Act 3 scene 2

• We are back in Belmont, where Bassanio is about to pick his casket.

  Portia is asking him to take his time, as she could lose him, if he picks the

  wrong casket. It is clear that Portia wants Bassanio to pick the right

  casket.

  •

  Bassanio ignores her pleas to wait and says that waiting like this is a

  form of torture and that he wants to know his fate.
• Portia puts on some music, while he is thinking about which casket to open.

  The lyrics of the song convey the message of not judging things by

  appearance and the last words of the first few lines all rhyme with lead,

  which could indicate that Portia is giving Bassanio subtle hints about which

  casket to pick.