1.2 Question for Merchant of Venice

Even after his death, Portia's father has assured himself that her choice in a husband is limited by his own decree. She is unable to choose her own husband, as her husband will be chosen by the methods he put in place before his death. Portia's "choice" is no choice at all, as each of the men who desire to marry her are bound by the same requirements. In instituting the caskets as a test for her suitors, Portia's father believed that their choices defined them as men. Portia had no choice but to adhere to his demands and marry as he deemed fit. Her fortune lay in the balance.