The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 10.0706  Wednesday, 21 April 1999.

From:           Nely Keinanen <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Wednesday, 21 Apr 1999 08:59:51 +0200
Subject: 10.0694 Who Chooseth Me
Comment:        Re: SHK 10.0694 Who Chooseth Me

John Velz wrote:

>But in a larger sense this inscription is about marriage itself,
>a person entering into marriage must give and hazard all he/she has.  So
>when he contemplates the leaden choice, B. is in effect choosing
>marriage.  A nice touch in the play.

In the early modern period, however, it was the woman who gave and
hazarded all she had; her property legally became the property of her
husband, and it's Portia who has the pretty speech about giving
everything she has to Bassanio.

Cheers,
Nely Keinanen
University of Helsinki

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