Passage From the Text
Morocco: Some God direct my judgement. Let me see. I will survey th'inscriptions back again. What says this leaden casket? "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all that he hath." Must give for what? For lead--hazard for lead? This casket threatens; men that hazard all do it in hope of fair advantages. A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross; I'll then nor give nor hazard aught for lead. What says the silver with her virgin hue? "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves." As much as he deserves--pause there, Morocco, and weigh thy value with an even hand. If thou be'st rated by thy estimation thou dost deserve enough, and yet enough may not extend so far as to the lady. And yet to be afeared of my deserving were but a weak disabling of myself. As much as I deserve: why that's the lady! I do in birth deserve her and in fortunes, in graces, and in qualities of breeding; but more than these, in love do I deserve. What if I strayed no farther but chose here? Let's see once more this saying graved in gold: "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire." Why that's the lady! All the world deserves her; from the four corners of the earth they come to kiss this shrine, this mortal breathing saint. The Hyrcanian deserts and the vastly wilds of wide Arabia are as thoroughfares now for princes to come view fair Portia. The watery kingdom, whose ambitious head spits in the face of heaven, is no bar to stop the foreign spirits, but they come as o'er brook to see fair Portia. One of these three contains her heavenly picture. Is't like that lead contains her? 'Twere damnation to think so base a thought. It were too gross to rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave. Or shall I think in silver she's immured, being ten times undervalued to tried gold? O sinful thought! Never so rich a gem was set in worse than gold. They have in England a coin that bears the figure of an angel stamped in gold, but that's insculpt upon. But here an angel in a golden bed lies all within. Deliver me the key! Here do I choose, and thrive I as I may. (II.vii.13-60)
Response to the Text
1) The imagery in this portion of the text allows the reader of the play to vividly visualize Morocco as a character through the hints that are dropped about his personality. Being from Morocco and referring to "some God" rather than the one God, leads me to see him as an Islamic man that likely wears billowing robes and an ornate turban that were common at the time. To speak of his character, Morocco refers to himself in the third person while choosing his casket, and he calls himself by the name of his country. Talking to yourself during a serious time such as the one at hand would surely have been just as awkward then as it is today and is either derived from his arrogance or from his culture. By this it is easy to see the man as Machiavellian, unifying himself and the state into one body. This is even further exemplified by speaking of his golden mind and how it provides him with a heightened view of his surroundings. Morocco's country of origin and Venice itself are also described by Morocco through a juxtaposition of scenery. By comparing the deserts and grasslands of North Africa with the vast canals and islands of Venice, Morocco seems like even more of a foreigner than he did before. His description of Portia as angelic in beauty seems to be relatively accurate according to most of Portia's suitors, although I wouldn't put it past Morocco to lie about Portia's beauty in order to seduce her. Although the caskets in this scene are not described in painstaking detail, it is easy enough for the reader to imagine what the ceremony for choosing a casket looks like. From Morocco's dialogue it is easy to see how weak willed men would be swayed by the precious metals rather than lead as these caskets are not only made of a richer material, but are also most likely very ornate in appearance. The casket that Morocco chooses mirrors his appearance and the appearance of most arrogant people like him; rich on the outside but empty on the inside.