Merchant of Venice

What is a martlet?

Martlet has been referred to in Act II Scene 9 in Prince of Arragon's speech while making a choice of the casket from the Merchant of Venice

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Portia compares men who don't look to see what is inside and rather seek flashy outwardly things. She compares this to the Martlet birds who build their nests on the outside of walls. The Martlet builds nests against walls.

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