebastian, is truly Viola dressed as a man. Sebastian does not realize this as he meets Olivia for the first time. He is amazed that a woman of her statue and beaut...
During Shakespeare's time, the wedding and engagement rings indicated commitment. The rings Portia and Nerissa gave to Bassanio and Gratiano, that they were never to remove, were just that. "I give them with this ring, Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Let it presage the ruin of your love And be my vantage to exclaim on you" (3.2.171-4). The rings stood for the man's commitment to his wife just as rings Bassanio and Gratiano would give to Portia and Nerissa at their weddings would stand for the wives' commitment.
At the top of the ladder sits the father, a high and mighty figure, like that of King Arthur. He towers above his family as if a king on a throne, looking down upon his royal subjects. He is the sole ruler and therefore must set himself apart from them. This is reflected in the position of his arms, which he keeps close to his body, like the independent child who refuses to hold his mother's hand when crossing the street. Even his manner of dress holds a stately aura. The yellow hat upon his head is golden and pointy similar to that of a royal crown worn by the great rulers of the past. The fringes on his costume surround his neck like the golden mane of a fearsome lion, king of the jungle. The leotard, itself, is an almost fleshy tone like soft peaches in the summer. It reminds one of an acrobat in costume during his death-defying tightrope act, high above the audience. His shoes, however, are thin and black like a bat in the night, contrasting sharply with the rest of the colors of the painting. It were as if they are demanding the well-deserved attention they have earned in all the effort it had taken them to get to the top. Yet, he looks down at the child with great hope, as would a king to his newborn successor, who would follow in his footsteps, performing great deeds to society and loved by all his people. It is also a look of unconditional love that cannot dissipate even if the child were to accidentally burn their house down or fall on top of him, breaking a few ribs in the process.
The bronze ornament perched on the mantelpiece poses an immediate threat to Joseph Garcin’s concept and acceptance of his death. He understands his fate, but the ornament already beings to symbolize the meaning that Garcin cannot find in his life or death. The ornament subtly highlights Sartre’s existentialist themes in the play, but only Garcin interacts with the prop. “I assure you I’m quite conscious of my position,” he tells the valet. “A man’s drowning, choking, sinking by inches, till his eyes are just above water. And what does he see? A bronze atrocity…” (Sartre 4) That the ornament, amongst the other props resting in the room, appears to have no purpose or meaning confounds Garcin. What is he to do with his ornament? His first instinct, while alone in the room, is to touch and embrace it, as he has to embrac...
This is explored through the characters of both lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Near the end of the play, Juliet drinks a potion to make her appear dead to her parents and get her out of an unwanted arranged marriage to a man named Paris. Once her parents would find her dead and place in a tomb with her ancestors, her other lover, Romeo, would get her and they would elope together. However because of miscommunication, Romeo was not aware of this plan and he heard that Juliet had died from someone else. Because of this he goes to see her and decides to kill himself, but after seeing her “dead” body for closure. When Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, he immediately resorts to suicide without once thinking about any other possibilities or considering a life without her. This quick conclusion leads to the unnecessary death of Paris, who also came to meet Juliet, and Romeo, himself, which then leads to Juliet killing herself. Before Romeo drinks poison and commits suicide, he says “Here’s to my love! (drinks the poison) O true apothecary,Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” This rash and hasty decision, had it been put off for a minute or so would have resulted in Juliet awakening and the couple living together, which was their goal. However, Romeo’s impetuosity results in an unhappy and tragic end to him, his wife and his wife’s other lover. This
The nature of the contract between Portia and her father is as follows, Portia’s father state’s that all suitors must first select on of three caskets in order to marry her. The caskets are made of gold, silver, and base lead, all containing different messages. Only one of the three caske...
I like the suggestion and notion that the caskets Portia`s potential suitors must open represents and solidifies this seemingly ongoing and ever present theme of fate. If a man choose the wrong casket his life and fate would be drastically different that what it was before and if he were to choose the right one the precise opposite would ensue. This to me is terrifying beyond belief for one single choice, one picking of a simple casket can determine the rest of your life and at the time, possibly even the state and status of your family name. For me this coincides and correlates to fate itself, which typically can and
Bassanio’s contemplation is underlined by a song that utilizes rhyme and meter in order to subconsciously provide Bassanio with the correct material for the casket: lead. The first two lines of the song immediately contextualize the concept of love and introduce two words that rhyme with the word lead. The following lines elaborate upon that theme by reassuring the listener that love will confirm itself yet fall prey to the inevitability of a love that dies; that afterthought can be heard echoing through a round of choruses. Bassanio essentially becomes a victim of determinism, both in his character and in terms of his role in the plot.
Whether physical or figurative, death adds a new dimension to Othello and A Doll House. Its presence gives the reader an eerie feeling and intensifies the depth of the plays. As readers, we wonder about the significance of death, and muse over what went on in the heads of Nora and, especially, Othello during the moment of truth. Nora believed in the illusion, whereas Othello was fooled into believing in it. They both went through a transformation, a step higher in consciousness, to a new beginning. Death is a link in the chain of life. Death as change or demise is often feared, because one doesn’t know what to expect. It is said that the best way to banish an enemy is to make it a friend. The concept of death, if understood, will unleash immortality.
In 1785, the court jewelers, Bohmer and Basange, constructed a necklace with five hundred and forty diamonds of varying sizes in an ugly arrangement that resembled the collars worn by circus animals. They hoped that King Louis XV would purchase it for his favorite, Madame du Barry. Unfortunately, the king died before the necklace was completed. So, naturally the jewelers tried to sell the piece to the newly crowned Queen, Marie Antoinette, because she was known for her extravagant spending and taste. They priced the jewelry at and equivalent of two million dollars in modern money. The Queen declined the offer. She did not like the necklace and the price was even too high for her. Knowing that they would be ruined if the Queen didn’t buy their product the jewelers continued to plead with her for ten years. Each time she turned them down. Then, one day the Queen received a note signed by Bassange which said, “We have real satisfaction in thinking that the most beautiful set of diamonds in existence will belong to the greatest and best of Queens.” Puzzled by the message, the Queen, put the note to flame by a candle sitting on a nearby table (Komroff 85).
For example, when a loved one dies, his or her family buys them a very expensive casket, and a tombstone to mark their final resting place.. Some may even preserve their dead loved ones so that they may be brought back to life when the technology is capable. Many of these rituals take root in the belief of an afterlife, and taking care to ensure that they prosper in it. Also, after the passing of a loved one, many put on display pictures of their dead loved ones as a reminder of their love for them. In the end of Romeo and Juliet, the families of the two deceased lovers agree to make a golden statue of Juliet, and to bury the couple together so that they may be eternally together. These complex grieving rituals show clearly that it is only because people still care about their loved ones even after they pass
Throughout the Merchant of Venice, while Portia is being courted. the reader can see that she does not like any of the suitors, except Bassanio. She finds a flaw in all the suitors and readers, as well, can see. the flaws in each as they present themselves to her. Her true love however, is for Bassanio
Janwillem Van De Wetering says, “Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is never enough.” Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace” tells of Mrs. Mathilde Loisel’s longings for the finer things in life. Her desires are so intense she risks her husband’s affections, the friendship of an old chum, and even her mediocre lifestyle to pursue these cravings. One small decision based on an ill-placed desire causes a slow drawn out death of the spirit, body and relationships.